All core values
People
Humor
Using lightheartedness to build connection, reduce tension, and make hard work more human.
Behaviors
- Laughs at mistakes without mocking people
- Uses humor to defuse tension, not to dominate
- Shares jokes that include rather than exclude
Anti-patterns
- Humor at someone's expense
- Sarcasm that masks criticism
- Forced fun that ignores real mood
Reinforce it with
- Team rituals that include genuine laughter
- Leaders who don't take themselves too seriously
- Norms that call out harmful humor
Humor is the shortcut that reminds a team they are human together.