A lot of us lose life’s tougher confrontations by mounting a frontal attack — when a touch of humor might well enable us to chalk up a win. Consider the case of a young friend of mine, who hit a traffic jam en route to work shortly after receiving an ultimatum about being late on the job. Although there was a good reason for Sam’s chronic tardiness —serious illness at home — he decided that this by-now-familiar excuse wouldn’t work any longer. His supervisor was probably already pacing up and down with a dismissal speech rehearsed.
He was. Sam entered the office at 9:35. The place was as quiet as a locker room; everyone was hard at work. Sam’s supervisor approached him. Suddenly, Sam forced a grin and shoved out his hand. “How do you do!” he said. “I’m Sam Maynard. I’m applying for a job which I understand became available just 35 minutes ago.Does the early bird get the worm?”
The room exploded in laughter. The supervisor clamped off a smile and walked back to his office. Sam Maynard had saved his job — with the only tool that could win, a laugh.
Humor is a most effective, yet frequently neglected, means of handling the difficult situations in our lives. It can be used for patching up differences, apologizing, saying “no,” criticizing, getting the other fellow to do what you want without his losing face. For some jobs, it’s the only tool that can succeed. Continue reading
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