The Code of humor at Workplace

Right from my first memory, I recall being called sharp but not intelligent; being skilled but not skillful; being humorous but not profound and being cute not pretty- Mind you!!

Over the years, I continued to be cute, chirpy and humorous. And I continued to be these words inspite of trying hard to be beautiful, quiet and serious- then came a 7 month long transformative course in my life which changed my thoughts and gestures. From trying to be all that I was not, I embraced what I was and I am; and the true transformation happened when I started using these very words to describe myself. When my 6 year old niece called me the cutest in the family, it gave me goosebumps because honestly how many 38 year olds can be cute? When my immediate team called me a humorous boss and asked me to write about it, it gave me more goosebumps because bosses are HORRIBLE not HUMOROUS!! So here I am writing to justify why one must be a humorous boss and also pass on tips on how to be a humorous boss :)

1. Be humorous - One can never forget the taste of a warm Roti loaded with Ghee (warm bread with pure clarified butter) even if it is served with plain daal- you may not recall what it tastes like but you can recall the pleasant aroma, its warmth, the fullness and the satisfaction it grants to your cravings. Similarly, if humor is used properly, it leaves you with pleasant memories. When you have a dialogue, your team/peers may not remember the exact conversation but they are most likely to remember how they felt - happy, relieved, tensed, threatened or amused. Humor makes those memories pleasant and helps to reinforce personal relationships thereby ensuring the message is sent by you and well received by the other person.
2. Humor is goal oriented - Humor gets the desired results when all the other methods fail. In situations involving discords, disputes, people are often blinded by self-conceit and vanity. Humor clears the air and brings back the objectivity.
3. Humor brightens up things; it enables one to be tough without offending the others and it is of great help in dodging awkward questions (shhhhh....)
4. Use of humor can be problematic if it’s done in a way that’s perceived as “clownish”. This can happen if one uses humor too frequently, if one uses humor which is inappropriate for the situation, or if one uses humor which is overly self-deprecating. This is because using such humor can negatively influence people’s opinion of one, even if they find the humor itself amusing.
5. Another point to remember is that what is perceived as appropriate will depend on the context and on the audience that one is addressing. For example, a joke that is appropriate to tell your friends about your child might not be appropriate to tell to your team in a meeting setting.
6. In addition, relevant humor works better that pertains directly to information you want to emphasize.

Ofcourse humor gets you going and helps build relationships however that alone may not suffice, just a couple more pointers to remain away from being classified as Horrible Bosses:

1. Let go! It is not easy but the sooner we understand that there is nothing left in the space of past, the sooner we can move forward. The only thing a person can ever really do is keep moving forward. Take that leap forward without hesitation and ego- simply forget the past and forge toward the future.
2. Second chances are not a rare commodity. Life is full of them and everyone's life not just bosses' life. Second chances are given to prove that we can be better even after the fall - be more intentional, courageous and appreciative.
3. Keep it simple - be straight in passing feedback/observations and suggestions. Being straight does not mean that you have to be rude, at the same time you do not have to be nice always either But retain tasteful humor please!

I am sure there are studies done which indicate the positives of humor in interpersonal relationships however my personal experience definitely taught me that use of positive, non-aggressive humor is associated with improved outcomes, a relaxed environment, better performances, an increased motivation to learn, improved information recall, and an increased degree of satisfaction for the team.

Thanks @Sukanya Sudarson @Saleem @Priyanka for the humorous situations you bring forth and for making me the humorous BOSS I am :) And this one is most definitely dedicated to you all because a boss cannot be humorous unless the team supports the same - Love you all the most!!