What's so funny?
Executives know there
are opportunities everyday to display humor and yet, more often than not, they
pass them by. Why?
Before you owned a company, led
it or managed one of its divisions, did you have a better sense of humor than
you have or allow yourself to exhibit now?
Countless numbers of corporate
leaders could be making a huge mistake by keeping their sense of humor under
wraps.
We all personally know leaders
who, when away from the C-Suite are funny and liberal with a smile, (accompanied
by a good snort now and then,) but for some reason, hold back from displaying
the same with their colleagues, competitors and customers. Truth is, they are
also under-utilizing a prized leadership skill.
"A jest
often decides matters of importance more effectively and happily than
seriousness."
- Horace
You understand I'm not talking
about what some mistake to be humor when it is crude, vulgar, cynical,
sarcastic or directed at an unassuming and indefensible colleague.
We're talking about the wide
range of skills needed by every leader, no matter what the battle. It just so
happens that the sense of humor each of us either have been born with or
developed over our lifetimes, seems to be forgotten or deleted from the
portfolio of skills required to lead.
No doubt there is a time and
place for everything, just as there is for the use of one leadership skill over
another. Lately I've been asking CEOs about their sense of humor and most believe
that their natural ability to find humor, even in difficult situations, is
something to keep guarded.
I disagree with them on that
and urge every business leader who shares that sentiment to reconsider. There's
plenty of serious stuff in every day to be serious about, but you know what? An
alert, lively and genuine leader also knows there is, or ought to be, plenty to smile about too. It's
all in a days' work.
Jim Naleid is a Life-long Entrepreneur, Change-Agent and Thought Leader,
Managing Director of Naleid & Associates and Regional
TEC (“The Executive Committee”) Chair leading a group of executives to become
Better Leaders, Making Better Decisions with Better Results. http://www.linkedin.com/in/jimnaleid
