“A
sense of humor is part of the art of leadership, of getting along with people,
of getting things done.” - Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Maybe
it’s an age thing for me now, but not a day goes by when I don’t have at least
one really great laugh at work with colleagues – sometimes I suppose it might
be defined more as just a giggle and other times I find myself crying with
laughter and it makes me feel great. It’s like a shot of adrenaline, as
afterwards I seem to feel more relaxed, am more focused and have loads more
energy.
Over
the years I’ve worked in cultures that embraced laughter within their ranks and
you can feel the energy as you walk around their offices – employees just seem
to smile more. Then I’ve walked the corridors of those more ‘stuffy’
organisations where ‘fun’ and ‘laughter’ aren’t traits that are associated with
‘hard’, ‘productive’ work in the minds of their leaders.
Jacquelyn
Smith wrote in Forbes how “tasteful humor is a key to success at work, but
there’s a good chance your co-workers aren’t cracking jokes or packaging
information with wit on a regular basis and your office could probably stand to
have a little more fun.”
An
international research team at Oxford University found that when people laugh
hard, the kind that leaves them almost physically exhausted with tears in their
eyes, the human body triggers the release of endorphins that help reduce the
feeling of pain and promote feelings of general wellbeing. So the next time the
project team you’re leading hits what feels like an insurmountable obstacle,
find something funny about the situation and then laugh your way to figuring
out a creative solution.
There’s
no doubt that laughter helps break down barriers and helps build relationships
– other employees are more likely to engage with you if you have a sense of
humor as you make communication easier.
Michael
Kerr, an international business speaker, president of Humor at Work, and author
of The Humor Advantage: Why Some Businesses are Laughing all the Way to the
Bank (Dec. 2013), says that “dozens of surveys suggest that humor can be at
least one of the keys to success. A Robert Half International survey, for
instance, found that 91% of executives believe a sense of humor is important
for career advancement; while 84% feel that people with a good sense of humor
do a better job. Another study by Bell Leadership Institute found that the two
most desirable traits in leaders were a strong work ethic and a good sense of
humor.”
Some
of the reasons why laughter is a positive trait in the workplace include;
People
will enjoy working with you;
Humor
is a potent stress buster;
It
is humanizing and it puts others at ease;
It
helps build trust; and
Helps
break down barriers;
It
boosts morale;
It
creates a positive working culture;
People
who use humor tend to be more approachable;
Humor
can allow your company to stand out; and
It
can increase productivity.
Laughter
should be part of the culture – but if it’s not, then often it’s not easy for
employees to start a ‘new’ trend especially if they are a new employee;
youngster or someone focused on their career – where they can feel very
self-conscious about trying to bring a sense of humor into the work place,
especially where there is an atmosphere of ‘stuffy’ leadership.
Leaders
who can’t have fun and laugh, and that includes laughing at themselves, are
either so caught up in the power of the role they just can’t see how
demotivating their style is or simply don’t know how to deal with people having
fun. Leopards don’t change their spots don’t expect these types of leaders to
read this article and start laughing and bringing fun into the workplace – if you
want to change their leadership style it will take a lot of time. But from a
positive perspective do be aware that there are organisations where laughter
and fun are part of the very fabric of their organisational culture and where their
employees are much more productive and innovative than their stuffy
counterparts.
References:
Smith,
J. (2013). 10 reasons why humor is a key to success at work. Forbes, 3 May,
on-line.
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