Inspiring Workplaces 
The Way Work Ought to Be!

#1,036 - August 28, 2024

Leading with laughter is one of the most effective ways to foster greater psychological safety at work and create a more positive, collaborative, and healthy workplace environment. 

The former CEO and founder of Spanx, Sara Blakely, regularly highlighted her mistakes during their company wide "Oops Meetings." 

She shared her oops through humor-filled stories, always culminating with her dancing to a song that was evocative of the mistake she'd made, while inviting employees to dance and cheer her on for owning her mistake. Her actions, through her stories, dancing, and especially her self-effacing wit, demonstrated that it’s okay to be vulnerable, make mistakes if you own up to them and learn from them, and have a bit of silly fun. 

The CEO of Beryl, Paul Spiegelman, a self-described introvert, uses humor in his video updates to employees, and once made an appearance on the call center floor at midnight dressed as a matador on rollerblades to check in with the night shift employees. 

Or consider how one big banana donned a big banana costume for the sake of charity. As part of their annual charity fundraising efforts, a branch within a Canadian federal government department runs a “Dress Your Boss” event. Employees pay to vote for different managers to wear different costumes all day at work on Halloween. 

Shelley Borys, the Director General of the branch, was voted into wearing, yes, a banana costume for the entire day. Not only did she willingly don the ridiculous outfit, she upped the ante and raised even more money for the charity by offering to wear the banana costume to her meeting with the even bigger Big Banana if five more employees made a donation. Naturally, the employees quickly ponied up and there is now a photo displayed in the office commemorating her banana-wearing visit with the President. 

(The above is from the chapter "Leading With Laughter" from my latest book, "Small Moments, Big Outcomes: How Leaders Create Cultures That Fuel Extraordinary Results.")