Miami
Traveling to Washington D.C. this morning reminds me of the
dumpster fire that passes for leadership in our nation’s capital. It’s
certainly no laughing matter. As the appalling Henry Kissinger told The Financial Times’ Edward Luce the
other day, “We are in a very, very grave period.” Buckle up, folks. It’s going
to get much worse.
Nonetheless, there are moments when leadership is – or
should be – a laughing matter. Humor plays a very serious role in maintaining
and sustaining our effectiveness as leaders. I’m not talking about comedy; we
already have too many amateur comedians in leadership positions these
days.
The focus here instead is on humor in the spirit of Abraham Lincoln,
Mark Twain, H.L. Mencken or performance artists today such as Sarah Vowell.
Great leaders and communicators understand that the occasional and appropriate use
of humor: 1) makes us more accessible, 2) animates our stories, 3) diffuses
tense situations, 4) conveys humility and authenticity, 5) cuts humorless
clowns down to size and 6) pierces the bullshit.
Check out the Bell Leadership Institute's work on humor and leadership. The North
Carolina-based organization highlights the work of Kris Carroll, for example, the woman
leading the Grady-White Boat Company. Carroll seems to know when and how to
deploy her sense of humor as a leader. She understands that leading people is a
very serious business, but it works best when we don’t always take ourselves so
damn seriously. As the Bell Institute reminds us, “Those who can combine a
strong work ethic and sense of humor may have the leading edge in their
organizations.”
Image courtesy of YouTube.