Most people think leadership is about strategy decks, vision statements, and difficult decisions. Sure, those things matter. But let’s be real – most leaders suck at making people actually want to follow them. They lead like a PowerPoint deck at an all-hands: structured, predictable, and completely void of personality.
Want to get people around you to become more engaged, inspired, and creative? Learn to laugh at work. Humor isn’t just about cracking jokes – it can be a powerful tool for building influence and trust.
It’s not just vibes—Science proves humor works in leadership
Humour works very similarly to product-led growth (PLG), for leadership. It creates pull instead of push. Instead of forcing compliance and discipline, it makes people want to follow you and be part of your team. There is an abundance of scientific studies that support this claim (How to Lead People with Humor, Humor in Workplace Leadership). Leaders who use humor are perceived as more competent, more trustworthy, and better problem-solvers.
“Why is that?”, you may ask:
- It builds trust faster than corporate off-sites ever could. Good, timely jokes humanize you. There is no stronger signal of approachability (and confidence), than a sarcastic joke. Remember: people follow people, not job titles.
- It creates psychological safety. A group of people that can laugh together, are more likely to take risks. Giving room for everyone to admit mistakes and own their work is critical if you want innovation instead of “yes-men” (and women) in Zoom calls.
- It makes feedback land better. When humor is part of your normal leadership style, people pick up on the shift in tone when you deliver serious feedback. They instinctively understand that this moment matters. Instead of tuning out or getting defensive, they listen—because they know you’re not always in “corporate mode.”
- It makes work suck less. Happy teams are productive teams. Period.
You don’t need to be a comedian (just human)
Repeat after me: It’s not about being the funniest person in the room. It’s about knowing how to lighten the mood and connect with people. Good humor isn’t forced, scripted, or trying too hard (although I will admit to sometimes forcing a wordplay that’s stuck in my weird brain, sue me). Good humor is situational, relatable, and well-timed.
- Keep it light. The best humor is observational, not performative. You don’t need punchlines (please don’t) —just an awareness of the absurdity of work.
- Know your audience. This applies to everything in life, but it’s especially true in humor. If a joke only works at someone’s expense, it’s not a good one.
- Use contrast wisely. As mentioned before, if you’re generally lighthearted, people will recognize when your tone shifts, making serious moments even more effective.
Let’s try some examples:
Bad Humour: “Guess we’re all working late again. Hope you didn’t have plans!”
🚨Why it’s bad: It turns overwork into a joke, which isn’t funny when people are actually exhausted. (This brings up the point that of course there are limits when it comes to jokes, more on that later.)
Good Humour: “Good news: The project is only slightly on fire. We’ve seen worse.”
🎤 Why it works: It acknowledges challenges but keeps the mood light and solution-focused.
See the difference? One feels like a cringe-fest; the other makes people nod along and smile. And above all, keep in mind that good humor makes fun of the process, not the people.
Practical ways to make humor your superpower
- Owning your failures is the absolute flex. Admit your mistakes first. “Remember when I said this could be done in 2 weeks? Well, that was cute.” Instant power move. (important note: this works better if you don’t mess up every couple of days)
- Use humor to reframe challenges. Everything is going wrong? Cool. Turn it into a joke. “Well, we’re learning a lot about worst-case scenarios today.” This shifts your team’s focus from stress to problem-solving.
- Memes are your best friends. A “this is fine” dog GIF on Slack sometimes does more for morale than a retrospective meeting.
Final thoughts: No one follows a robot—Or a walking HR violation
Leaders who take themselves too seriously lose the room. The best ones know how to mix credibility with personality. Humor isn’t a distraction—it’s a leadership accelerator. But like any tool, it works best when used with intention.
The key? Know where the line is. 2025 isn’t a great year for political correctness and inclusivity, but I stand by it. If the joke only lands because it makes someone else uncomfortable, it’s not leadership—it’s lazy. Your humor needs to build trust, not just make people who look like you laugh at the expense of others.
So if you want to be taken more seriously as a leader, start by laughing at yourself a little. Just remember: timing, intent, and self-awareness matter.
And if all else fails? At least you’re not the one who turned a “quick sync” into a 90-minute meeting.
