Bring it through the door
For a study on workplace leadership and the use of laughter, I completed a journal that recorded my thoughts and observations from my own leadership experiences in the newsroom as editor-in-chief of my university’s student newspaper, The Marlin Chronicle. This began with an assignment for Dr. Terry Lindvall’s course: MC 333 Communication & Laughter. In a personally reflective twist on an element of my research-based project, I modified and bolstered an excerpt from this journal.
Life is full of obstacles, tragedy, and shocking bad news on Tuesday evenings right before important meetings.
People often say to “leave it at the door” when you arrive at your workplace.
The idea is to not think about what bothers you. Put up a facade. Move forward. It makes it easier to do what you are expected to do. Even if you’ve been met with something that stops you in your tracks.
After receiving bad family news, I found it was less natural to radiate positive energy to lead a room full of people.
In times when it is difficult to produce your own light, it is easy to become a product of your environment. An environment where people are detached from one another removes the humanity that bonds us.
For a place of work, leadership is key in creating that environment. Therefore, the impact of a leader’s disposition runs deeper.
I tried to switch gears. I tried to “leave it at the door.”
My energy sank as I aimed to stop my mind from reeling. With the expectation to lead, I thought it was unfair to succumb to emotion.
But why should we be expected to hide what we all have?
An environment that recognizes the human experience will accept emotions that come with that. Laughter is a window into authenticity and imperfection. When used to express acceptance, laughter is an effective converter from sorrow into joy.
Enforcing the expectation of leaving it all at the door removes humanity from the work.
Demonstrating human imperfection can connect a team by encouraging a supportive culture where members can lean on one another. A leader who has built a culture of joy can be uplifted by the culture they create, even on days when they have less capacity to be a pillar of happiness.
Had I been met with the blank stares of colleagues, I know I could not have maintained momentum at the meeting. Had there been no smiles or reactions, I would have sunk right back into the depths of my mind.
Personal struggles may not be an excuse to blow off all work responsibilities, but it should be okay to show up as you are. A group of people who fully accept each other as less than perfect will go further than a group who fears any inkling of imperfections peeking through.
No matter what each individual can bring through the door that day, the ability to laugh and smile creates a workplace that values humanity. Leaders can’t have any genuine version of that without encouraging acceptance, which shared laughter and smiles help achieve.
What goes around comes around, and a leader receives as much grace and understanding as they provide. It goes both ways.
Other peoples’ dispositions are the key to creating the environment because they are echoed. They are set as the precedent. Gloom is contagious, but so are laughter and happiness. A place that people know as happy is likely to remain happy. This establishes attitudes that make the workplace resistant to hardship.
Laughter shines a light on humanity, boosting camaraderie and removing the autopilot, task-oriented mechanics of a workplace only concerned with productivity. Sharing laughter creates a positive environment that not only celebrates wins but also embraces shortcomings. It creates connection and bonding, which helps decrease division and build rapport.
Even in times when a leader cannot bring their A-game, people will listen and engage if there is established trust in their ability to lead. Authenticity, rather than perfection, builds trust. Alongside the entire team, a leader should also be allowed to make mistakes occasionally without wavering the stability of an organization. This helps avoid an environment where everyone is afraid of revealing the imperfections that we all have.
When shared human laughter brings shared human joy, it creates an environment where people can feel like it will all be okay. Because we laugh, it is okay not to be perfect. Genuine laughter is a window into the good, the bad, and the ugly that makes us all human.
Shared laughter removes the idea that it is only okay to be happy when everything is going according to plan. In reality, things go wrong all the time. It is okay to fall short of what is expected every once in a while. Laughter allows this imperfection to be recognized as a shared, treasured moment.
So instead of leaving it at the door, bring it with you. Let it guide you. Don’t suppress it. Don’t go numb. Don’t reduce your humanity to the mechanical functions that keep you afloat.
In a work culture where people are free to be real, leaders can leverage the potential of laughter to bring people together. It establishes a precedent of acceptance and understanding. Humans build each other up, so be a leader that people want to build up even when down, and the cycle will continue.
Seek an environment that goes beyond erasing frowns. It is better to show up imperfectly than to show up numb to it all. Create a place where laughter echoes and frowns become smiles.
Lily Reslink has trudged and stumbled through 20 years to arrive at her junior year at VWU. Here, she occupies several roles, including work-study jobs that support an array of departments and programs. Majoring in Media and Communication, she is dedicated to the craft of journalism and leveraging media to uplift voices and share the truth. After returning from her semester abroad in Seoul, South Korea, she rose from News Editor to Editor-In-Chief for The Marlin Chronicle. Some say she was born in her hometown of Erie, PA, but some say she spawned right in at the newsroom. Decide for yourself what you want to believe.