Last week, while MC-ing a conference, I fell through a chair on stage.
In front of a hundred people.
Cue gasps. A couple of high-pitched shrieks. And then? A whole lot of laughter.
In that moment – sitting firmly wedged in the remains of my chair – I had two options:
1. Get serious. Blame the venue. Rant about outrageous OH&S violations.
2. Laugh at myself.
I went with option 2. Why? It was funny 🤷♀️
Luckily, it was the right call. A kind soul helped me out of the chair, I dusted myself off, and the show went on. Later, I threw in some dad jokes about Chair Safety. The event was a hit because the speakers were fantastic. And no more chairs were harmed.
I wasn’t always like this. Early in my career, I would’ve gone bright red, stewed over it for hours, maybe even tried to shift the blame. Glad I grew out of that.
But it got me thinking about managers who take themselves too seriously. You know the type: the ones who act like every minor hiccup is a catastrophe. The ones who can’t laugh at themselves. The ones who make work feel exhausting.
Because here’s the thing: great leaders don’t need to act like they have all the answers. Real confidence comes from being human. From owning mistakes, rolling with the punches, and sometimes being the butt of a joke. If you’re a leader who is approachable and light-hearted, it makes your team feel safe, connected, and motivated to do their best work.
Does that mean you shouldn’t take your job seriously? Of course not. It just means you should take the right things seriously – your team’s morale, their energy, their long-term success. Getting worked up over every little thing? That’s a fast track to making everyone miserable.
So if you’re clinging a little too tightly to that ‘serious leader’ persona, maybe loosen the grip. Inject some self-awareness. Plus a big dollop of humour. Remember that most of us aren’t curing cancer or performing brain surgery (except those of you who actually are – respect 🙏).
And the next time you’re stepping up on stage to sit on a panel session? Well, let’s just say I hope your chair has your back.
👇
Leading a team doesn’t have to be painful (or require chair insurance). Want to know how to make it easier and fun? Let’s talk 📞
