Humor in Organizations: A Tool for Servant Leaders

“A sense of humor is part of the art of leadership, of getting along with people, of getting things done" ????????????????????????????? –Dwight D. Eisenhower

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Humor is a powerful and often underestimated tool in leadership, contributing to individual well-being and fostering positive organizational cultures. Everyone wants to experience joy and belonging in organizations; often humor can lead to both. Humor, if in poor taste, offensive, demeaning, or as an avenue to intimidate or control, can be just as effective in creating situations for ostracizing, eliminating discussion, and manipulating behavior in a way that is not productive.

In the context of servant leadership, integrating humor in your leadership approach can enhance communication, build trust, and create a more enjoyable workplace environment. John Morreall, Peter MGraw, and Christopher Robert all conducted research providing evidence that the psychological impact typically led to better workplace outcomes, creativity, job satisfaction, and what I might call “belonging.” Other research shows that humor reduces stress and improves team dynamics. What is the right balance humor that helps us achieve versus humor that creates a hostile work environment?

Importance of Humor for Individual Health

Humor has profound effects on individual health, both physical and mental. Laughter triggers the release of endorphins, the body's natural feel-good chemicals. This promotes an overall sense of well-being, comfort, and joy. Additionally, humor can reduce stress hormones, improve immune function, and enhance cardiovascular health. In the workplace, individuals who experience a positive and lighthearted atmosphere are likely to have higher job satisfaction and lower levels of burnout.

Importance of Humor in Organizations

During the past 40 years, we have seen more research on the value humor and it is is not just on individuals and in personal relationships. Humor, joy, satisfaction, and engagement are related in terms of organizational health. It plays a crucial role in organizational dynamics and offers benefits.

Benefits of Using Humor in Organizations

• Building Morale: Humor can lift spirits and boost morale, creating a positive and engaging workplace atmosphere.
• Enhancing Creativity: A humorous environment encourages creative thinking and problem-solving by fostering a relaxed mindset and innovation.
• Strengthening Relationships: Shared laughter creates bonds among team members, promoting a sense of camaraderie and collaboration.
• Improving Communication: Humor can break down communication barriers, making messages more memorable and easily understood.
• Reducing Tension: In high-pressure situations, humor can diffuse tension, allowing individuals to approach challenges with a clearer and more optimistic mindset.

Potential Risks of Using Humor in Organizations

While humor is generally beneficial, there are potential risks, including:

• Inappropriateness: Humor that is offensive, discriminatory, or inappropriate can create a negative work environment and harm relationships.
• Misinterpretation: Not everyone shares the same sense of humor, and what is amusing to some may be offensive to others, leading to misunderstandings.
• Distraction: Excessive or ill-timed humor can distract from important tasks or discussions, hindering productivity.

Some Examples of Humor Leadership: Good or Bad?

I can think of many times when I was able to use humor to diffuse a stressful confrontation between coworkers at an impasse. I can think of times when I used a humorous anecdote or an example to pull a “lesson-learned” from tragic error. I can also think of times when I used humor to manipulate others at someone else’s expense. There are probably lessons from each that might help others.

Teaching a Soldier the Value of Time. When I was in the military, I served in all male units. We had similar backgrounds, similar ages and similar education levels. The expectations we had of each other and for the work we did were mostly clear. Humor was used in many respects to address stress, create comradery, and sometime discipline troops. In the close-knit environment of combat soldiers, humor was used to relieve stress and build relationships. Often, a soldier acting out-of-line or failing to meet his commitments would become the target of a humor, a joke, or generally ribbing to get the point across that he needed to get better or engage differently.

?An example of this occurred when a soldier who was consistently late for muster (showing up for work) came to my attention. He would be late putting missions at risk or just causing his team to earn poor duties. We decided to use humor to redirect his behavior. His teammates would hide an alarm watch inside his tent or duffle bags with an alarm set to wake the soldier 20 minutes early. Each member of the unit would be responsible for setting and hiding the alarm each day. The tardy soldier might even get a nickname such as “tick-tock,” “last man,” “tail end,” or something more creative and less appropriate for? LinkedIN post. After a time of ribbing and being the punchline, the solider would get the picture, change his behavior and start being a leader on the team. It seemed funny to all, including the soldier. The soldier in this example ended up being the first man on duty and set an example of showing up ready to roll, lock-and-loaded for new recruits. And he kept the name “Tick-Tock” for several years.

Demeaning an Employee with M&M's. In my first management role with a civilian firm, I was the leader of a 60-employee department. Fifty of these employees were female. Most were college educated and used to working a stress-free environment, as least compared to my combat engineers and Sappers. I had learned from an early mentor to always have candy or coffee in my office so that employes could swing by and grab a piece of candy throughout the day. It gave them a reason to be in my office and me an opportunity for me to learn more about them or about what was happening in the workforce. My favorite thing was to place a small bowl of M&M’s on my desk. Typically, people would come in and take a few, eat them and chit-chat for a moment or two. I would find out about their families, discover employee needs, share informal communications, and generally get to know my employees and co-workers better. Often, I would find a package of M&M’s left on my desk from those who would replenish my supply.

I had one particularly challenging employee named Tracee. Tracee was known for a lot of challenging behaviors, but one was entering my office, critiquing another employee, the quality of my candies, or whatever was on her mind that day. She would often consume the bowl of M&M’s in one visit. It became a joke of sorts when people would come by my office for an afternoon sugar spike. They would find and empty bowl and say, “Ah, I see Tracee has been in your office,” One Christmas, I could only find red and green chocolate covered candies not real M&M’s. They looked like the real thing, but they didn’t have the Mars branded M&M’s printed on them. As Tracee emptied the bowl, I thought I’d have some fun at her expense and use humor to help change her behavior. “You know, the M&M on each piece of candy is applied with a sugar coating,” I told her. She responded with something like, “Really” as she consumed the last handful. “Yes, if fact it is the best part. I like it so much that I often LICK off the sugar coating and put the M&M’s back once they are dry.” She looked at the last red and green candies in her hand as she observed the missing “M&M.” She believed had been licked off.

Funny? Right? Well, I thought so. So did employees who witnessed Tracee running off to the restroom. But who didn’t think it was funny? Tracee, obviously. Also, added to the list people who did not think I was funny was the human resources manager and the VP of my division. What I thought was funny hurt Tracee’s feelings and caused her to be embarrassed. Now, I could justify my behavior retrospectively and lament how she was "too sensitive." Here is the truth: As a leader in an organization, I used humor poorly. Even though I thought it was funny and clearly others did too, the result was that a leader in the company made an employee feel uncomfortable and embarrassed.

The Leader's Learning. What is the difference between Tracee believing she was humiliated by a joke and my soldier targeted with hidden alarm watches? First, context matters. The soldiers know that part of being disciplined includes humor at all of our expenses – it is accepted. Tracee was in an environment where such standards and expectations were not expected. Second, different people find different episodes more or less humorous than others. Private Smith “got the joke” and he chose to learn from the humor and teasing. Tracee did not get the joke, nor did she want to. She did not see any value in it or learning from it. It was my responsibility to understand the context of humor and anticipate how each of my followers would respond or be affected by it.

?Humor in Servant Leadership

Servant leaders can use humor in many different ways. If servant leadership is about caring for your followers, engaging them deeply and maximizing their performance, how humor is used and in what situations (the context) is valuable. How and IF humor is used is the responsibility is the leaders and the leaders alone. Servant Leaders can leverage humor effectively by:

• Building Trust: Humor creates a sense of relatability and authenticity, fostering trust among leaders and team members.
• Boosting Morale: In a servant leadership context, humor can contribute to a positive workplace culture, promoting well-being and job satisfaction.
• Easing Tension: Servant leaders use humor to ease tension during challenging situations, allowing for open communication and collaboration.
• Promoting Creativity: A lighthearted atmosphere encourages creativity and innovation among team members.

Humor In Practice – Do and Do Nots

1.???? DO NOT take yourself too seriously

2.???? DO use Humor – just be careful and respectful

3.???? DO NOT target employee personal traits, appearance, or demographics

4.???? DO use self-deprecating humor with yourself as the but of the joke – if you get people laughing at you and finding humorous things about you, you begin modeling how to use humor to reduce stress, learn lessons and improve.

5.???? DO NOT use “zingers” to make a co-worker look bad or to elevate yourself – these “gotchas” are usually used to humiliate and have no learning value.

6.???? DO NOT joke about politics, sex, spouses, children, or religion in the workplace.

7.???? DO consider the context, people and appropriateness – if it is inappropriate in one situation, it is probably inappropriate in ALL situations.

8.???? DO NOT use humor to bully, demean, or control.

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Conclusion

Humor is a valuable tool for servant leaders, contributing to individual well-being, organizational culture, and effective leadership. While the benefits are numerous, it is essential for leaders to be mindful of the potential risks and ensure that humor is inclusive, appropriate, and aligns with the values of the organization. When used thoughtfully, humor can contribute to a positive and engaging work environment, supporting the principles of servant leadership.

Can you share examples of when you saw humor used effectively? How about ineffectively? Please share.

#servantleadership; #humor; #DrWorkforce