No one wants to be around emotionally volatile people. And when others must be around leaders who lose control of their emotions, they will avoid topics or news that might set the leader off. Anger not only stifles the leader’s ability to learn and to change, those around the leader will withhold information and “tread lightly”, not speaking with candor.
This is a doubly bad problem behavior because even if a leader starts controlling his/her temper, other people will not notice. They will just remember that time five years ago when…. Once you have a reputation as a person who gets angry it is very difficult to change that perception.
This is an instance where “stakeholder centered” coaching can be particularly valuable. By focusing on the “stakeholders” around the leader, perceptions can change with the changed behavior.