How Being Loud, Obnoxious and Rude Impacts Others

One of the most impactful aspects of leadership is to be self-aware of who you are, how you act and how you impact the behaviors and thinking of other people. This Hidden Brain Podcast: How Rude! got me thinking about this as it applies to our profession of emergency management.

There are different types of leadership styles. One that I think that has diminishing returns within the culture of today is yelling, belittling, and criticizing others. Listen to the podcast and look at how these behaviors cause people to "shut down" in many different ways. They certainly are not motivating for someone to step out and take future chances. It significantly removes any notion of being creative and finding a new way to solve a problem.

There may be a point when someone needs to yell a warning to others to protect them from some calamity. In my 20 years in the military, I don't recall anyone "yelling orders to do this or that." Yelling was only used in order to be heard. There may be a place for it in combat, but in the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) or in any administrative office, yelling and belittling others is no way to behave. If somehow you might have that notion in your head, ditch it immediately. You will become a much more effective leader.