A Crucible of Anger

I think it comes naturally to us humans to fear what is uncomfortable. When we know possible discomfort is coming we might try to run the other way, worry about it, or try to hide from it. I have long written about the anger that I feel when an employee calls-off work. I would often throw the phone, make negative comments, and stomp around the house like a bull. Eventually I was given a new Job role and don’t regularly have to address call-offs directly, yet that fear and anger still waits somewhere to be reignited. This past week one of my managers was going to be on vacation, and the responsibility fell to me to cover for him while he was gone. I felt my mind wanting to race to weave stories about all the call-offs and employee issues that would come up. My thoughts continually pulled back to all my previous experiences and the anger that would bubble up. What has changed overtime though is how I relate to these weeks when a manager is on vacation. I have slowly started to think…