Sustainable Excellence Shorts #94 - The Importance of Having Appropriate Humor to Be An Effective Leader

Are you able to use humor to be a more effective leader?

Can you make appropriate jokes and laugh at yourself in order to lighten the mood and put others at ease?

According to former President Dwight D. Eisenhower, "A sense of humor is part of the art of leadership, of getting along with people, of getting things done."

In the book, The Humor Code: A Global Search For What Makes Things Funny by Peter McGraw and Joel Warner (Simon and Schuster 4/1/2014), the authors have some recommendations about how you can use humor to be a better leader:

1. It's not whether or not you're funny, it's what kind of funny you are. Be honest and authentic.

2. If you can't be "ha-ha" funny, at least be "aha!" funny. Cleverness is sometimes good enough.

3. Good comedy is a conspiracy. Create an in-group.

4. Don't be afraid to chuckle at yourself. It signals that everything is okay.

5. Laughter is disarming. Poke fun at the stuff everyone's worried about.  

An office needs humor. Data suggests we laugh much less during the week than we do on the weekends. Every chuckle or laugh has beneficial effects on the workplace and the people working there. Humor relieves stress and boredom, boosts interaction and security, and stimulates creativity and engagement.    

According to anthropologist, Edward Hall, "As a leader, if you can learn to control the humor of people, you are also in control of almost everything else."

Please leave me a comment about your thoughts regarding humor in the workplace. Is it something that you use to lighten the mood in your office?

​Also, please watch the short video below to learn more about the importance of using humor in the workplace and how it can improve your standing as a leader.