The Funny Side of Leadership

Sometimes, it feels like leadership is serious business.  So much to do.  So many people relying on you.  So many decisions to make.  So much responsibility.  Bottom-line:  So much of so much.  And it all rests with you as the leader.  Doesn’t matter if you’re the leader of a country, the leader of a company, or the leader of a family, the position of leader carries with it a lot of weight.  And weight can weigh things down, feel heavy, somber, serious.

One of the things I know for sure, however, is that despite the serious nature of leadership, the most effective leaders — the ones who leave a lasting impression (of a good sort), the ones who get things done and inspire others to do the same, are the ones who can laugh a little.  Because there is a funny side to leadership, you know?  There are laughable moments, there are jokes at one’s own expense, there’s a comical side to most any problem you encounter.  Part of your job as a leader is to find those funny sides and embrace them.  Laugh a little.  Actually, laugh a lot.  Why?  Because laughter takes the pressure off.  Laughter keeps things light.

As a leader, when you can laugh, you can infuse a situation with lightness.  When you infuse a situation with lightness, you actually clear away the “muck” (whatever the “muck” of the moment is) and clear the way for solutions, ideas, opportunities that couldn’t be seen before.  The cliche is that “laughter is the best medicine” — and science shows us over and over again that laughter does in fact have healing properties.  Or at least, it induces the production of certain healing chemicals and hormones in the body — naturally.  In other words, laughter serves.  The challenge is this:  when things are feeling heavy, you’ve got to be deliberate about the laughter.  And, it’s not as challenging as you might think.  Here are a few simple strategies to bring on the laughter when you need it most:

1. Keep a “funny file” close at hand.  A file on your computer or in your filing cabinet, this is where you can keep a stock of jokes, sayings, anecdotes, whatever brings about a laugh.
2. Subscribe to a funny blog, or joke site.  There are many out there — and it’s a great way to start your day (or end it, as the case may be) with a laugh.
3. Close your eyes and recall a funny event — a moment at a comedy show, a funny family situation, an “America’s Funniest Videos” moment — anything that gets you giggling.
4. Share your laughs with a colleague.  Remember, “shared sorrow is half a sorrow; shared joy is double joy.”  Who doesn’t want double joy?
5. Listen to the sound of a baby laughing — seriously, nothing can get you laughing more easily than the infectious sound of an infant’s uninhibited laughter.

Bottom-line:  you want to lead at your best?  Find the funny side of leadership and laugh a little. Leaders who can laugh are leaders who can lead with the best of them.

2 Comments

• 
  Paul Zelizer May 31, 2011 at 1:40 pm

  Gail,

  “As a leader, when you can laugh, you can infuse a situation with lightness. When you infuse a situation with lightness, you actually clear away the “muck” (and clear the way for solutions, ideas, opportunities that couldn’t be seen before.”

  In 2009, a friend and I did a trip to Zappos corporate HQ. We got to spend 6.5 hours talking to Tony Hsieh and the leadership team. From the skeleton in a pirate suit that greets you to the description of Weird Hat Day at Zappos, I really got how much laughter was a part of the culture there. It mirrored back to me my own seriousness ..

  I came back from that trip with a lighthearted resolve to adding more fun to my business. And, I’ve kept to that. From blog posts to the business lessons I learned from the movie Monsters, Inc to being willing to create fun on social media – my business is now much more FUN than it was in the past. I wonder if that has anything to do with having much more CLIENTS too? :~)

  Thanks for the great post!

  Warmly,
  Paul
• 
  Gail Barker May 31, 2011 at 2:10 pm

  Thanks for the feedback and for sharing your experience of the benefits of fun and laughter Paul — I love it! And you’re right, it’s amazing how much MORE good can come about when you can approach things in a light-hearted, laughter-infused way Here’s to filling the world with laughter!

  Gail