What to do when a team member needs to rant Mary Carol had never seen Jim so upset before. He came into her office and pulled out a chair to vent about Joyce. Jim was actually dumping some negativity. Mary Carol didn’t know Jim had such strong feelings for Joyce. Jim was very upset. Mary Carol felt attacked at first. She quickly realized that Jim needed someone who could listen to him. Mary Carol felt torn as Jim continued to rant. She didn’t necessarily agree with all the negative comments he made about Joyce. Joyce and Jim both worked with her team. Each of them were a strong team member. Listening to Jim complain about Joyce almost felt like disloyalty. Almost. Mary Carol realized that Jim needed a safe space to express his feelings. It was better for Jim rant to her than to Joyce and to others about Joyce. Mary Carol wondered what she could do differently as Jim continued to rant. She wanted Jim to let go of these hurt feelings. She did not want Jim to allow his difficult feelings to set the tone or damage his professional relationship. Mary Carol had a plan. Jim continued to talk. Mary Carol held her hand up and asked Jim to stop for a moment. Jim said, “I know, Jim, I know, it’s not right for me to come into your office and make negative comments about another member of my team.” Mary Carol replied, “That is not it at ALL.” “You might consider this a safe place and safe conversation. Let’s make this time more productive. This is what I’m going to do. I will give you ten minutes more to rant about Joyce. You can say whatever you want. You can switch topics after ten minutes. Next, you will need to list the positive qualities that Joyce has and the benefits of working with her. Once you have done that, you will be able to create an action plan. Perhaps that action plan is to take a break and relax. Perhaps your action plan is to talk to Joyce about your concerns. Perhaps it’s to spend more time thinking about why you are so upset with Joyce. Jim listened to Mary Carol’s words and abruptly responded, “Great, can you go back to ranting now?” Mary Carol nodded, while thinking, “Well, so much for THAT approach.” Jim didn’t need to rant for ten minutes more, which was a pleasant surprise. He took a deep breath, switched gears and then he was gone. He began to talk about Joyce’s excellent job in solving difficult problems. He recalled a time when he lost his spot in an important executive presentation. She stepped in to join him, as if that was always the plan. He then listed other positive qualities Joyce displayed and he walked towards the door. He opened the door and turned to Mary Carol, saying, “My action plan: I will use this approach with my family, friends, and colleagues whenever they need it.” You can also allow your team members to rant, just like Mary Carol. Consider using her four step ‘ranting plan’.