When someone throws a fit at work, the corporate reflex is to call HR, write them up, or try to dig into the "root cause" of their anger.
Years ago, when I owned a software firm, one of our developers threw a complete fit. He’d been working for months on a project that would try the patience of anyone.
As I was walking out the door to a pitch, I saw him stand up, punch his desk, and start cursing. “I’m so f’ing tired of this f’ing sh’t. This project sucks. This client sucks. I f’ing quit.”
He grabbed a giant trash bag and started throwing the contents of his desk into it. Handfuls of CDs, books, picture frames, post-its—straight into the trash bag. The entire office was staring at him.
I walked over to his desk and said, “Hey man, I get it. This project does suck. I totally get why you’d want to quit. And if you really do want to quit, that’s totally cool. I’ll give you severance and an amazing reference. If you want to quit, it’s fine, but please, just don’t do it this way.”
And as quickly as the storm arrived, it blew over.
He stopped, looked at me, and said, “Hmm. Yeah, you’re right.” He began to take everything out of the trash bag, piece by piece, and put it back on his desk.
That was the end of the story. We never had a discussion about his frustration, his behavior, or his desire to quit. The project was completed successfully. He never had another outburst, and he was instrumental in helping keep the company together years later.
I didn't have to fix his mindset, analyze his past, or put him on a performance improvement plan. I just had to stand in the room and refuse to catch his panic.