12/22/2023

How Humor Makes Leaders More Effective

Understanding the psychology of leadership and humor

In general, leaders who use humor in the workplace are more effective than non-humorous leaders. Research clearly shows that humorous leaders can create warm and comfortable work environments and improve employee performance, creativity and overall job satisfaction. One caution, however, the humor must be positive and appropriate to the situation. And, like all leadership tools, should be used judiciously.

First and foremost, for humor to be effective, it needs to be a positive, rather than a negative, form of humor. Positive humor can take two forms: Affiliative humor involves a funny story or some witty banner that focuses on shared experiences. ("Let's see if we can't break the record for the longest staff meeting in history.") Self-enhancing humor targets oneself but is benevolent. For example, a leader saying, "You all know how my attention to detail is my worst fault."

Aggressive humor, which targets others is a negative type of humor, should be avoided by leaders. Putting others down, even when teasing, can put a strain on the leader-follower relationship; it also can impact the target and the team—negatively. A leader also wants to avoid self-defeating humor that focuses on one’s shortcomings and makes the leader the butt of the jokes.

Please select this link to read the complete article from Psychology Today.