Humor, Seriously Quotes

“Ultimately, a culture of levity creates a safe place for employees. When you feel safe and feel like you’re being led through levity versus fear, you’re much more apt to take chances. You’re more likely to try things without worrying about being ridiculed, or ostracized. You’re more willing to innovate—to push new ideas and to push against old ideas.”
― Jennifer Aaker, Humor, Seriously: Why Humor Is a Secret Weapon in Business and Life

“Fear is the greatest killer of creativity,” Asai explained, “and humor is the most effective tool I’ve found for insulating cultures from fear.”
― Jennifer Aaker, Humor, Seriously: Why Humor Is a Secret Weapon in Business and Life

“In the wise words of the Dalai Lama, “Laughter is good for thinking because when people laugh, it is easier for them to admit new ideas to their minds.”
― Jennifer Aaker, Humor, Seriously: Why Humor Is a Secret Weapon in Business and Life

“My job as a leader isn’t to prevent mistakes from happening; my job as a leader is to correct them as quickly as possible when they do happen. However, if nobody feels comfortable bringing me the bad news—it’s going to take me a lot longer to correct those mistakes.”
― Jennifer Aaker, Humor, Seriously: Why Humor Is a Secret Weapon in Business and Life

“Shared truths create the foundation for humor. So instead of asking yourself what is funny, start by asking what is true. We’ll find humor from there.”
― Jennifer Aaker, Humor, Seriously: Why Humor Is a Secret Weapon in Business and Life

“Where there is serious work punctuated by levity—that’s where we find meaning.”
― Jennifer Aaker, Humor, Seriously: Why Humor Is a Secret Weapon in Business and Life

“A person without a sense of humor is like a wagon without springs. It’s jolted by every pebble on the road.”
― Jennifer Aaker, Humor, Seriously: Why Humor Is a Secret Weapon in Business and Life

“When you “punch up”—that is, tease someone of higher status—you can seem brave and confident. But “punch down” by making fun of someone of lower status, and you can seem like a jerk or a bully.”
― Jennifer Aaker, Humor, Seriously: Why Humor Is a Secret Weapon in Business and Life

“Using humor in the face of failure can help us manage our emotions so we can learn from our mistakes and bounce back quickly, decreasing the transition time from one failure to the next attempt. As leadership expert Dana Bilky Asher writes: “We cannot lead if we cannot learn. And yet, our capacity to take in and process new information—to generate new insights and true growth—shuts down in response to the fear of letting people down. Laughter opens us up again.”
― Jennifer Aaker, Humor, Seriously: Why Humor Is a Secret Weapon in Business and Life

“Lack of trust impacts your employees’ motivation and productivity, the likelihood that they’ll jump ship for a new company, and how much time you (and everyone else) spend frantically putting out fires that could have been avoided had your people felt comfortable discussing sensitive issues with you.”
― Jennifer Aaker, Humor, Seriously: Why Humor Is a Secret Weapon in Business and Life

“The freshest, most interesting comedy is not based on mother-in-law jokes or Jack Nicholson impressions,*4 but on exposing our own personalities”
― Jennifer Aaker, Humor, Seriously: Why Humor Is a Secret Weapon in Business and Life

“In words attributed to Albert Einstein, “Creativity is intelligence having fun.” Let your intelligence live a little.”
― Jennifer Aaker, Humor, Seriously: Why Humor Is a Secret Weapon in Business and Life

“Humor is a powerful leadership strategy to humanize oneself to employees, break down barriers, and balance authority with approachability.”
― Jennifer Lynn Aaker, Humor, Seriously: Why Humor Is a Secret Weapon in Business and Life

“Saving Saboteurs from Themselves John Henry, a senior management consultant with one of the world’s largest firms, advises a diverse portfolio of senior executive clients and boards. Though he’s found that the social dynamics impeding productive work are often the same wherever he goes, it can be difficult to broach the topic without raising his clients’ hackles. That’s why he keeps a copy of the CIA’s Simple Sabotage Field Manual, a set of guidelines devised by U.S. government officials to sabotage terrorist organizations from the inside, in his briefcase. Originally developed by the OSS during World War II, the Simple Sabotage Field Manual is a guide for, as the CIA puts it, “teaching people how to do their jobs badly.” Here’s a sample of some of the tactics our nation’s best intelligence officers recommend you use to undermine the operations and efficiency of a terrorist cell—or a typical American board meeting: When possible, refer all matters to committees for “further study and consideration.” Attempt to make the committees as large as possible—no fewer than five people. Make speeches. Talk as frequently as possible and at great length. Illustrate your “points” by long anecdotes and accounts of personal experiences. Haggle over the precise wording of communications, minutes, resolutions. Bring up irrelevant issues as frequently as possible. Refer back to matters decided upon at the last meeting and attempt to reopen the question of the advisability of that decision.”
― Jennifer Aaker, Humor, Seriously: Why Humor Is a Secret Weapon in Business and Life

“We don’t need more “professionalism” in our workplaces.”
― Jennifer Aaker, Humor, Seriously: Why Humor Is a Secret Weapon in Business and Life

“when we refuse to take ourselves so seriously, we relieve the stress standing in the way of serious work, create more meaningful connections with our colleagues, and open our minds to more innovative solutions.”
― Jennifer Aaker, Humor, Seriously: Why Humor Is a Secret Weapon in Business and Life

“Having a sense of humor doesn’t just punctuate and offset the seriousness—it allows the meaning to come through.”
― Jennifer Aaker, Humor, Seriously: Why Humor Is a Secret Weapon in Business and Life

“Having a sense of humor — both the ability to generate humor and to appreciate it — has repeatedly been found to correlate with measures of intelligence.”
― Jennifer Aaker, Humor, Seriously: Why Humor Is a Secret Weapon in Business and Life

“A man and a woman were stranded in an elevator and they knew they weren’t gonna make it out alive. The woman turns to the man and says, ‘Make me feel like a woman before I die.’ So he takes off his clothes and says, ‘Fold them!’ ” Yeah, we know.”
― Jennifer Aaker, Humor, Seriously: Why Humor Is a Secret Weapon in Business and Life

“It goes without saying that humor is context dependent; jokes that work in the living room won’t necessarily land in the boardroom. At work, keep it PG-13. That means The Avengers, Jumanji, and Kindergarten Cop. If you’re at work, don’t say it unless Arnold Schwarzenegger would say it in front of a bunch of five-year-olds.”
― Jennifer Aaker, Humor, Seriously: Why Humor Is a Secret Weapon in Business and Life

“What we remember as fun-loving, innocent, and playful humor can now smack of insensitivity, with stereotypes about race, gender, sexuality, and culture, to name just a deplorable few.”
― Jennifer Aaker, Humor, Seriously: Why Humor Is a Secret Weapon in Business and Life

“We didn’t start the Firefox It’s as old as trousers Since the world’s had browsers We didn’t start the Firefox No, we didn’t code it But our iPhones load it”
― Jennifer Aaker, Humor, Seriously: Why Humor Is a Secret Weapon in Business and Life

“Today’s average employee spends close to 30 percent of their work hours on email and receives 120 messages per day. But online correspondence—whether on email, group chat, text, TikTok, or whatever new technology has already replaced all of these things since we wrote this sentence—doesn’t need to be soul-sucking.”
― Jennifer Aaker, Humor, Seriously: Why Humor Is a Secret Weapon in Business and Life

“We cannot lead if we cannot learn. And yet, our capacity to take in and process new information—to generate new insights and true growth—shuts down in response to the fear of letting people down. Laughter opens us up again.” In Pursuit of Purpose It was the Spring of 2015, and Daryn Dodson, a board member of the ice cream manufacturer Ben and Jerry’s, was working with the company’s leadership to prepare for the UN Climate Summit in Paris later that year.”
― Jennifer Aaker, Humor, Seriously: Why Humor Is a Secret Weapon in Business and Life

“trust a person or a company that takes itself too seriously.”
― Jennifer Aaker, Humor, Seriously: Why Humor Is a Secret Weapon in Business and Life

“of Business.*11 They’ve completed their humor audits (just as you will—read on!), and now they’re ready to start paying attention to the nuances of humor in their lives—where they see it in the world, what they find funny, who brings it out in them, and how they most naturally express it. Over the course of the semester, our students experience a profound shift. What begins as a sobering, often (very) unfunny first class (remember: “On Tuesday, I did not laugh once. Not once. Who knew a class about humor could be so depressing?”) ends with students reporting significantly more joy and more laughter in their lives. This shift is about more than their becoming funnier: They become more generous with their laughter. They notice opportunities for humor that would otherwise pass them by. The mindset of looking for reasons to be delighted becomes a habit. In a very real way, they learned how to move a little more fluidly, how to exercise with better form, and play their favorite (amateur) sport with better results—just as you will. When you walk around on the precipice of a smile, you’ll be surprised how many things you encounter that push you over the edge. So, repeat after us: “I promise to laugh more. Even on Tuesday.” THE HUMOR AUDIT*12 WHAT DOES HUMOR LOOK LIKE IN MY LIFE? This exercise is intended to spark self-awareness about various aspects of your unique sense of humor, so you can more”
― Jennifer Aaker, Humor, Seriously: Why Humor Is a Secret Weapon in Business and Life

“With great humor comes great responsibility. Wield it for good.”
― Jennifer Aaker, Humor, Seriously: Why Humor Is a Secret Weapon in Business and Life

“When humor fails or offends, it can be tempting to brush it off as the other person’s problem—“he didn’t get the joke” or “she’s being too sensitive”—instead of stopping to consider how it might be our problem. In these moments, lean in: trust their reaction, understand and acknowledge your mistake, reflect on your blind spots, and make it right. Don’t just apologize, get out the power washer.”
― Jennifer Aaker, Humor, Seriously: Why Humor Is a Secret Weapon in Business and Life

“The activity often unearths uncomfortable realities, and the difficulty of these conversations is what makes them poignant. By prompting these conversations, our goal is to cultivate empathy, awareness, and, hopefully, behavior change.”
― Jennifer Aaker, Humor, Seriously: Why Humor Is a Secret Weapon in Business and Life

“When we ask people what holds them back from using humor at work, many say it’s the fear of inadvertently crossing a line. They aren’t wrong to have this worry; in the workplace, inappropriate or aggressive humor (like teasing—in the wrong context or with the wrong person) can weaken relationships rather than strengthen them, getting in the way of resolving workplace conflict.”
― Jennifer Aaker, Humor, Seriously: Why Humor Is a Secret Weapon in Business and Life