Question: I supervise a young man named Derrick, who seems very mild-mannered. He's a good Web site administrator for our company, and I'm happy with his work.

        The problem is that he goes ballistic over the littlest things. Worse yet, it's totally unpredictable. For example, last week something got screwed up with payroll, and his check didn't get direct-deposited. Instead, I hand-delivered it to him on payday.

        He immediately went to the payroll clerk and started yelling at her. She was in tears when she called me. I told him he's never to do that sort of thing again, but now I'm worried he'll “go postal” on us someday. What can I do to prevent it?

        Answer: You might be in over your head if you expect to prevent Derrick from blowing up. It sounds to me as though he has some issues with anger and control that are best handled by a professional.

        If there are opportunities to gently suggest this to him, I'd certainly do it. In the meantime, however, there are things you can do to minimize the chance that he'll do something like this again:

        1. Talk to him about why he did this. You did the right thing telling him it's inappropriate behavior, but it's time to take it a step further. One approach for getting to know people better is called an “innerview.”

        The goal is to find out what makes this person tick — what motivates him, what makes him angry, what makes him happy, etc.

        Take him to lunch and start probing. Because Derrick seems internally focused, you may have to do this a few times before he really starts to open up. He may be suspicious of you at first, so it might even make sense to talk about your personal life a bit.

        My suspicion is that Derrick feels people are out to get him. As a result, your “innerview” can serve a double purpose. Not only will you find out information that can help you motivate him, but you also will show that you care about him as a person.

        You will be on the first step toward building trust in your relationship. When that is achieved, you can move to the role of coach, guiding him in the appropriate behaviors.

        2. Although you say Derrick is doing a good job, I think this might be a good time to work with him on a Position Results Description. This describes every activity he is responsible for, as well as the expected outcomes.

        These are valuable for every position, but in this case it's a way for you to formally reiterate what he should not do.

        For example, you can say that he is to bring all administrative problems to his supervisor, couching it in the fact that it saves his time and talents for the important job he's doing. In other words, make the fault seem easy to correct.

        3. Ensure that his dignity is maintained. I don't know what you've said to others about this problem, but if you're saying anything negative about Derrick to anyone (such as the payroll clerk), it's time to change your tactic.

        Listen to him, Let him express his ideas and opinions to you, then seriously consider them. He will be much more open to growth and change if he feels he's being taken seriously.

        E-mail carnegiecoach@dale-carnegie.com.

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