ANECDOTE

When I interviewed Andrew Tarvin, CEO of Humor That Works, for my new book, The Force For Good Project, he told me his grandma used to write her texts like little letters. “Dear Andrew” at the top. “Love, your grandma” at the bottom.

So when he texted her that he’d just gotten back from Switzerland, you can imagine his surprise when she wrote back…

“Dear Andrew, Switzerland? WTF!”

A little shocked, he asked, “Grandma, what do you think WTF means?”

To which she replied, “Oh, someone at my bridge game told me it means ‘Wow, that’s fun.’”

Andrew said, “That is exactly what it means.

“Truth is, the world would be a happier place if more people thought, Wow, that’s fun.”

Andrew could’ve corrected his grandma. Instead, he went with her version and gave them both something to smile about.

When Andrew was an IT manager, he quickly discovered that a well-timed one-liner could get a tense meeting back on track.

He told me. “In other words, humor made me a better leader because it isn’t about getting laughs; it’s about getting a connection.”

Next time a meeting goes sideways, or a conversation at home gets tense, look for something you can laugh about together.

ACTION

How about you?

• Would you say you’re funny?

• When is a time when you shared a laugh that got people on the same side?

• What are a few one-liners you’ll have ready to defuse or “erase” a problem?

P.S. I’m delighted Andrew will be joining us LIVE on November 17 for our Force For Good launch party from 12-2pm EST.

Join here (it’s free!) and be inspired by 20 Force For Good’ers.

Until next time… Here’s to being better.