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The Connection Between Humor and Strong Relationships

Or would you rather do business with a “Grump”?

Victor Borge once said that humor is the shortest distance between two people, and I must tell you, I heartily agree.

In business, most sane human beings would choose to do business with someone who is pleasant, courteous, warm, friendly, hospitable and dare I say, fun. Yes, of course it’s critical to be dependable, reliable, credible, responsive and intelligent, but with those qualities as table-stakes, isn’t it a tie-breaking bonus to also have an experience that is enjoyable?

When a leader takes care to create a culture in a work environment that is positive and productive, respectful of all the individuals involved, and focused on creating value for ALL your stakeholders, it’s more likely that all outcomes will be pleasant and positive.

I was recently asked to speak to a group of 200 managers at a trade show. I created something new for them I called, “How to Be a Magnetic Manager.” The word MAGNETIC was used to describe a manager who is a:

  • Meaning- maker
  • Accountable
  • Goodness focused
  • N-abling strengths
  • Energizing
  • Trust + trustworthy
  • Inspiring +Informative
  • Caring

This type of leader has the potential to create a culture where people truly care about their customers and the success of the business. What a delightful response from the participants who seemed to clearly understand that the power was in their hands to create the kinds of employee and customer experiences that kept the customers coming back with their money and their friends!

People working in that kind of environment WANT to create happy loyal customers who often come back as friends. Isn’t it always more pleasurable to do business with someone who has the ability to lighten, as well as enlighten, a situation? 

Now, I am not suggesting that taking care of your customers isn’t SERIOUS business – you know it is. But what I am suggesting is that when a customer can feel comfortable with a customer-caring representative of your company they will have more trust and confidence in the whole company.

Often, an easy way to build that bridge of understanding is through the human sharing of the common need for joy. When you ask people to recount some of the most pleasurable experiences of their lifetimes, they often tell of times when they were having fun. Times when they laughed together with others, shared a chuckle, were amused or lightened by the same perspective of a situation. Some even tell of work experiences where the whole team pulled together toward a common goal.

Humor is used to bond with others, to lighten the heavy load of living and often to relieve stress. After a rough airplane landing in Phoenix, the Flight Attendant announced over the system, “Ladies and Gentlemen, please remain in your seats until Capt. Crash and the Crew have brought the aircraft to a screeching halt against the gate. And, once the tire smoke has cleared and the warning bells are silenced, we’ll open the door, and you can pick your way through the wreckage to the terminal.”

I’d say that even the most frightened of the passengers on that flight benefitted from this expression of humor to hopefully ease some of stress they were experiencing.

In your day-to-day interactions with customers and colleagues there may be many opportunities to have fun.  They can be spontaneous or elaborately planned, either way they make the experience more enjoyable and more memorable – and isn’t that what you are after, experiences both your staff and your customers will remember fondly?

  • What are you doing to smile more, laugh more, and enjoy your job more?
  • What are you doing to delight your customers?

What are you doing to spread a little joy in the world? Think about it, talk about it, create a plan in your business to make it happen. It’s time to create a Positive Culture and bring a little more happiness to work!

Editor’s Note:

JoAnna Brandi has been speaking, writing, and consulting on customer care and helping brands create lifetime customer loyalty for over 30 years. She brings a fresh perspective to Customer Experience with practical tips to help marketers transform their CX. JoAnna is a Certified Happiness Officer and Coach. You can find her at https://returnonhappiness.com/ and https://Positiveenergizer.com.

She is the author of two books on Customer Loyalty and the illustrated gift book “54 Ways to Stay Positive in a Changing, Challenging and Sometimes Negative World”. If you are interested in bringing a one- or two-hour version of the MAGNETIC Manager program to your company, write to me JoAnna@ReturnOnHappiness.com with the word MAGNETIC in the subject line. You can find her YouTube channel to see the latest teachings www.JoAnnaBrandi.TV.