Your Leadership Link by Cullen S. Gibson, Vice President
A Sense of Humor
Several years ago, I was honored to conduct an annual evaluation on a very successful post-acute care CEO. We will call her Judy for the purpose of this article. Judy shared with me that she did not have a sense of humor. Judy worked tirelessly at executing her financials and gained respect and likability along the way. Her style worked for her. What she lacked in humor was overshadowed by good listening skills. She celebrated the small successes. Judy more than often “stepped up” to every leadership challenge and had a loyal following. People followed her because of her character, integrity and honesty.
Humor in the post-acute care workplace is crucial. There are aspects about humor that you must be cautious about…you certainly do not want to offend anyone. Humor is all about a state of mind or frame of mind. It really isn’t about being a standup comic…it is more about your temperament and disposition. Humor, quite frankly, is the ability to be funny. A humorous person appreciates the incongruity in something. They know when to be serious. In fact, a well-balanced leader can be humorous, believable, and taken seriously all in the same day.
Here are some of my ideas on HUMOR:
- Heaviness: Humor at work can lift a heavy
- Unknown: Humor at work may be something completely unknown to staff. Some employees may never see the lighter side of things in their personal lives as they may be stressed, burnt out, depressed, worried and anxious.
- Marketability: Humor at the workplace is That is, humor is not just words or saying something funny. It can be rightly manufactured through raffle draws, trivia games, challenge questions, prize-giveaways, carry-ins, and the best joke of the day submissions.
- Openness: Humor opens doors to other conversations. Humor can create icebreakers to create a comfort level where employees feel safe because leaders are approachable.
- Repair: Humor can sometimes repair someone’s sadness for the day.
Have a great day and laugh today when you can!