It's not about women or potential women need to take a page from then and own their own success. Mr. Enabled the others very powerful. Hello, you're listening to the first podcast to go for women and take and all those who want to build a smart gender equity for take 10 minutes. It's really actionable advice at 50 in Tech. We give you the keys to unlock the tech industry and move it. For real today. We are welcoming Venice am a co-founder and CEO of leading with humor. Hello. My name is dr. Vanessa Mercy. I'm the CEO and founder of leading with you more a change management consultancy company. I have an MBA from Cambridge judge business school where I lead workshop and I did a research on the impact of humor. Leadership that research has been picked up by the financial term and publish in 2018 with the success of This research people as 32 asked me to lead Workshop in their company. So I've left my job for the city of London in order to dedicate it's my time to help leaders all over the world to use humor to their advantage and to change companies DNA with you more. I work a lot with financial Industries and in tag why because it's male-dominated. I have entrepreneurs in my workshop who share stories about how it is difficult for women to be in a male-dominated environment and to support every day male humor. For example, a web developer in one of my workshop shared that in his company. It's mainly mail and only woman is the HR and HR actually left the company because She was she was a tirade to hear everyday joke about the fact that she was a woman. For example, one day she was in the kitchen and one of the guy told her. Oh you find your you find your spot a woman should always be in the kitchen. So example like that. That's why people are sharing with me during the during the workshop and what I tell them I give them 5 tips to use you more. Of all you have to know your audience. That's something that nobody really do when they are talking to people especially when they are using you more. We all have been in a presentation where the bus or the klieg is using like a funny image and it's falling completely flat because nobody is laughing because it's not targeted to the right public. If you do public speaking, you know that but you have to be mindful of who you are in front of you you have to take information about the people before using you more in order to not hurt. But you who is in your audience, you have to laugh at yourself. So I know I said that self-defeating you more is an aggressive type of you more but the the higher you are in the hierarchy the best you can use laughing at yourself because it's making you human it's making you approachable. That's something that women often use, but they offer they use it in the wrong situation. They often trying to cover up a tiny mistake using self-defeating you more. For example, I've done A presentation or I'm sorry, I'm blond or whatever, you know, you're trying to cover up something that met with never spot. Anyway, so you're making a big fuss of something and you're putting yourself down in front of your peers and your hierarchy when you shouldn't do that. You should just move on be mindful of others. As I said, you know should be can you move should be positive human should be about Gathering poop people around the subject. You can all laugh about together not laughing at people appear in control. And there is a crisis. The first thing that goes away usually is your sense of humor. So think about it, if you use you more in a difficult situation that actually show that you are in control of the situation and be ready which is the most important thing when you are a woman you have to be ready you have to have already come back in your pocket that you can use in a difficult situation. We all have been victim or we all have examples of difficult situation. And usually it's the same job the same thing that is Coming back over and over again. So you can be prepared. You can actually look online for comedian that I've covered the subject and comedian all over the Run. They've covered every possible subject and you can use one of your joke. You can adapt it to can learn it by heart and you can use it in a situation which is coming back to you or you can build your own material and what I say when I tumor in my workshop is that you have for example to discuss the Always friends in a safe environment and you will come back with something creative and you have to refine it in different environment until it's perfect people often have something which is called a signature story a story that you know is working in every kind of circumstances. It can be something personal it can be something that you that you personal story. Usually that your master and you know, everybody's going to laugh about it. You have to do that with the ready come back for the difficult situation. And you have to build something that you know will work and you can do that only in a safe environment and after taking a risk like a little Innovation and trying this new material in different environments until it's you are fully owning it until you are fully confident and you can fire it to the person who is putting yourself down. So I give you example of how to use your more in order to Contour attack difficult job. But there is a more positive use of you more and that's also what I teach in my workshop. It's how to lead with you more. You can need with you more as a woman using it in order to build cohesive teams and to strengthen relationship. I have a concrete example, but that it's an engineer. She's an engineer. She's leading a team of engineer for Airbus and she told me that how she use you more is very funny because she is he's purposefully watching Big Bang Theory in order to have something to say to her engineer in the morning to spark a conversation. She's also looking on internet to find engineer jokes something that is speaking to the gym and she send it to them and that sparkling conversation and that's making them love and she she successfully created a bond within our team of engineer. So that's how you can use you more in a Positive way to improve your leadership and to improve the atmosphere within your team and the culture of your company. Why did I accept the 15 in pack invitation as a woman who built a career in male-dominated Industries. I developed a masculine sense of humor and use my sense of humor to be part of the boys club and Advance my career in an industry where women are still a minority support of a strong network is essential and that is why I accepted the invitation. It is a bold and necessary in it. Adjective and I believe women should help each other. So in the future, they will be no male or female leader just leader without gender everyday. I share my knowledge and experience to contribute to achieve this goal with a mission to create a million smile in the workplace at Bill gender Equity with your more. If you like this podcast subscribe, comment and share and give us a five stars note on your preferred platform should be iTunes Google or some clothes. out and if you want to empower women at scale Sharon advice on 15 Tech.com
Hello ! I have an MBA from Cambridge Judge Business School where I lead workshops and I  did a research on the impact of humour in leadership. That research has been picked up by the Financial Times and published in 2018. With the success of this research, people started to ask me to lead workshops in their company. So I've left my job for the City of London in order to dedicate my time to help leaders all over the world to use humour to their advantage and to change companies' DNA with humour. I work a lot with financial industries and in tech. Why? Because it's male-dominated. I have entrepreneurs in my workshop who share stories about how difficult it is for women to be in a male-dominated environment and to support everyday male humour. For example, a web developer in one of my workshops shared that in his company it's mainly male and the only woman is the HR. And the HR actually left the company because she was tired to hear everyday jokes about the fact that she was a woman. For example, one day she was in the kitchen and one of the guys told her: " Oh, you found your spot ! A woman should always be in the kitchen". So examples like that, that's what people are sharing with me during the workshop. And what I tell them, I give them 5 tips to use humour. First of all, you have to know your audience. That's something that nobody really does, when they are talking to people, especially when they are using humour. We all have been in a presentation where the boss or the colleague is using like a funny image and it's falling completely flat because nobody is laughing because it's not targeted to the right public. If you do public speaking, you know that. But you have to be mindful of who you have in front of you. You have to take information about the people before using humour in order to not hurt anybody who is in your audience. You have to laugh at yourself. So, I know I said that self defeating humour is an aggressive type of humour. But the higher you are in the hierarchy, the best you can use laughing at yourself because it's making you human, it's making you approachable. That's something that women often use but they use it in the wrong situation. They often try to cover up a tiny mistake using self-defeating humour. For example, I've done a presentation or I'm sorry I'm blond or whatever, you know, you are trying to cover up something that men would never spot anyway. So you are making a big fuss of something and you are putting yourself down in front of your peers and your hierarchy when you shouldn't do that you should just move on. Be mindful of others. As I said, humour should be kind, humour should be positive, humour should be about gathering people around a subject you can all laugh about together, not laughing at people. Appear in control. When there is a crisis, the first thing that goes away usually is your sense of humour. So think about it, if you use humour in a difficult situation, that actually shows that you are in control of the situation. And be ready, which is the most important thing when you are a woman. You have to be ready, you have to have a ready comeback in your pocket that you can use in a difficult situation. We all have been victims or we all have examples of a difficult situation and usually it's the same joke, the same thing that is coming back over and over again. So you can be prepared, you can actually look online for comedians that have covered the subject and comedians all over the world have covered every possible subject. And you can use one of their jokes, you can adapt it, you can learn it by heart. And you can use it in a situation which is coming back to you. (...) 