Govinda-Krushna Feud Lesson: The Hidden Cost of Anger
We all know someone at work we are not talking to. That colleague who said something. That boss who ignored your idea. That team member who took credit. But wha...
Avinash Chate - Leadership Coach at employee engagement session The Hidden Cost of Anger at Work: Why Holding a Grudge Hurts You More Than You Think In every workplace, there is usually someone who has stopped talking to someone else. A colleague felt insulted. A manager dismissed an idea. A team member took credit. A misunderstanding became a story, and that story slowly became distance. I have seen this pattern across 1,000+ organizations, and one truth stands out clearly: anger is rarely free. Key takeaway: The moment we hold on to resentment, we start paying an invisible emotional and professional price. I call it the Grudge Tax . I was reflecting on the widely discussed feud between Govinda and Krushna Abhishek and the emotional shift that came when Sunita Ahuja said, How long can I stay angry at my own kids? That line carries a deep human lesson. Whether in families or in workplaces, prolonged anger can become a habit, and habits can quietly damage relationships, performance, and peace of mind. As Avinash Chate, a TEDx speaker and author of The Winning Edge, I believe some of the most important breakthroughs in leadership do not happen in boardrooms. They happen in the heart. They happen in the moment when a person decides that being right is less important than rebuilding connection. What Is the Grudge Tax? The Grudge Tax is the hidden cost we pay when we continue to carry unresolved anger. It does not appear on a balance sheet, but it shows up everywhere. It reduces open communication. It weakens trust between people. It drains emotional energy. It slows decision-making. It creates invisible camps inside teams. It affects confidence, morale, and collaboration. Many professionals think, I am not reacting, I am just avoiding. But avoidance is also expensive. Silence can look calm from the outside while creating tension on the inside. A person may stop arguing, yet continue replaying the incident mentally. That repeated emotional replay is a tax. In my corporate training sessions, I often remind participants that unresolved emotional friction does not stay personal for long. It becomes cultural. One grudge can influence an entire team’s tone. When anger stays unresolved, it stops being an emotion and starts becoming an environment. Why Smart People Hold On to Anger Anger is not always about ego. Sometimes it comes from hurt, disappointment, betrayal, or a sense of injustice. Good people hold grudges because they feel deeply. High performers hold grudges because they care about standards. Leaders hold grudges because they expect loyalty. The problem is not that the emotion appears. The problem is when the emotion becomes identity. People start saying things like: I can never trust her again. He always does this. That team is impossible. I am done with them. These statements feel powerful in the moment, but they close the door to growth. Once we define a person only by one painful event, we stop allowing space for dialogue, maturity, and repai…
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By Avinash Chate — Maharashtra’s #1 Corporate Trainer & Motivational Speaker. Published 2026-04-19.