In Leadership, humour done wrong can damage our credibility, distract from our message and make it hard for people to take us seriously.
So what do we do instead?
Are You Using Humour the Right Way In Leadership?
When we talk about humour, we usually associate it with jokes, comedy movies, funny YouTube videos, or going to a comedy club.
We are all drawn to people who make us laugh. Using it in business can break the tension barriers, help with creative thinking, and can build better working relationships when used correctly. But when it comes to successfully using humour in business, the right type of humour is key.
What we DON’T want to do when using humour in business
When using humour in business, we want to make sure the humour does not damage our credibility as Leaders. We spend a whole heap of time building our personal brands; we want to make sure the humour we use supports those personal brands and doesn’t devalue them.
It’s good to have a good laugh with others in business, but if you can’t be taken seriously and seen as the leader and expert in your field, humour is not doing its job in a business context.
We also want to make sure that the humour we use does not distract from our work. It’s fun to have a bit of a laugh, but if humour hasn’t helped in improving productivity, it hasn’t done its job.
Humour for Entertainment
When most people think of humour, they think about it in the context of humour for entertainment. That is how most of us have experienced humour – by watching funny YouTube clips, funny movies, going to stand-up comedy shows or telling jokes with our friends. When it comes to humour for entertainment, the focus is to be funny, crack jokes, and get laughs.
That’s fine in an entertainment context, but it’s totally different in business.
Humour for Leadership
In Leadership, rather than using traditional humour (or humour for entertainment), we need to shift our focus slightly. Instead of focussing on being funny, cracking jokes, and getting laughs, we need to think about how humour can help us with engagement.
Humour is the ACE up your sleeve
Traditional humour (or humour for entertainment) is focused on getting a laugh at all costs. That doesn’t leave much room for your outcomes or credibility. Instead, as Professionals, we need to think of humour in the context of business, where humour is used to Alter, Connect and Engage people. Think of humour as the ACE up your sleeve.
QUICK SHOT HUMOUR Conclusion
To sum up, humour is a very powerful business tool – only if it’s used with business in mind. Humour in Leadership can be very subtle as long as it’s done with a lot of intent. Ensure there is a very specific purpose for the humour, and it isn’t just about having a bit of a laugh.
