Lighten up...

 

This quote, written more than 2300 years ago, is something every leader should take to heart. As in, lighten up.

 

·      There’s no

·      Good reason

·      Not to laugh a

·      Little with the peeps

·      You work with every day.

 

Some of the best memories from all my years of working were times we laughed until we cried. Being the shortest executive meant getting my share of jokes - it was not uncommon when I took the stage at supposedly serious business meetings for someone to shout that I should stand up. One time a group from the horticulture department rigged a speaker in the plants on stage and started whispering to me while I spoke: I wasn’t sure what was happening, but the rest of the audience was in on the joke, and everyone got a good laugh. I was a good sport and enjoyed the joking around – work is serious business and a little levity at the right moment is good for everyone. Of course, you never want to make anyone uncomfortable, but self-deprecating humor, the ability to laugh, and mixing a little foolishness with your prudence are good ways to make people comfortable and build relationships. Share some good laughs today.

 

Quintus Horatius Flaccus (December 65 BC – 8 BC): Known in the English-speaking world as Horace, he was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus Caesar.