April is National Humor Month!

As Dwight D. Eisenhower said, "Humor is a part of the art of leadership, of getting along, of getting things done."  In celebration of April's National Humor Month, I want to share some experiences of how humor has helped me connect, break down barriers, and get along.  This is one such story.
     
When first joining the Navy, every young recruit is shipped off to boot camp to become formally "indoctrinated" into the organization.  To get a clear picture of what the first week is like, imagine yourself spending every waking hour and sleeping hour with 80 sweaty, young, stinky, and homesick men. This, while 2 "seasoned sailors" (called Company Commanders), your "acclamators," spend their time finding new ways to torture you.  Okay, it's not really torture in the Geneva Convention sense of it.  To complete the picture, add a dash of learning your left from your right, a sprinkle of (what was fondly termed) the recruit crud (a nasty cold), and a dollop of speaking in acronyms and you have a great recipe for stress.  Some people crack and go home, some get serious, and some, like me, cope with humor.  One example of this happened during "mail call".   I had just received a letter from my mother.  Among her other updates was a mention that a classmate from high school had been crowned Miss Illinois and that, if I had a chance, I should watch her compete in the Miss America pageant.  That, in and of itself, was funny.  Regardless, I decided to ask the question.  I went to my Company Commander and said "Sir, my Mom said that, if I got the chance, I should watch the Miss America pageant on TV.  You see, a classmate of mine" and that's where he stopped me.  "Lutz", he said, "I can't believe you!"  "Well" I replied, "it says in the Bible to 'ask and ye shall receive, I was just being holy".  "It didn't say what you would receive, give me 50 pushups" he bellowed and then started laughing.  We all started laughing.  In the end, it was this, among other incongruous statements I would make, that, I am sure, caused him to remember me and recommend me for meritorious promotion to the next grade when I left.  This was my first real experience (in the world of work) with humor being a tool to unite and break down barriers between people.  It was a powerful and enduring lesson.

Each of us has a story.  Reach out and share them with the people around you.  If the walls are up, a humorous story will help break them down - when people are laughing they're listening!

Keep Leading, Laughing, and Connecting,
Chip