The Leadership Challenge Middle East - Leadership and Laughter

Leadership and Laughter (You’re joking !)
This is serious.
We have objectives to meet.
We have our eyes fixed on the vision, of where we are going.
We are empowered to perform at our best, better even than we thought we could.
We are leading our team, fully engaged and focused.
Of course, we recognize and reward performance which ‘goes beyond’.

After all, this is serious! And it’s why we come to work.
 
Managers are really good at bringing in seriousness.

“This is no laughing matter.“ 

Leaders who create a culture, where laughter permeates, an otherwise dreary, humorless environment develop a deeper connection with all staff, and especially those in the team. Laughter is a key element where people WANT to come to work every day and to perform their best.
 
It is a key element in high-performing teams.

No, it’s not about lining up to see who can tell the best joke. In fact, it’s not about jokes at all.

When the leader encourages humor, that one liner which is appropriate, where we can laugh at ourselves and the situations we may have created, he, or she builds a deeper sense of authenticity with the team members.

No, it’s not about laughing at other people.

Humor which is derived at the expense of another person‘s misfortune, is not only inappropriate, but quite often can be at odds with the values of the team and the team members. Just don’t do it.

We know about stress in the workplace, we know about the cost of mental health issues and we know these issues need serious attention because of the impact on individuals - and organizations.

It’s estimated that children laugh somewhere between three and 400 times a day, especially young children.

As adults – working hard, meeting objectives, coming in under budget and on time – the laughter of these people may not even get to double figures in a day.

And that’s sad.

Leaders who encourage laughter, find opportunities, to “lighten the moment” we have a far more productive, committed, engaged team than the manager who shrouds himself and everyone around him or her in a cloak of seriousness.

How many times can you and your team genuinely laugh in every working day?

The answer most likely is - Not nearly enough.

No, I’m not joking.

He's the Podcast 
It may not make you laugh (Come on, lighten up) but it will make you smile.

#Leadership #Leading #TeamEngagement #Laughing