In the complicated world of corporate law, emotions are often an ignored component. While legal professionals are expected to approach their tasks analytically, without personal feelings influencing their decisions, they are, after all, humans too. However, distancing oneself from personal emotions can lead to passive aggressive behaviors instead of direct confrontations. Such an approach may have more severe consequences in the long term.
Looking through the prism of personal experience, corporate law attorney Ary Rosenbaum shares his approach in dealing with anger in his recent article titled “Tell them why you’re mad” published by JD Supra. Ary Rosenbaum, of The Rosenbaum Law Firm P.C., invites us to reevaluate the conventional wisdom of suppressing emotions in our professional lives.
In the piece, Rosenbaum admits to his past tendency to stop communicating altogether when mad at others. As he explains, this passive-aggressive approach was not effective and certainly not mature.
- Rosenbaum advises professionals to directly voice their anger to the concerned party. He experienced that straightforwardness brings better results, especially when it’s balanced with maintaining the established lines of respect. He argues that such transparency strengthens professional relationships.
- Moreover, he also affirms that clarity of communication and directly addressing the issues at hand, can lead to resolutions, referring to an incident involving a valued business partner. The two were able to smoothen the bumps in their working relationship only after acknowledging and addressing the issues that irritated Rosenbaum.
Rosenbaum’s article serves as a reminder that even in a field as methodologically rigorous as law, acknowledging our feelings and emotions plays a crucial role in maintaining healthy professional relationships. While expressing anger is not commonly accepted in the professional space, it may, in fact, prompt apology, forms of reconciliation or changes in behavior leading to an improved work environment.
As legal professionals, if we can learn from such insights, we might foster better and more respectful business relations, and support not only personal growth but also the broader growth and success of our firms and corporations.