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Managing to Be a Great(and Fun) LeaderBy Ron Culberson, MSW, CSP“Do it Well. Make it Fun.”One of the toughest jobs I ever hadwas being a member of a committeecharged with cutting ten percent ofthe workforce. Reimbursements weredown and costs were up. The seniormanagement team determined that theonly option left was to eliminate staff.I quickly found that it’s very easy tosee “unnecessary” positions in otherdepartments but it’s very hard to getrid of your own people.After several weeks of gruelingdecisions, we presented our proposedcuts to the CEO and then he scheduleda series of meetings to present the newsto the staff. At the beginning of hispresentation, he showed a cartoon ofa man chasing his head with a butterflynet. The CEO said, “This representsthe senior management team over thepast few weeks.”We sat in stunned silence.The CEO had intended to show, witha touch of humor, how difficult thisprocess was. Instead, he insultedeveryone who had been in on theprocess because it made us look like wedidn’t know what we were doing. Thisis a perfect example of bad leadershipand bad humor. When combined, itwill sink a leader-ship quicker than amutiny.I believe that humor is one of the mostpowerful leadership tools available.Yet most leaders believe that, in orderto be respected, they must be serious.It is certainly important to be a goodleader but not so serious that youare unapproachable and detached.Someone once said, “A leader withouthumor is like a mower of a cemetery.He may be doing a good job butnobody underneath is paying muchattention.” The following are someways to add excellence and humor toyour leadership repertoire.LEADERSHIP SKILLSBeing an Excellent LeaderEarly in our lives we are encouraged to“grow up” and to “act our age”. These“encouragements” lead us to believethat we must serious to get the respectand admiration of our elders and peers.Unfortunately, getting respect has moreto do with being excellent than serious.An excellent leader is good at leading.An excellent leader works at beinggood at leading. An excellent leadertakes responsibility for the values andskills with which he/she leads. Beforeyou can add humor to your leadershiptoolkit, you must be good at your job.Otherwise, humor will work againstyou.President Dwight D. Eisenhowersaid, “Leadership is the art of gettingsomeone else to do what you wantdone because he/she wants to do it.”If you want people to follow your lead,you must have the values and skillsthat inspire them. Know your business.Know your organization. Know yourpeople. And most importantly, knowwhat you do well and what you need toimprove. Then, humor is your friend.UnderstandingWhen First Lady Barbara Bush wasasked to speak to the graduating classof Wellesley College, a number of thegraduates protested because they feltthat Mrs. Bush’s success was a resultof her husband’s position rather thanher own work. Knowing the discontentshe faced, the First Lady opened herpresentation by saying, “Somewhereout in this audience may be someonewho will one day follow in myfootsteps and preside over the WhiteHouse as the President’s spouse. I wishhim well.”Barbara Bush understood her audiencewell and then used a bit of humor towin them over. She received a standingovation and her opponents no longerresented her participation. Greatleaders understand those they lead.By connecting with compassion anda touch of humor, those in the rankswill see you as a human being worthfollowing.Communicating EffectivelyWhen my daughter was born, ourpediatrician was explaining the breastfeeding process to my wife and me(not that I had a whole lot to do withit). He said that it usually took a dayor two for the milk to come in. Mywife asked, “What if it doesn’t?” Thedoctor calmly replied, “Then we’ll giveyour daughter to someone whose milkdid come in.”I looked at my wife and gave her a smileand the thumbs up. This doctor was akeeper! With one humorous comment,he communicated that he understoodour concern but that there was no needto be concerned. He also showed usthat he was relaxed and comfortablewith us. We always appreciated thatand looked forward to his care of ourchildren.A good leader is able to communicateeffectively in a way that instillsconfidence in those being led. Humoris a wonderfully human way tocommunicate that confidence.18 care | volume 27 issue 1
Role ModelingMany leaders do not realize the powerof their actions. The CEO of a ratherlarge organization was floored whena comment she made to an employeeabout a possible new program fed therumor mill to the point that an all-staffmeeting had to be held to explain thatthis was just an idea mentioned duringa casual conversation and not a planfor the organization.Leaders must set the example for thestaff in the organization. A tense leaderwill have tense staff. A leader with aneffective open door policy will havereceptive staff. A leader with a sense ofhumor will encourage humor amongthe staff.Show staff that you can have funwhile still getting the job done. At astaff retreat, we had developed groundrules for our behavior which includedthings like “Be respectful”, “Don’tinterrupt” and “Give others the benefitof the doubt”. In order to reinforce theground rules, our CEO purchased aNerf gun. Each of us took a turn beingthe “enforcer” of the ground rules.Every time someone broke a groundrule, they were shot! It was a great funway to avoid the tension associatedwith the confrontation.The Work EnvironmentA FUN MissionWhen I worked in hospice care,we spent two years working on theMission, Vision, and Values. It was animportant process because it wouldguide the organization into the future.As one of the values, we picked joiede vi which is French for “joy of life”.This phrase included fun, humor, joy,happiness, etc. and captured the essenceof what we wanted our organization tobe. Whereas we provided care for thedying, we valued living.Consider incorporating some humorrelated value in your mission. If yourorganization strives to be a “fun placeto work” or you encourage staff to have“fun with those we serve” or to “neverlose our sense of humor”, you will findthat the organization will continue tomove forward with a positive attitude.Hiring the Right PeopleSouthwest Airlines CEO Herb Kellehersaid, “We hire for attitude and thenteach the skill.” Kelleher knew theimportance of the right attitude forthe work environment. An employeecan always improve upon his/her skillswhile attitudes are hard to change. Andan employee with a bad attitude willquickly disrupt the work environment.When hiring new staff, most employerswant to know what degrees they have,where they have worked and whatskills they have. Rarely do we askpeople if they have a sense of humoror how they might use humor to copewith a stressful situation.Which of the following qualificationsdo you think is more important in newemployee?• Graduated magna cum laude atriple major.• Scored in the top 25% on all oftheir aptitude tests.• Has excellent writing skills.• Has a sense of humor and managesstress well.Interestingly, research has shown thatemployees with a sense of humor areperceived to do a better job becausethey are less rigid, more flexible and lessstressed out. It’s definitely something toconsider in every job interview.Making the WorkplaceMore FUNctionalIn addition to finding the right people,you must create a work environmentthat both embraces excellence and isa fun place to work. One definitionof work I saw recently was, “If you’drather be doing anything else.” It’sa shame that we spend so much timeat work and still view its drudgery asnormal.There are several things you can do tomake the work environment more funfor your employees. Consider theseideas:• Create humor respite centers.Allow your staff to create a placefor humorous materials such ascartoon boards, bookshelves andprops (Koosh balls, stress balls,yo-yos, etc.). They can visit theseplaces when the stress gets too high.• Party hearty. Celebrate thosespecial events in your work lives.Celebrate employment anniversaries,professional months (fornurses, social workers, administrativeassistants, etc.), accomplishments,and anytime you getthrough a tough situation. Makesure the celebrations include games,prizes, fun, food and fellowship.• The signs of humor. An easy wayto make the workplace more funis by putting up humorous signs. Amanager put a “Mood Meter” onhis door with an arrow that pointedto a picture of a river when he wascalm and a volcano when he wasstressed. It was a fun way to say“keep away”! Another organizationused baby pictures on the staffoffice doors. These fun signs createa nice environment for employees.• Reward humor. Rewarding goodbehavior encourages it to continue.Even if there is no budget forrewards, make sure you recognizegood behavior, new employees andthose who move on (assumingthey’re not being fired!). Considercreative recognitions such asnaming a hallway for the employeeof the month, making a donationto a charity, baking brownies oreven washing the person’s car.Make the reward specific and fun.Excellence combined with humor isa powerful leadership duo because itproves the competence of the leaderwhile bringing out his/her humanity.Once you have established the valuesand skills needed to be a great leader,humor can be just the added benefit toinspire and motivate those you lead. n© 2012 Ron Culberson. This information maybe copied and shared as long as the followinginformation is included:Ron Culberson, MSW, CSP is a formerhospice social worker, middle manager, andsenior manager who helps mission drivenorganizations tap into the power of combiningexcellence with humor. Ron is the author of Doit Well. Make it Fun., Is Your Glass Laugh Full?,and My Kneecap Seems Too Loose.Find out more by visitingwww.RonCulberson.comcare | spring 2013 19
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