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Your Authentic Leadership “SHiNE Now” Moment:

How to Lighten Up!

In previous posts, I provided a more in-depth look into this thing called humour, and as part of SHiNE, a leadership model I recently created.

Week 1: Was a brief overview, with some initial hints and tips

Week 2: Busting some myths around using humour in the workplace

Week 3: The research behind using humour

And finally today, here is the last and final look at humour, including a much deeper dive into how exactly to do this.

Why is humour even a focus?

In a nutshell, humour in the workplace, when used appropriately, creates connection. And it may be one of the more powerful tools in a leaders toolbox. That connection, creates greater understanding, increases collaboration, and may help create more win win situations.

In addition to connection, humour also:

• Creates Influence and Power (Power here is not the darker side, but rather, in negotiations for example, create more win wins, or help people leave negotiations, feeling more positive about outcome)
• Stimulate Creativity (Humour can make the environment feel lighter, which then allows folks the space to take risks and be more creative.)
• Fosters Resilience (Workplaces are stressful enough. And this by itself, can be tiring, and can wear on coworkers and teams. Using humour, to lighten the room, is one way, to create the space and breathing room, for folks to release that tension.)

So, what exactly is my style of humour?

Aaker and Bagdonas have answered this question! In their humour quiz (what else would they call it), they identify 4 styles of humour:

• StandUp humor comes naturally to folks who use it, and they often are scared to lean into darker directions. They tend to focus on jokes that would appeal to the masses or the middle of the crowd. They particularly are adept at laughing at themselves.
• Sweethearts prefer use understated humour and their use is prepared and planned. They prefer to not use sensitive topics for humour.
• Magnets use humour to change the mood in a room and their jokes usually come across as warm, and they exude charisma. They too will avoid anything hurtful or controversial. (This is my style.)
• Snipers are tend to feel most comfortable with providing a more edgy or sarcastic style, and they often tackle the elephant in the room. (What this also means is that there may be many in the room who wish they could have pointed out the same thing, but glad this person did.)

Aaker and Bagdonas have also gone a step further and “codified” these styles in the following manner:

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The authors add: “When it comes to the content of someone’s humour, we’ve found that it ranges found that it ranges from to aggressive (humour that’s no-holds-barred and a few shades darker). Meanwhile, someone’s humour delivery can range from expressive (spirited, spontaneous, spotlight-seeking) to subtle (understated, premeditated, and full of nuance).”

As discussed in previous posts, being an authentic leader is key, or the secret sauce. By being more you, and doing what comes naturally, you bring your highest self to the table. (And the How to Fascinate assessment reinforces that same point.)

This very short 10 minute quiz helps you better understand what style feels natural. Staying in your lane, and being natural with humour, is the key.

So what are some sources of humour?

If you don’t know where to start, or need a few ideas for sources of humour, here are a few:

• Differences — areas where folks may differ or some areas of contrast
• Emotions — the irony you feel or how you really feel about something
• Opinions — what you think (or what you really think)
• Pain — this usually means, being able to laugh at yourself
• Delight — something that just makes everyone smile aka dogs

How can we use humour in the everyday communication in the office?

In my previous posts, I provided a few hints and tips on how to use humour in the workplace. Now I want to have a closer look at how to inject some humour into everyday communication. Here are a few:

• Use callbacks — or recall a situation that you and a colleague shared, that maybe at that time, was tense, but you got through it. Recalling how you survived it, in spite of everything, often builds a bond.) (I do this often.)
• Spice up your email signature — instead of leaving “sincerely” use a tag line or a closing that sums up the irony of the content, or your emotion around having to send this communication, etc. (I do this often.)
• Choose content strategically — think about the colleague or coworker, and share a mutual thought or irony, that both of you share. Or use a common interest and highlight the humour. The goal is to use humour to bring you closer together and to create that connection in your correspondence.

So that, is just a few ways to use more humour in the workplace. If you already do this often, thank you again. Workplaces are serious enough already. If you needed the signal or permission to do it, I hope these posts gave you that, and also showed how using this tool is grounded in research.

And next week, we go onto the next letter in H – humility!

Till next week.

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Ps. You’ll notice that some of the links take you to my new website: Basiasbliss.com. It’s a work in progress, and please don’t mind the construction. It’s going through an overhaul, and will not only have the pasts posts I did but also more information on the workshops and services I hope to make available. It’s a project of love, but full of cringe-worthy moments, for now.

PPS. I actually wrote this post…twice. The first time, I dotted the i’s and crossed the t’s, and then the whole post went “poof” and disappeared. After curling up into a ball, and using a few choice expletives, I regrouped and from memory, re-drafted it. There is some irony here, that I actually had to use humour, to pick myself up, and rewrite this post. My life, is full.

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Email: SHiNE_Workbook@shaw.ca
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