Leaders Can Have Fun Too

Being Taken Seriously

Woot! Woot! It’s party time. Or is it? Is there ever a time for a leader to let down his guard and have fun with his team?

My answer is a resounding yes. Leaders can (and should) have fun.

Three men jumping off a snow-covered ground

Photo by Zachary Nelson

There’s multiple reasons why leaders should have fun. Some of the reasons are:

  • Having fun as a leader helps you connect with your team. Team members can struggle to feel connected to a leader who doesn’t show a fun side. They will see them as unapproachable and uptight. Break this idea and have some fun.
  • Having fun as a leader helps relieve your stress: Leading is stressful. There are deadlines, people to manage, and people to let go. This is draining on a leader. But, by stepping out of the seriousness bubble, a leader can recover from the trials of leadership.

How To Change How People View You

Being Taken Seriously

If you’re not okay with those you lead failing to take you seriously, you need to change something. It’s most likely not your team. It’s you that needs to change.

We can sabotage ourselves with our actions. We can sabotage ourselves with our words. And we can sabotage ourselves with our appearance.

Man with hand on his chin

Photo by Sharon Garcia

Do you know what the good thing is? We can change these things. Each of the aforementioned ways we sabotage ourselves are a choice.

We choose how to act. We choose how to speak. And we choose how to dress. This means you can change things.

That’s awesome, right? You can begin to work on yourself and you can change the way people view you.

Let’s take a look at the areas you might need to change people’s view of you and be taken seriously.

It’s Okay If People Don’t Take You Seriously

Being Taken Seriously

While we all desire to be taken seriously, especially those of us leading teams, what happens if people don’t take us seriously? Is it a problem to struggle in this area? Will it derail your ability to lead?

These are all great questions. They’re questions that need to be answered.

Woman slouched against a wall

Photo by Eric Ward

Knowing how to be taken seriously will help you become a better, more trusted leader. When you’re not taken seriously, your ability to lead can suffer.

This may sound like I’m condemning the leaders who aren’t taken seriously. The ones whose teams can’t look them in the eye without laughing or smirking.

Maybe that’s you. Maybe it’s another leader you know. Either way, this is troubling.

But don’t fret. It’s okay if people don’t take you seriously. You’re not out of the running as a leader just because people fail to take you seriously. You can still lead… And lead well when you’re not taken seriously.

The Path To Being Taken Seriously

Being Taken Seriously

I’ve talked a lot about the fun a leader can have. Leadership isn’t all seriousness. But there are reasons for being serious.

One of those is the desire to be taken seriously by those you lead. You want those you lead to look up to you. To respect you. To value your word.

An African-American male posing in a restaurant

Photo by James Timothy

This can be hard if all they see you as is someone who loves to have fun. The ability to have fun can get in the way and you can struggle to be seen as serious.

That’s okay. You can definitely lead this way. Just know it will be harder.

But what does a leader do if he wants to be taken more seriously? What steps does he have to take?

We’re going to look at this and see what you can do. You can be taken seriously. You only have to take the steps to get there.

Choose What To Be Serious About

Being Taken Seriously

Every leader wants to be taken seriously. They also want to have a little bit of fun along the way. I mean, who doesn’t want to enjoy the work they do?

Being serious all of the time gets tiresome. You also begin to become a bore. You don’t want that.

Man in a suit jacket looking at a computer and holding his chin

Photo by Bruce Mars

Instead, you need to learn how to choose what to be serious about and how to lead in those times. The great news is, you can do this. You can have serious times and you can have fun times.

Choose What To Be Serious About

Knowing when and where to be serious is the key to having fun while leading. It can also be a struggle to know when to switch on your fun side and when to shut it off.

This is what we’re going to discuss today.