Leadership with laughter: why it matters in business

By Mark Davis, CEO of Capterio
[Photo credit: Spencer Stuart]

In the realm of climate action, the power of connections, the joy of shared moments, and the unique influence of women converge to drive innovative progress. Picture this: a candid snapshot of me and two remarkable female climate leaders (Irena Spazzapan from SYSTEMIQ and Cressida Pollock from the Quadrature Climate Foundation), sharing a light-hearted moment at a sustainability event at Cambridge University. In that spontaneous moment, we confirm that working together to accelerate the energy transition is fun!

It’s easy to forget that the energy transition is not only driven by investment, policy and technology. It is about the people who forge solutions and mobilise change.

But to accelerate the pace of change, the business world needs more connections, collaboration, engagement … and laughter. Positive engagement (e.g. through laughter) often unlocks fresh opportunities and enables action. Laughter can also help to bridge differences, fuel collaboration and get stuff done. Plus laughter improves health through psychological and physiologic benefits by activating our parasympathetic nervous systems, lowering stress and raising blood oxygenation*.

And female leadership in this context is also pivotal. Women can often bring diverse perspectives and make the work environment more engaging and fun. They frequently champion solutions (including ours at Capterio and FlareIntel – reducing gas flaring and methane emissions), and showcase the power of empathy and innovation.

So amidst our serious work, we mustn’t forget the importance of lightheartedness. Laughter and camaraderie can not only help to create the right environment but also be instrumental in overcoming barriers, building trust and infusing energy into our work. That’s a great prescription for change!

* e.g. The Laughter Prescription: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6125057/