A Better Way

 by JenniferWhite, President, The JWC Group

Broadcast of 3/19/99

Subject: Humor In The Workplace

A BETTER WAY
A nationally syndicated column
by Jennifer White
jencoach@successu.comI received an interesting email the other day. It started like this:

"Coach, how do you bring joy into the workplace when there's so much stress and pressure? It's just not fun anymore."

My initial reaction was to start giving my two cents on why you stopped having fun at work and how to make your job more rewarding. But then it occurred to me that I'd just be saying the same old thing. Everyone reading this column wants to have more fun at work. We all want that. And the answer, I believe, is to add some good old-fashioned humor.

I went to the best humorist I know, John Wagner, a professional speaker, for some advice. When you see John, he always makes you laugh and feel at ease. It's fun to be around him. And he's made humor in the workplace his expertise. If anyone was going to know how to make work more enjoyable, it'll be John.

And here's what he told me you need to do to put the fun back into your work.

1. Think funny.
When something stressful or frustrating happens on the job - and in your life - our first reaction is to say, "Ohmigod, this is AWFUL!" But most people keep going with this vicious, negative attitude. You keep focusing on how horrible the situation is, and it's no wonder you're not having fun.

"You have to think funny," John says. "See the flip side to every situation. There's always something funny about what's going on. Always." That of course made me spend the last week looking for the funny things that happen all around me. And you know what? In my life, there are tons of things to laugh about. I bet your life is full of humorous situations as well.

2. Take yourself lightly, but take your job seriously.
John has a great point here. There will always be situations where you screwed up. We all do. Yet most people pretend there's nothing wrong, or worse, they cover up their mistakes.

"You have to admit you made a mistake," John says, "and then deal with it right away. The way to have more fun is to laugh at your fumble then do everything in your power to fix the problem." That's a crucial piece. You fix the problem quickly so the customer knows you care about them, but you can have fun with the mistake. Crack a joke. Laugh. Even a smile works in these situations.

"Using humor in the workplace so you're easy on people, but hard on the problems," John told me. Very good advice.

Yet an important point to this is don't make light of the situation, take yourself lightly instead. "If you're moving a piano up the stairs, you can't laugh or the piano will fall. Be appropriate with your humor," John says.

3. Celebrate successes.
Most people I know rarely celebrate their successes, and it happens even less frequently on the job. John told me recognizing people is the best way to have more fun because "people love recognition, but they hate the exposure of it," he says. "That very fact creates a great situation where you can have a ball."

Of course, you want to remember to laugh with the people you're recognizing, not at them. Have the group sing a song in someone's honor. Crack jokes, wear funny hats, do anything that will bring smiles to people's faces. That's the whole point of adding humor to the workplace. So you'll have more fun.

John's final words of advice are something I've been focused on this week, and maybe you want to, too. He said, "Laugh or cry. It's your choice."

For being so darn funny, John Wagner is also a very wise man.
Copyright 1999, Jennifer White. All rights reserved. Please do not duplicate this information without written permission.

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