Leadership is rewarding and fulfilling. It’s also comes with a multitude of challenges. One aspect of leadership is learning to establish and maintain a work environment that team members can produce within. Fostering a productive work atmosphere starts from the helm. One simple and easy way to help cultivate a healthy work environment is through laughter; show your humorous side more often! Here are three benefits of using humor in leadership.  

Disarming Stress
Veronica Roth, a novelist and short story writer, makes a strong point: “Sometimes crying or laughter are the only options left, and laughing feels better.” Day in and day out, we encounter conflicts, decisions, and deadlines – all which contribute to our feelings of stress and anxiety. During those moments of chaos, we have a conscious choice to make about how to react. If stress isn’t handled appropriately, it can easily manifest and build, eventually reducing team member efficiency and productivity. To counter this, we should always seek an outlet.

Use humor as a coping mechanism to bust the clouds of stress and bring relief to an uptight atmosphere. Own the moment by using laughter. Allow your team to disarm stress in a simple, good-for-the-soul way, that is sure to usher in a sense of calm.

Relatability
One challenge leaders have is finding genuine ways to connect to those they work with. Approaches can vary by person, so the endeavor can feel daunting. However, failing to connect at all leaves room for team members to feel disconnected from the team goal and unmotivated to perform at the highest level. Laughter is a universal language that breaks barriers and brings forth a feeling of togetherness. Adding some casual humor to the mix can humanize you and make you more relatable as a leader. As you share laughs with others, you begin to create some common ground and rapport that didn’t originally exist.

Don’t be afraid to laugh at yourself as well. Laughing at yourself helps soften the authoritative image many may have of you. Sending a message that you too are prone to mistakes, provides a level of relatability and transparency that people appreciate.

Morale
Laughter in the workplace is a morale booster. Using humor as a tool can push camaraderie in the right direction. People you consistently laugh with are more likely to be open and trusting of you. Team members who can communicate well together and rely on one another have a much better chance of achieving team objectives. Team outings, lunches, and lighthearted emails are elements that bring smiles into the workplace, while still getting the desired results.

Our days are consumed with a constant requirement to be sharp and professional. Taking time to make someone else laugh may seem like a small step, but it’s a game changer. It’s a purposeful way to develop your image, as well as your relationships. As a leader, you want your relationships to be as committed as possible and humor has a way of growing that effort. Leadership is rewarding and fulfilling. It’s also comes with a multitude of challenges. One aspect of leadership is learning to establish and maintain a work environment that team members can produce within. Fostering a productive work atmosphere starts from the helm. One simple and easy way to help cultivate a healthy work environment is through laughter; show your humorous side more often! Here are three benefits of using humor in leadership.