The Recession is Bullhonkey Andrews Story - When I Grow Up

The Recession is Bullhonkey Andrews Story - When I Grow Up This is part of The Recession is Bullhonkey series, where I share stories of those who have gotten hired and/or started their own businesses (or sometimes both!) since 2008. This is Andrew‘s Story, and how the 5 year old him would be surprised and proud about where he is now. Surprising Even Myself When I was 5 years old, I never dreamed of being a speaker, author or coach. So when I quit my comfortable job at a Fortune 50 company to do just that (speaking, authoring and coaching), I surprised a lot of people. Perhaps most surprised would have been 5-year old me. Growing up I had the mind of an engineer (and still do). I liked taking things apart, seeing how they worked, and then putting them back together again. As an engineer, I constantly looked for ways to improve everything I didâ€"10-year old me was ecstatic to discover that if you loaded all of the like-silverware together in the dishwasher, you could save 20-30 seconds on the unload (and I still do this today). I was also a school nerd. I loved school and took it seriously. I remember when I got my first A- in the fourth grade I cried. By the time 13-year old me rolled around, I knew I wanted to work in Corporate America and that my major was going to be in computer science. 19-year old me knew I wanted to work at a company like Procter Gamble (PG) and 22-year old me did work at a company like PG: PG. And that’s where I was for 6 years: the largest consumer goods company in the world, a Fortune 50 staple, and a consistent member of Top 100 places to work lists. So why leave it all behind? Because of something I had discovered along the way. Something that the engineer in me lovedâ€"it was efficient, it was effective, and, best of all, it worked with the hardest thing an engineer has to deal withâ€"people. What was this magic discovery? Humor. That’s right, this computer science grad, international project manager, and geeky guy with a Myers-Briggs personality type of INTJ (aka “Introverted Scientists”), discovered the power of humor. I discovered that humor improves communication, builds relationships, and increases productivity. I found out it enhances creativity, relieves stress, and develops leadership. I realized … it also makes the workplace a whole heckuva lot more fun. And I realized much of my success in college and in the workplace was due to the humor I started using after doing improv and stand-up outside of work. Sure I had to deliver results, but that’s what everyone was doing at the highest level. The reason I was standing out even among my incredibly talented peers was because of humorâ€"people were paying attention to my presentations because I used images instead of slides full of text; I was developing strong relationships with peers and managers because we’d share stories and laughter; I got promoted because of my puns*. *OK, this one isn’t completely true. BUT I did include puns in long status emails and was given positive feedback about them on a number of occasions. Eventually I started writing about the value of humor in the workplace, first internally as the self-proclaimed Corporate Humorist, and then externally through my site, Humor That Works. And people started reading. And posting questions. And asking me to lead trainings. And I did. And the further I dove into humor in the workplace, the more I discovered how effective it truly can be. I found study after study that touted the positive effects of humorâ€"how 98% of CEOs prefer job candidates with a sense of humor; how humor counteracts the negative effects of stress by decreasing blood pressure and increasing the flow of oxygen to the brain; how one study showed that executive compensation at one company was positively correlated with their use of humor (the more humor, the more they made!). So earlier this year, amidst this Great Recession, I left my comfortable corporate position, including my salary, benefits and retirement options, to focus on Humor That Works full-time. The goal? To teach individuals and organizations how to use humor to be more effective, more productive, and more awesome. Because I believe that no matter what you’re doing now, whether you like it or hate it, you can use humor to do your work better and enjoy your work more. For some people, all they need is that permission to be themselves at work. For others, they need help figuring out how to apply their sense of humor to the workplace. Whatever they need, I want to help. And so far it’s worked. Since starting Humor That Works in 2009, I’ve worked with more than 50 different organizations on how to use humor in the workplace; I’ve written 400+ posts on my site garnering 1.5 million pageviews; and published a book. Since leaving PG in July, I’ve led trainings in Dallas, San Francisco, Baton Rouge and Cincinnati, done interviews with sites like FastCompany, and written a book sharing 501 ways to use humor in the workplace. And, since writing this post, I’ve demonstrated or shared 10 ways to use humor (can you spot them?). So would 5-year old me be surprised by all of this? Absolutely. Would he be proud of it? (To quote Ned Flanders): Absitively-posilutely. Andrew Tarvin is an award-winning speaker, trainer, author and coach. Through Humor That Works, he teaches individuals and organizations how to use humor to be more effective, more productive and more awesome He has worked with more than 50 organizations including Procter Gamble, GE and Western Southern Life Insurance on topics including humor in the workplace, communicating confidently, and strategic disengagement. He is also the author of Humor That Works: 501 Ways to Use Humor to Beat Stress, Increase Productivity and Have Fun at Work. He loves the color orange and is obsessed with milkshakes.