If You Dont Have A Sense of Humor, Get One - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

If You Dont Have A Sense of Humor, Get One - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career You will not succeed without a sense of humor. Many CEOs have told me they see humor as a test to whether they want to work with and be around a person. Good leaders aggressively seek out an amusing angle in dealing with others, whether through light humor in a serious situation or the careful use of irony. A person with humor mainly takes the doubt level down a notch and the trust level up. Bringing appropriate fun to serious and not-so-serious situations also makes you a formidable force. In a recent study people under twenty-five and women of all ages were determined to be the least humorous in our society. Yes, I know there is a desire for both of those groups to be taken seriously; the irony is if you take yourself less seriously, people take you more seriously. The most important reason for being good-natured is that it allows you a gentle way to speak difficult truths. If you want to get away with saying what needs to be said, use fitting humor.  One recruiter told me, A  sense of humor is not a luxury â€"it’s a vital organ for survival Seeing the funny side doesn’t mean you have to tell and forward jokes or add a smiley face to your e-mails. Nor is humor to grandstand and draw attention to yourself. Humor is being human and personal. It: -shows insight into human nature -makes life and work more pleasant for you and others -creates a relaxed, friendly environment; encourages others to do the same -is a great equalizer across barriers of title, position, and role -increases your likeability and improves connections -saves time in developing affinity -mitigates frustration -diffuses emotion -improves morale -lowers blood pressure, yours and others you work with As one executive put it,  â€œLaughter gives you an instant vacation.”