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I've always been interested / in the role that humor / and not taking ourselves too seriously / plays / in our interaction with other people. // We live in a world right now / where interacting with other people / is becoming optional. // And people are pining / for leaders / and mentors / who are relatable / and imperfect / and God forbid a little silly sometimes. // I know some of you like the stories / and anecdotes / but others / are thinking / yeah okay man / I need to see some like hard data, / graphs / and charts. // So I made one up for you. // Every presentation has to have an obligatory chart / but in my experience, / how seriously other people take us / is inversely related / to how seriously we take ourselves. // I mean / if we can't laugh at ourselves, / there's always someone there / to do it for us. // And today, / people are turning their backs / on impersonal / and bureaucratic management / and leadership. // In fact, / sixty percent of Millennials / are leaving their jobs within the first three years / because they feel like / it's just not a good culture fit for them. // And when asked to describe / the characteristic traits / of the best leaders / in their organizations, / the terms like work ethic / and sense of humor / are mentioned twice as often as any other trait or characteristic. // Now they shouldn't be that big of a surprise / because some of the greatest leaders / throughout history didn't take themselves too seriously. // Abraham Lincoln's a great example. // He was up giving a speech / and someone interrupted / and yelled from the crowd / "You're two-face Abe Lincoln." // He could've got mad / and yelled something back / or just went on pretend he didn't hear him. // But when they yelled / "You're two-faced Abe Lincoln",/ he just smiled / and said, / "If I had two faces, / you really think I would choose to wear this one?"// It all aim / and that's funny. // I mean that's funny / for obvious reasons. // Too soon / say I know it's only been 150 years / you like take it easy on Abraham Lincoln man / but I didn't say it, / he did 'cuz he didn't take himself that seriously. // The fact is / humor reduces social distance between people / and it makes leaders see more approachable / and less stressful. // And it's great for organizations / as well. // Humor increases morale / and productivity / and it sparks creativity / and trust. // But perhaps, / one of the best things / that humor does for us / is that it often leads to laughter. // And it turns out / that laughter / is really good for us. // Laughter actually increases / blood flow at our body. // It reduces muscle tension / and laughter actually massages our internal organs. // I don't even know what the hell that means / but that sounds great. // 'Been a while since I've had an internal organ massage. // Ha ha ha oh whoaa.. // I think that was my pancreas. // Very nice.. / Right.. // And you know laughter actually burns calories, / you're burning calories right now. // One solid / minute / of laughter, / could have a similar effect on your body / as 10 minutes on a rowing machine. //