Most marketing executives spend their off-hours analyzing campaigns, reviewing trend reports, or scrolling through competitor ads. I spend mine on stage at comedy clubs, telling jokes about being dim-witted.<\/p>\n
My stand-up journey began with improv. I was an empty nester looking for something fun. I\u2019d spent so long performing in rooms that didn\u2019t look like comedy clubs\u2014executive meetings, keynote stages, QBRs\u2014all strategy, polish, and control. I wanted the opposite of that. Something unfiltered. Something human.<\/p>\n
Improv helped me loosen up, say \u201cyes and,\u201d and stop trying to control the outcome. It reminded me how fun it is to play\u2014like we did as kids. Kids don\u2019t analyze or plan\u2014they just react to what\u2019s in front of them.<\/p>\n
I pushed further, signing up for a stand-up class. I\u2019ve performed sets on stages in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, plus one unforgettable night at Gotham Comedy Club in Manhattan.<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t expect any of it to show up at work. But it did. As it turns out, comedy wasn\u2019t just helping me laugh more\u2014it was helping me lead better.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Get to the point\u2014fast.\u00a0<\/strong>In comedy, you have seconds to hook the audience. If the punchline takes too long, you\u2019ve lost them. The same goes for presentations. Clients, stakeholders and employees need clarity, not a 12-slide PowerPoint. Comedy sharpens your ability to cut the fluff and say what matters.<\/p>\n \u2022 Read the room.\u00a0<\/strong>A good comic adjusts based on energy and response. So does a good leader. I once joined an HR town hall to deliver a message about the importance of internal communications. It was one of the first times I\u2019d spoken live\u2014I was used to writing, not speaking. I was nervous; worse, I could feel the energy drop two minutes in. I paused, smiled, and said, \u201cSorry\u2014public speaking isn\u2019t my first language.\u201d That one line got more reaction than the entire opening. I scrapped the rest and shifted to Q&A. It was a turning point.<\/p>\n In comedy, you refine your set based on what lands and what doesn\u2019t. You learn to let go of what isn\u2019t working\u2014even if you love the line. Leadership works the same way. You have to pay attention to your audience, adapt in real time, and be willing to rework your message so it actually resonates.<\/p>\n \u2022 Make the joke about you.\u00a0<\/strong>I’ve found a unique way to connect with my audience by making fun of myself in my set. This self-deprecation isn’t about undermining myself but about building trust. In the business world, this approach can work wonders. Leaders who own their mistakes or laugh at themselves create a more relaxed and open environment. You don\u2019t have to be the funniest person in the room, but you do have to be the most honest.<\/p>\n I work with women who have criminal records\u2014many still incarcerated. They\u2019re resilient and often harder on themselves than anyone else could ever be. And too often, they assume the people around them\u2014especially leaders\u2014are perfect. It levels the playing field when I tell a story about messing up or poke fun at myself. It reminds them we\u2019re all human\u2014and that their voice belongs, too.<\/p>\n \u2022 Be human first.\u00a0<\/strong>Comedy, like leadership, doesn\u2019t work if you\u2019re pretending. Audiences\u2014and teams\u2014can always tell when you’re not being authentic. Stand-up has taught me the value of dropping the polish when I need to and saying what I actually mean. Leading in a way that\u2019s real, not rehearsed, is what truly connects with people.<\/p>\n \u2022 Laughter builds culture, too.<\/strong><\/p>\n While we often focus on KPIs, performance reviews, and optimization, we shouldn’t underestimate the power of laughter in the workplace. A team that can laugh together\u2014really laugh\u2014is a team that trusts each other. It’s a team that feels safe and is more willing to take creative risks because it is not afraid of falling flat now and then.<\/p>\n Humor isn\u2019t fluff. It\u2019s function. It breaks tension, connects, and reminds people: you\u2019re allowed to be human here.<\/p>\n After one of my sets, a few friends came up to me and said, \u201cBut you\u2019re not dimwitted!\u201d They were trying to defend me\u2014against my own jokes. I just laughed. I don\u2019t think I\u2019m dumb. I took stories from my childhood where I absolutely was dimwitted and heightened them. That\u2019s the point. That\u2019s the fun.<\/p>\n There\u2019s something freeing about laughing at your own story. It shifts how you carry it. And it gives other people permission to do the same.<\/p>\n Both require timing, audience awareness, and the courage to say something real. Stand-up taught me that failure isn\u2019t fatal\u2014it\u2019s feedback. And sometimes, the best thing you can do as a leader is to let people laugh, especially when the stakes are high.<\/p>\n I don\u2019t think every executive needs to take up comedy. But we could all benefit from lightening up\u2014from loosening our grip on being perfect, polished and always on.<\/p>\n Because the world doesn\u2019t need another perfectly worded email.<\/p>\n It could use a good laugh, though.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" What moonlighting as a stand-up comic taught one executive about getting to the point, reading the room, and leading with honesty, humor and humanity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20003,"featured_media":370802,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[871],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-370798","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-leadershipmanagement"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMarketing Is Performance\u2014So Is Leadership<\/strong><\/h5>\n