Leading Through Laughter

Walt Disney once said, “When the subject permits, we let fly with all the satire and gags at our command. Laughter is no enemy to learning.”

There’s nothing wrong with humor in leadership.  It’s common to hear leaders say that they won’t be taken seriously if they use humor in their leadership role.  If you head an hour-long meeting and you spend 50-minutes telling jokes each time, ah yup, that type of humor is getting a bit out of hand. The key is striking a balance between effectively getting things done and getting a few yucks in.

You can still have focus and lead effectively while encouraging your teams to smile.

You don’t have to be a Robin Williams or a Jim Carey (I’d never get any work done) to be able to add humor into your day.  There are a few very easy ways you can spread humor around.  According to Joel Goodman in “Invest in jest: Take Your job Seriously and Yourself Lightly,” you can have the best of both worlds.

Here is How:

• Create a humorous physical environment. Add some life and laughs to your office, cubicle (yuk,) or meeting space by hanging (a few) humorous posters or pictures.
• Memo Mayhem. If you send notes, memos, or emails to staff reminding them of meetings or giving them minutes from the past meeting, add a humorous saying or picture to your note or email signature.
• Start with a bang! Try beginning each meeting with a humorous quote that relates to your group or an event you’re currently planning. Many quotation books are arranged by topic so finding some on a particular theme is not difficult.
• Feed off others. Don’t have anything enlightening or funny to say? Have others do it for you. Go around the room and have people tell the most hilarious thing that has happened to them this week – or their most embarrassing moments. Or delegate a person each week to provide the “Weekly Dose of Humor” for your next meeting.
• Break the ice. Short icebreakers, games, or exercises are a great way to get people laughing. By getting your members to move around, you will get creative juices flowing and have a productive – and fun – meeting.
• Hold up that “Applause” sign! If someone completed a project or created a great program, don’t let it slide by. Applaud them! Give them a standing ovation! Make some noise! As a wise person once said, “Some people feel like they work in an environment where doing a good job is like wetting your pants in a dark suit…it gives you a warm feeling but nobody notices!” Help everyone notice jobs well done.
• With vs. At: The Continuing Battle. Laughing with others can bring people together, ease worries, increase confidence and help people forget their problems (if only momentarily.) Laughing at others destroys many of the elements you may be striving to achieve, such as teamwork, cooperation and confidence. Don’t bring someone else down to try and bring yourself up – it just doesn’t work.
• Make Miss Manners proud. Think before you speak (easier said than done, isn’t it?). Make sure what you are about to say is both appropriate and tasteful.

The Best Medicine

There are many reasons why you should create a humorous environment in your workplace.  The top reasons are for health.

I’m sure you’ve heard that “laughter is the best medicine”.  It’s true, isn’t it?  Laughter makes you feel good.  How many times have you laughed and actually felt worse?  Nah.  I don’t see it happening.

Right along side of that is ever important stress relief. Over the years, studies have found, over and over, that humor is one of the predominant coping mechanisms that helps make sure stress doesn’t cause health problems, and in some cases (extreme) deaths.

The other two biggies are work related.  Bonding and retention.  Crisis brings people together, right?  Sure that may bring about a sort of bond, but who wants to be bonded by crisis all the time?

Try some smiles and laughter to lighten the mood.

Now, take a look at organizations that experience high turnover.  You’ll probably find that they just don’t promote any kind of fun, therefore they lack in creativity.  Humor and creativity go hand in hand!

What’s Up Doc?

Here’s what a few of the most successful people of the world have said about humor:

“A sense of humor is part of the art of leadership, of getting along with people, of getting things done.” ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower, General and US President

“Keep your sense of humor. As General Joe Stillwell said, ‘The higher a monkey climbs, the more you see of his behind.’” ~ Donald Rumsfeld, former Secretary of Defense

“Common sense and a sense of humor are the same thing, moving at different speeds. A sense of humor is just common sense, dancing.” ~ William James, Philosopher and Psychologist

“I think the next best thing to solving a problem is finding some humor in it.” ~ Frank A. Clark, cartoonist

“The kind of humor I like is the thing that makes me laugh for five seconds and think for ten minutes.” ~ William Davis, author and broadcaster

“Humor is a rubber sword – it allows you to make a point without drawing blood” ~ Mary Hirsch, writer

Humor in difficult situations is always a continuing topic of discussion.  Joking can offer an energizing distraction for staff when situations get tough.  You just may have to give it a little more thought first.

Chuck Anastasia says there are three important questions that you need to consider when using humor in difficult situations:

• Do the nonverbal signals clearly convey that the comment is not to be taken seriously?
• Will the humor leave listeners in a good mood?
• Is the humor calling attention to something valuable (e.g., the encouraging desired behavior, and not emphasizing undesirable behavior)?

All the Way to the Bank

From small companies to mega-organizations, humor and fun are becoming more and more prevalent.  At McGuffey’s Restaurants, leaders are evaluated on how much fun they are to work with (it accounts for a whopping 20% of their pay raise.)

According to Keith Dunn, the president of the company, “We’re in a service business with high turnover.  It’s part of a manager’s job to bring fun to the workplace.”

Research has shown people in a humorous environment are more inclined to do creative problem solving. There are many organizations, including Google, Pixar Animation Studios and Southwest Airlines to name a few, who spend much time and energy developing a playful atmosphere that leads to well documented cases of creativity.  Building fun and humor into the corporate culture insures that this enthusiasm exists.

So, Funny Guy, what are you doing to lighten the mood when the time is right? How are you increasing energy levels, raising some smiles, and making work a little less mundane around your workplace? I would love to hear your thoughts and stories!

——————–
Andy Uskavitch is Leadership Development at Florida Blood Services
He develops and facilitates Leadership, Motivation & Teambuilding Seminars
Email | LinkedIn | Facebook | Twitter | Blog | (727) 568-5433

Image Sources: andrewmurch.files.wordpress.com, 4.bp.blogspot.com

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