By Peter Jeff
The Leadership Mints Guy

Here’s an idea to sharpen your sense of humor to increase your performance . Reading time: 3:12

The bite of the flu bug left me writhing in pain and moaning in bed one early morning. “Oh, God. Oh, God!” I moaned. And moaned. My wife, laying next to me, sized up the situation quickly. She knew I was looking more for sympathy than for survival. “Oh, God. Oh God!” I moaned again.

“Yes?” deadpanned my wife right on cue. “How can I help you?”

I laughed. The more I laughed the more I hurt. Oh, my aching ribs. But I didn’t care. It was funny. And I laughed — at the hurt.

My wife’s sense of humor taught me a lesson in what I have come to understand as the FUNdamentals of Leadership. That’s the uncanny ability of leaders to use comic relief in real or perceived tense situations to renew, revive and rekindle the heart and soul of others.

FUNdamental Leadership Breaks Down Barriers

After all, the FUNdamental Leadership breaks down barriers. Consider the way George H. Bush, then sitting president of the United States, tapped into his sense of self-deprecating humor to make a stronger connection to his audience in Chicago. Continue reading →