You don’t have to be funny to find humor. Just like you don’t have to be athletic to get exercise. Trust me on this, I know.
For most of us, work is a serious place. We go to work and we have a job to do. But does it have to be so serious, and might we do better work if we laughed more? I am certain that laughter creates community, levity, and connectivity. So if humor is so positive, how do we create more of it at work?
One way that we each can create a more humorous workplace is to laugh at ourselves. A second way is to look for and recognize the silliness in everyday life.
Last month I hired a writing coach, Mark, to help me with an upcoming keynote presentation. We worked solidly for two days, and halfway through the second day we took a much-needed break. Mark wanted to see the rapids and waterfalls at Great Falls Park again, so off we went. Being outdoors helps the writing process, so we were stimulating our brains and the writing juices.
We stopped to admire the falls, and Mark captured this moment:
When Mark showed the photo to me the next day, we could not stop laughing.
These moments happen every day, and while I certainly do my part to accidentally create absurdity, and sometimes pure stupidity, it was Mark’s ability to see the humor that created the laughter.
What funny moments do you have to share?
My son Josh taught my daughter Katie about Luck Surface Area. It is a concept coined by Jason Roberts from techzinglive.com.
Katie gave this example of Luck Surface Area. Imagine that every person begins life with a dartboard and one dart. Some of the dartboards are the size of a pin head, while others are the size of a football field. The dart is their luck, the board is the luck surface area. The dart can only bring more good luck if hits the dartboard. They go through life making choices, and if those choices are appropriate for the situation, their dartboard enlarges and of course the chance of the dart hitting the dartboard is greater. However the converse occurs when they make poor choices. When the person makes bad choices, the dartboard becomes so tiny that it seems like they are terribly unlucky and nothing good can ever happen for them.
I notice luck surface area with the employees I coach. Many of the employees I consult are continuously exhibiting behaviors that increase their luck surface area. They show up on time, they are generally positive, they share information, they seek and appreciate feedback. When these employees give critical feedback, they have solutions. They attack the problem, not the person. They meet their deadlines and when they can’t, which is rare, there really are extenuating circumstances. All of these positive behaviors increase their luck surface area at work.
What are you doing to increase your luck surface area?
