“He was born with a gift of laughter and a sense that the world was mad.”
- Rafael Sabatini, Scaramuche
I’ve long been an overly serious person. Developing a calm, competent demeanor to embody gravitas felt necessary to be taken seriously.
Clearly being able to switch gears to mindfully access other approaches or personas is an important part of the leadership journey.
I am able to switch into action orientation, grounded competence, and compassion comfortably. The one that feels the most outside my repertoire is irreverence, lightness, and fun.
For a while now, I’ve been ruminating that always being sober, deeply reflective in all situations can be a limiting too. Imagine the possibilities that open up in innovation, collaboration, inspiration, conflict resolution when you can adapt an irreverent lens.
So far, embracing that irreverent energy has felt either too taxing or superficial and disingenuous.
Some seem to have an innate ability to see the funny side and step lightly through life. To these lucky few, this seems to be a gift they were born with and therefore hard to learn for others who were not naturally predisposed to this persona.
The lightness is both mental and physiological. Consciously embracing the “light and laughter” mindset requires rewiring the neural pathways (self-directed neuroplasticity) and also working on the somatics.
Neuroplasticity: the brain’s ability to change throughout your life
Experience-dependent neuroplasticity: the passive process of reinforcing habits by doing them unconsciously over and over again, whether they’re good or bad
Self-directed neuroplasticity: the active process of consciously reflecting on how habits make us feel
Here is a fantastic article on self-directed neuroplasticity and how to embrace new ways of being that sustain https://www.healthline.com/health/the-science-of-habit#1
The term “somatics” was coined by Thomas Hanna, a philosophy professor and movement theorist who created Hanna Somatics in the 1970’s.
It refers to a holistic approach that recognizes the inseparable connection between the body, mind and spirit. Somatic practices aim to deepen awareness of the body, its sensations, and the interplay between movement and perception.
The happy coincidence that inspired my Friday reflection is that I recently met a couple who exude this beautiful fun, irreverence powerfully. Let’s call them GP and Amy. Here were two successful leaders who role model fun in a consistent and seemingly effortless way. For me, it was particularly significant that I watched them use this fun and joyful approach to build communities of support.
Their energy enhances the sense of well being in the group they brought together. GP and Amy combine their sense of joy and laughter with a strong drive to help others selflessly. By giving generously while laughing and enjoying themselves, GP and Amy influenced the way individuals within the community loosened up and began to open up to each other.
Here then was a purposeful way in which embracing laughter and sense of joy combined with generosity of spirit and love could create psychological safety and build powerful communities. Here was an approach to lightness that inspired and also felt accessible.
What approach, archetype, persona, vibe do you want to strengthen in yourself?
Who has inspired you lately?
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