Page 256 - How Great Leaders Build Abundant Organizations That Win

THE WHY OF WORK

of what he does. He thinks the process of creating a new
presentation or engaging a challenging business problem
is fraught with fun. I learned early on that Dave was both
hardworking and playful, but we were married for several
years before I realized he was also funny. Maybe that says
more about me than it does about him, but I honestly don’t
think Dave was always that funny. He developed his sense of
humor to become a better teacher and a better person. He
works at being funny, and sometimes he bombs. He doesn’t
let that stop him. When he finds a good one-liner, like all
good comedians, he uses it again. He watches good comics
in action. Not everyone is a natural at humor and playful-
ness, but most of us can get better at humor if we nurture
it a little, see it as valuable, and lose a few of our inhibitions
about what others will think of our beginning efforts.
How would you rate yourself on the humor and play-
fulness scale (1 to 10)? If you see room for improvement, it
might be helpful to examine your attitudes about humor and
fun. Fill in the following:

When I was a kid, I thought people who were playful were

The thing that makes me nervous about humor is

I would be more fun if

The arena where I could use more playfulness is

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