Humour should be an essential part of the leadership
A human quality that seems essential, humour is still underused in business, if not necessarily well perceived. However, it can prove to be a tool capable of boosting performance and even becoming a real competitive advantage. This is explained by the founder of Leading With Humour, an international consulting company geared towards leaders and an Associate at the Cambridge Wo + Men’s Leadership Center.
La Tribune – Is humour accepted in a company? If yes, at what level (s)?
Vanessa Marcié -Accepting laughter and using humour in business depends on the organisational culture and personality of the leader. The permission to laugh comes from above, that’s why I train leaders in the power of humour so that they can encourage laughter within their company and/or their team. The research I have published in collaboration with the Wo + Men Leadership Center at the University of Cambridge reveals that humour can be used strategically according to gender, situation and hierarchical status.
Is humour a management tool? How to make good use of it?
Humour is a powerful management tool. A manager can adapt his type of humour according to the status of the person to whom he is speaking, depending on whether this person is his superior, subordinate or peer; depending on the gender and if the situation is formal or informal. When used correctly, humour can generate benefits in the following areas: Group cohesion; Communication; Stress reduction; Creativity; Corporate culture; Power and Social distance. Understanding the mechanisms of organisational humour and the different strategies to optimise the company performance thanks to humour allow to transform this underestimated asset into a real competitive advantage. How? This involves knowing yourself and your goals and a real work of introspection to change your state of mind and make a positive change in the way you communicate and perceive others and your environment.
Original Version👉🏻 La Tribune
Leading With Humour is an innovative consultancy and learning & development company. We are dedicated to developing leadership and emotional intelligence through humour. We offer a variety of training and coaching programmes and business services dedicated to leading and living with humour and laughter. To discover YOUR sense of humour and how to laugh your way to success, take our FREE Humour & Leadership Quiz