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Leadership tip # 15: Humour in a leader is powerful

by Graham Andrewartha

Elephants

Appropriate humour, especially soft deprecating humour, is a valuable leadership skill.

Employed with emotional maturity and respectful sensitivity to others, a humorous line or metaphor or story adds a lot of the genuineness and integrity to leadership.

The clever use of humour is another example of risk-taking in leadership. The more risks you take (and learn from them quickly) the more skillful you become at using humour appropriately.

I was fortunate enough to provide leadership training in China over a 10 year period with senior party cadres. I was repeatedly cautioned by my Foreign Affairs minders in Australia to never use humour and certainly never use cartoons. ‘The cultural differences are a minefield,’ I was told. ‘You will cause offence’.

Unflinchingly I used jokes, humour, cartoons and one-liners to an enormously successful reception.

All peoples, all cultures, love to laugh at serious things and to laugh at themselves. Using thoughtful humour is respectful matching. Perhaps, maybe, only politicians don’t appreciate humour and given their elevated status this may set a poor precedent for all leaders.

Cartoons are also amazingly appropriate although many caution against using them especially.

Gary Larson’s cartoons were my favourite but now fortunately, though late in life,  I have discovered Stu Heinecke.

He says ‘cartoons, in fact, all forms of humour, are about truth revealed with a twist’ . Elsewhere he says ‘cartoons are the purest, most direct form of persuasion I’ve ever seen.’

He is a leader among cartoonists and makes amazing cartoons of leadership.

If you want to be a better, funnier leader, read his books, subscribe to his blog.

His book,  How to get a meeting with anyone, about contact marketing is a beautiful  leadership connection manual.

If you want more support with your leadership humour please feel free to contact me.

The blog about motivation at work.

About Graham

Graham Andrewartha is a Director and Partner of McPhee Andrewartha. He is a Leadership coach, Adjunct Research Fellow UniSA, co-author of Developing management skills and author of Be understood or be overlooked.

With years of experience both nationally and internationally Graham has proven his skills in developing individual, team, and organisational leadership capacity. He is the co-author of popular management textbook ‘Developing management skills’, which is now in its fifth edition and used in 9 MBA programs across Australia. Graham has also authored ‘Be understood or be overlooked’, which focuses on building communication effectiveness in leaders. Graham is past national president and life member of the Australian Human Resource Institute, and an Adjunct Research Fellow with the University of South Australia Business School.

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McPhee Andrewartha © 2016
people@mcpheeandrewartha.com.au
(08) 8357 1800
McPhee Andrewartha © 2016
people@mca-group.com.au
1300 856 480
Adelaide Office
188 Greenhill Road Parkside South Australia 5063
Adelaide Office
188 Greenhill Road Parkside South Australia 5063
Melbourne Office
Adelaide Office
Level 30, 35 Collins Street Melbourne Victoria 3000
188 Greenhill Road Parkside South Australia 5063
Melbourne Office
Level 30, 35 Collins Street Melbourne Victoria 3000
Adelaide Office
188 Greenhill Road Parkside South Australia 5063
McPhee Andrewartha © 2016
people@mcpheeandrewartha.com.au

Adelaide Office
188 Greenhill Road Parkside South Australia 5063