Want to Encourage Risk-Taking? Start with Laughter.
Have you had a good laugh at work lately?
Joseph Grenny, co-author of Crucial Conversations and several other bestselling books recently wrote, “If people in your organization don’t frequently cackle out loud with each other, you’ve got serious trouble.” According to Grenny, a lack of laughter can signal a lack of trust. In addition, a lack of laughter may be impeding a group’s ability to connect and bond.
It so happens that I came across Grenny’s article at the same time that I was reading Kay Redfield Jamison’s book, Exuberance. Jamison makes scores of references to the importance of play and laughter at work. Jamison states that laughter would have been vital to the early development of humans because it would have helped to disarm tension and relieve stress. It would also have been a sign of trust that would then allow and encourage people to come together and take risks as a group.
As a facilitator, I have the opportunity to work with scores of groups in any given year. It is amazing to me to see how the first 3 minutes with a group accurately indicates the overall mood and trust level in an organization. When people are laughing and kidding with one another as they settle in to their seats, I know that we will be able to address real and relevant issues. When people aren’t talking and making eye contact (let alone laughing) I know that we will need to spend a lot of time attempting to build trust before people will speak up.
Many leaders I work with wish that their people would speak up more. They crave more rigorous discussions and signs of enthusiasm. What they sometimes fail to realize is that, as the leader they set the tone for people’s willingness to take risks.
If you want to encourage genuine group connections, trust, and openness you may want to start by helping people laugh at work. You don’t need to be a comedian. Start by simply showing your own vulnerability from time to time. Laugh at yourself and with others, then watch as people begin to open up.
To read Grenny’s full BusinessWeek article, LOL at Work, click here.
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