28 Jul

Leadership Laughter

Laughter has a profoundly simple way of making you feel connected

Miguel (my son) gets into some laughing fits, which in turn get me laughing as well.  This got me thinking more deeply about the power and connection that come with laughter. Laughter has a profoundly simple way of making you feel connected and that you belong. To me humor can inspire hope, lift stress from your shoulders, keeps you grounded, and connects you with others. One of the quickest ways to change someone else’s mood is through laughter. For example, have you ever been mad at someone until they made you laugh? Was it easy to stay mad at that person? Laughing is a great way to connect with people or even groups. You may even be able to find a laughing group or yoga laughing on Meetup.com.

What I have come to learn is that leadership development is not complicated; rather it is about practicing simple principles on a daily basis. Whether it is your family, teammate, or boss you should have some time to break bread with them and get to know each other and have a few laughs together. One of my favorite quotes from Victor Frankl the author of Man’s Search for Meaning is “Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” Practice the principle of humor, it just make all the difference when you are faced with that next challenge.

Looking for more principles for leadership? Send us a message here and be the first to receive news my new book Principles for Leadership: Life’s Early Leadership Lessons coming fall 2013.

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Mark
Before I was two years old, three nonprofits changed my life forever; two adoption agencies in different countries and one hospital that helped me walk for the first time. When I was growing up in Massachusetts, my father worked as an artist and my mother ran an international adoption agency out of our home. You could say, quite literally, I was raised in a nonprofit. As a result of this rather unusual yet highly rewarding upbringing, I was instilled with a strong sense of giving back from an early age. During my sophomore year at the University of Massachusetts, I had a harrowing brush with death during a school break. Once again a nonprofit (hospital) came to my rescue, and the memory of this life changing event has deepened my commitment to serve others through the world of service and social impact. In 2000 I began working as a recruiter for nonprofit organizations, first in New York City, then in Washington, DC. In 2008 I founded Jobs In Nonprofits and the Nonprofit Career Coach with the goal of “connecting the brightest hearts and minds with the best nonprofits.” We are dedicated to serving idealistic, responsible job seekers who want to have a positive impact serving nonprofit organizations . The Nonprofit Career Coach provides strategic one-on-one career coaching, mentoring, speaking, workshops and training to job seekers who want help to accelerate their nonprofit career.

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    Comments

  1. Paul Anthony Bernard
    July 29, 2013

    I have a background in professional, for profit, humour… sometimes casually referred to as comedy. It is true humour can help a leader, comedy should never be used. A leader wants a certain type of laughter, … the court jester cannot be King/Queen/Pres/CEO/etc, but the King can make a quip. And with all good humour (comedy) timing is everything.

    Having humour in their basket of skills helps the Leader, because a positive environment assists with productivity greatly… and were that shows up is in employee retention. Good leaders want to inspire and keep the best people. I have often spoken to organizations, using humour to help drive home the message in presentation.

    Great Frank quote. Look forward to your new book.

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