"Who’s in the driver’s seat?"

Anger flares up fast.
It’s like fuel, powerful, volatile, ready to burn.

The danger isn’t in feeling it. The danger is in letting it grab the wheel.
Because once anger is driving, the destination is almost always regret.

Compassion is what steadies the hands.
It keeps the message sharp but not cruel, firm but not destructive.
It turns raw heat into something useful: fierce clarity.

Here’s the check I try to use:

• If I’m focused on venting, anger’s driving.
• If I’m focused on protecting the team, clarifying the boundary, or helping someone grow, compassion’s driving, and anger is just the spark in the engine.

One leads to broken trust.
The other leads to stronger teams.

You can’t stop anger from showing up. But you can decide whether it sits in the driver’s seat, or just fuels the journey compassion is steering.

Next time anger flares, pause and ask yourself: Who’s really in the driver’s seat right now?

Until next time,
Dermot
The Messy Middle.

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