Pitfalls that leaders should be careful to avoid include taking people for granted, failing to keep promises, failing to take responsibility for one's own errors, and failing to practice what one preaches. The key to survival as a leader is to develop emotional intelligence and to engender it in the work environment. If emotional control is lost, smart people become stupid. It fuels itself and eventually becomes rage. Rage is a state beyond reason that revolves around revenge and reprisal, with no concern for the consequences and with minimal cognition.
Early intervention provides the best chance of successfully defusing the angry situation.
A cooling-off period may actually exacerbate the anger. Leaders should stay cool, avoid direct accusation, be good listeners, and repeat the argument in their own words to demonstrate that they are trying to understand the problem. Asking a meaningful question can be a powerful distraction. However, if all is lost, the leader should leave and return another day. The workplace is becoming more violent as people are unable to handle the stresses of life.