Great Leaders Know How to Get Angry

The hidden power of anger: Setting high standards without becoming volatile

“Nice” leadership might be your team’s biggest obstacle – a strategic dose of anger can unlock your team's full potential.

Here’s what you’ll get from this post:

• The science of anger – and why relentless positivity holds teams back

• Research-backed insights into how anger drives better performance

• Practical tips on channeling frustration to inspire accountability and excellence

Anger is a powerful emotion – a signal that frustration is piling up.

Anger is the one emotion leaders try to avoid at all costs. It’s seen as rude, outdated, and downright unprofessional. Leaders today are expected to stay calm, composed, and supportive.

Are we sacrificing greatness at the altar of niceness?

Imagine a team that feels no urgency to meet expectations – meaning they miss deadlines, deliver subpar work, or fail to reach goals. Is that psychological safety? Or just plain complacency?

Sometimes, it takes purposeful anger – not endless niceness – to drive performance.

Relentless Positivity Is Hurting Your Team

Many leaders believe relentless positivity is the secret to building a healthy culture. They avoid conflict, hoping to foster harmony. But too much “nice” often creates the opposite effect.

Research shows that while positive reinforcement boosts morale, constructive challenges drive results. Without constructive feedback, teams become complacent and performance suffers.

I’ve seen this firsthand. One client adopted a “work from anywhere, anytime” policy, offering employees total flexibility. But they avoided setting clear KPIs and expectations to “preserve calm.” Frustrations quietly mounted as performance began to slide, yet leaders stayed silent – until they snapped. Overnight, they ended remote work and demanded everyone return to the office.

The team was blindsided. Employees thought they were doing a great job because no one had told them otherwise. By avoiding conflict early on, leaders ended up creating even greater damage.

Freedom without accountability isn’t autonomy – it’s negligence. As I wrote here, not pairing flexibility without clear expectations creates confusion, not harmony.

This isn’t an isolated example. In overly nice cultures, the fear of hurting feelings prevents people from giving candid feedback. Constant kudos and excessive praise quickly become meaningless, signaling that “good enough” is acceptable. Over time, this erodes standards.

Positive conflict is vital for growth. Teams thrive on productive tension – debates, disagreements, and challenges. Without friction, there’s no energy. Without energy, there’s no creativity. Leaders who prioritize harmony above all else fail to create a learning culture.

Interestingly, having a bit of a “dark side” as a leader can drive stronger performance. A study of over 900 West Point cadets found that so-called “negative” traits – like being inflexible, overly critical, or demanding – yielded surprising benefits when used in moderation.

Too much negativity is destructive, but the right dose can raise performance.

Barry Staw’s groundbreaking study reinforces this idea. Staw and his team analyzed hundreds of basketball halftime speeches and found that teams performed significantly better after tough, angry talks.

Coaches who highlighted performance gaps drove improvement. Meanwhile, “happy talks” barely moved the needle.

As Staw notes, “Shelving the happy talk and bringing down the hammer” drives better outcomes – even when teams are already ahead.

The lesson is clear: Positivity alone won’t inspire excellence. Sometimes, a strategic dose of anger is exactly what teams need to raise their game.

The challenge? Striking the right balance.

How to Channel Anger into Excellence

Alex Ferguson, the legendary Manchester United football manager, understood how to turn disappointment into motivation. His infamous hairdryer treatment – where he berated players with the intensity of a hairdryer’s blast – wasn’t just about venting frustration. It was a calculated move to break through complacency.

One unforgettable moment came during a 2001 match against Tottenham. At halftime, with his team trailing 0–3, Fergusson unleashed his fury. He accused the players of having “no respect” for the fans. The impact was electrifying: a stunning comeback with five goals to secure a 5–3 victory.

Ferguson’s anger worked because it wasn’t constant or arbitrary – it was deliberate and grounded in high standards. The players didn’t fear the coach – they feared letting him down.

Ferguson claimed he only resorted to the hairdryer treatment a handful of times, yet players recall it differently. Regardless, its impact is legendary.

But why does anger work?

Anger is a powerful emotion – a signal that frustration piles up. It creates a sense of urgency and discomfort. Anger forces us to stop and reflect: “Are we doing our best work? Are we giving everything we’ve got?”

The secret lies in channeling frustration constructively, not lashing out.

Barry Staw’s research emphasizes balance: “When anger is rare, it signals that something is serious. It motivates people to step up and refocus.” But overuse erodes credibility.

Leaders who are perpetually angry become white noise, while those who suppress all frustration risk promoting complacency. Teams may mistake their neutrality for indifference.

Psychological safety doesn’t mean shielding your team from discomfort. It’s about creating an environment where people feel safe enough to address the full range of their emotions – including anger – without fear of judgment.

Leaders don’t need to be feared to be respected. But teams should fear disappointing their leaders – and the standards they uphold.

As Adam Grant observes, “Can I do my most creative thinking when I’m afraid my boss is going to fire me? Probably not. Can I do my most creative thinking when I’m afraid my ideas might not live up to my boss’s high standards? Absolutely.”

Like Fergusson, channel anger strategically – not to tear people down but to propel them to rise to the occasion.

Translating Lessons from the Locker Room to the Boardroom

Anger is only productive when it’s deliberate and linked to high standards. These five principles will help you transform frustration into fuel for your team’s success.

1. Set Clear, High Standards

Excellence doesn’t happen by accident. If your team doesn’t know where the bar is, they’ll always take the easy path. One coach in Barry Staw’s study nailed this principle. Even with a 10-point lead at halftime, he didn’t settle for a generic “Keep it up.” Instead, he lit a fire: “I don’t care if we’re ahead – you can play better than this.”

The team responded with an even stronger performance, significantly widening the lead. Setting the bar high isn’t about being harsh but about exceeding expectations.

What’s preventing you from setting a bar your team is proud to reach – and from expressing disappointment when they miss?

2. Critique Performance, Not People

Constructive feedback is about outcomes, not personalities. Critiquing someone’s character demoralizes them, but critiquing results inspires improvement.

Instead of saying, “You missed the mark,” try: “This isn’t what we promised our clients – it’s not to the standard we uphold.” This approach reinforces shared values, reframing critique as a challenge to rise, not a reason to retreat.

How can you connect feedback to your purpose and goals – and inspire people to deliver their best?

3. Balance Challenge with Support

You can’t demand excellence without taking ownership. Bureaucratic processes, outdated technology, or red tape can drain even the most motivated teams.

Great leaders don’t just get angry when people disappoint them – they channel that frustration into fixing the system, too.

A leader noticing consistent delays in a cross-functional project shouldn’t just bark orders. Instead, ask, “What’s slowing us down? What roadblocks can I help remove?” This shift acknowledges that accountability flows both ways.

What speed bumps are slowing your team down, and how can you help remove them?

4. Use Discomfort Sparingly

Anger is like a spotlight: Overuse blinds people. But when used sparingly, it focuses attention. Reserve your frustration for critical moments, or you’ll be seen as volatile.

Barry Staw’s study confirms this: Rare displays of anger cut through the noise. It makes people think, “This is serious,” – and jump into action. But if you abuse anger, your credibility will be the first casualty.

When was the last time your frustration lit a fire – and when did it burn bridges?

5. Build Credibility Before Critiquing

No one listens to a leader they don’t respect. To earn respect, you must demonstrate competence, caring, and consistency – the three pillars of trust. This foundation gives you the latitude to express dissatisfaction constructively.

Professor Alison Fragale's research is clear: Status beats power. While power comes from a title, status is earned.

High status is vital for using anger effectively. Leaders who lack credibility are often dismissed as tyrants when expressing anger.

How do you earn your team’s respect – through your title or actions?

Don’t Hide Your Anger

Being too nice isn’t the antidote to toxic workplace cultures – it’s just another trap. Endless positivity breeds complacency, lowers the bar, and keeps the team stagnant.

Sometimes, a spark of frustration or anger can inspire the excellence that niceness alone cannot. When used strategically, anger isn’t a liability but an asset.

Direct your frustration toward outcomes, not people. Your team shouldn’t fear you – but they should fear falling short of high standards.

Leadership is a delicate tightrope: Celebrate wins, but continue pushing for more. Channel your anger with purpose, and you’ll inspire more than performance – you’ll inspire greatness.