You catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar. 

I am convinced that yelling and screaming is actually a sign of weakness rather than strength. Strength uses ideas, solutions, influence, and accountability rather than demeaning demonstrations of power and position.

Great leaders courageously use the power of choice.

Alan Mulally, the famed CEO who saved the Ford Motor Company from bankruptcy without using a government bailout, responded to employees with, “it is ok if you do not want to do what I am asking. In fact, it does not make you a bad person if you do not want to do it. However, you do need to make a choice if you want to be on this team.”

Yelling and screaming actually creates the opposite from the desired effect by causing cortisol to flow through the veins of people. Cortisol is a hormone that our bodies produce in response to a stimuli that catches us by surprise or threatens our safety. Cortisol shuts down our thinking brains and puts us into fight, flight, or freeze [reactive] mode. In other words, yelling and screaming generally shuts people down in a business environment, rather than spurring them on to greater feats.

Neuroscience tells us that the brain comes alive when given a choice. A choice allows us to buy-in or buy-out so that the remaining team is more aligned around the goals, objectives, challenges, and vision. And bought-in teams tend to produce more because they experience more positivity chemicals being produced by the brain—like dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, and endorphin—which stimulate great creative brain functions.

So, the next time you have the urge to yell and scream at a subordinate, take a breath and consider the cost such behavior has on you, the employee, and the organization. Then find a better way to communicate your message with a positive effect.

Herb Mast is a Leadership Coach and Employee Engagement Specialist. Learn how he can assist you in implementing the principles and concepts presented here.