Joy is not just about sudden bursts of hilarity. Joy is a deep-seated sense of being at peace with yourself, the experience of being with others at a level that is cheerful, purposeful and engaging. Joy makes you feel uplifted and able to cause a sense of buzz in others. It is about recognising what makes you laugh and using your smile to make others smile. Your own joy is enhanced as you create a sense of joy in a team.
Joy takes you out of yourself and enables you to believe that difficulties that seem impossible and demanding will be a worthwhile challenge. An inner sense of joy reinforces your resilience and enables you to show courage you had never thought possible. Without joy, life would be a terrible drudge.
The writer of the epistle to Galatians talked of the fruit of the Spirit as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Mother Teresa talked of a joyful heart as the normal result of a heart burning with love. Paul Tillich described joy as the emotional expression of a courageous 'Yes' to one's being. Joy is about accepting who you are, using your qualities to best effect while recognising that you are not perfect. It is acknowledging your imperfections and vulnerabilities and still being joyful within your own humanity.
There are times when you are more confident than ever before; when you make contributions that are more energised and go straight to the core of an issue; when you feel inspired by the actions of those around you and there is a step change in how you are able to contribute. All of these things can fill you with joy.
An inner sense of joy can create an upward spiral. When you feel at peace and joyful in yourself, you have the inner confidence to make a good contribution in a meeting or in the lecture room. Once you feel that your contribution is appreciated, the spiral goes on upwards and the sense of joy becomes stronger.
How do you define joy?
When do you feel most joyful?
What increases that inner sense of joy?
How can you create a strong continuing sense of inner joy that will help protect you at times when your energy is sapped and you feel that you are losing the goodwill of others?
Amanda held a sequence of leadership roles in the private and public sectors and had enjoyed some jobs more than others. The sense of fun in a job is important for Amanda in providing her with the lightness of touch that is one of her particular gifts. She described what gives her fun in a job as:
Talking to people and making connections between them. Joining things together, explaining things and engaging in dialogue. Building on understanding what makes people tick, and then seeing people grow and develop. Variety and dealing with new problems; feeling I can make a difference.
There are few things worse than a superficial joke or a teasing comment that completely misses the mark. Using humour effectively demands careful skill. It can be worth reflecting on the starting point that makes you and your colleagues smile. Is it:
A sense of the absurd?
The pleasure of shared endeavour?
The glint in someone's eyes?
The sense of what might have happened if a wall had fallen in?
Humour can be a valuable facilitator, particularly when you are nervous. I encouraged someone who was very nervous to imagine the people she was about to meet wearing pantomime outfits. If you can picture the rather severe chair of an interview panel dressed up as Little Bo Peep, you can hardly fail to cope with the most serious of questions! This approach may sound trivial, but the more you can smile at yourself, the greater the likelihood that you will smile at others and the more they will be relaxed in your company.
In the best teams there is a buzz with banter and laughter. How can you create that buzz in your team so that people are willing to go the extra mile when it is needed? Creating the right atmosphere is not straightforward, as humour can fall flat if used insensitively. Humour that flows well is built on good-quality personal relationships and a willingness to be teased.
Perhaps the simplest way of raising the spirits of colleagues is by simply smiling. Be conscious that everything about you gives a message to your organisation: not only your words, but your posture, facial expression, tone of voice and appearance. People will look for any signals that you feel things are out of control. When a CEO asked his chairman the single most important thing he should be doing, the reply was, 'Smile.'
Sometimes a leader's role is to be the 'cheerleader' for the team, particularly in turbulent times. This can be difficult and mean that you have to wear a mask, particularly if your role is a highly visible one. But continuing to appear confident and in control can be just the reassurance and uplift that your team needs. If you are able to look cheerful, most people you talk to will mirror your demeanour and end up smiling too!
