It is the best smilers & the easiest laughers that I search out before every serious speech I give.
A great smile (& terrific laugh) appeared immediately at Baylor Scott & White's Grapevine Medical Center*, Dallas. On March 5 the Erie Chapman Foundation awarded the first Healing Hospital GOLD LEVEL CERTIFICATION™ to this magical organization.
The surprise was not that several people showed humor there because "Healing Hospital CEO of the Year™" Chris York has created a culture where Radical Loving Care™ is a requirement, compassion is as essential as competence, & humor is integral to leadership.
Yet, I do not often find humorists among those that wield financial spread sheets. Surprise! The first contagious laugh I heard was Vice President & Chief Financial Officer Olga Young's!**
Why is a sense of humor so important to successful leadership? Because medical researchers now know that laughter strengthens your immune system. Check this from a 2011 article by Dr. Paul McGhee: "...immunoglobulin A (IgA)...resides in the mucosal areas of the body and helps protect you against upper respiratory infections like colds and flu...these studies have shown significant increases in concentrations of IgA in response to comedy programs..."
The Mayo Clinic Newsletter reports, "Negative thoughts manifest into chemical reactions that...bring more stress...and decrease your immunity...positive thoughts...release neuropeptides that help fight stress and potentially more-serious illnesses." (April, 2019)
Sure, we should wash our hands & use common sense against the coronavirus. But did you know laughter could also help vaccinate you against illness? Yep. Ms. Young may not know it but every time she delivers her sweet laugh people get healthier!
Meanwhile, as part of Chris York's A-Team of leaders Olga Young is doing her job brilliantly. She now brings smiles of another kind via spread sheets with great news: BSW Grapevine is having a banner financial year!
-Erie Chapman
*More on BSW Grapevine in a future article.
**Olga is the youngest of thirteen children!
