“Laugh often, long, and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.”
~George Carlin
It is often said that laughter is the best medicine and that laughter soothes the soul. I’ve certainly found that to be true.
I’ve also found that it can be a great leadership skill – because it can lighten situations and bring people together. It can ease tensions, relax our muscles, actually lower our blood pressure, and make us more open to others’ points of view.
We just have to learn how to laugh appropriately and well.
Of course, we have to be sure not to laugh at the expense of anyone else, even ourselves. We have to find the humor in a situation, yet not make light of something truly serious or particularly fraught. We don’t want to mistake sarcasm for humor nor offend someone with an ill-timed or inappropriate joke.
With that said, we’ve worked with leadership teams who have made it a goal to laugh together more often, and this laughter has fueled them to navigate tough conversations and to steer their organizations through challenges. When we have laughed with someone, we have more deposits in our emotional bank account and therefore the ability to be more patient and understanding with them.
It might sometimes feel as if nothing is funny in your work day or situation. It might seem as if other people are pretty much only frustrating or annoying or out for themselves. You might be certain that there “really is nothing to laugh about.”
But when we look for laughter and, at least sometimes, aim for laughing so hard our sides hurt and we gasp for breath, we might find more joy and ease and Thoughtfulness in our work and our lives.
How have you learned to laugh more? What have you learned from that?
Please leave a comment.
If you enjoyed this post, you can read more like it in our book, The Power of Thoughtful Leadership: 101 Minutes To Being the Leader You Want To Be, available on Amazon.
If you want to laugh more often, longer, and louder, contact Robyn at rmcleod@chatsworthconsulting.com.
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