With rare exception, anger is always a secondary emotion fueled by either fear or hurt.

To be sure there are those instances where one is incensed by injustices done in the world to the point of anger or as it’s sometimes called “righteous indignation.”  However, most of the time it is someone who is not comfortable with expressing the emotion of fear or hurt as much as they are comfortable expressing anger.A wise leader understands this and looks beyond the anger of the direct report to gain a clearer understanding of the fear or hurt fueling the anger – addressing that emotion rather than reacting to the anger.A strong leader has also grown in his/her own comfort level with expressing fear and hurt so that s/he doesn’t have to substitute anger for the expression of the true/primary emotion.  Without this understanding, a leader will struggle to make sense out of their own anger and the anger they might face from those who follow.