For many years, I used self-deprecation to slither out of situations in which I felt like people might be mad at me. When I was coming to my team with a tough deadline or a request for new work, I would often say something like “Guess what, here comes the PRODUCT MANAGER with another FUN DEADLINE FOR EVERYBODY!” It felt like a good way to alleviate the tension and to show that I was “one of the team.” And most of the time, it got at least a little chuckle.
