Work can be stressful, no matter what industry you’re in. But great leaders know that humor isn’t just about lightening the mood—it’s a helpful tool for building stronger teams, boosting morale, and sparking creativity. From shared laughter during meetings to lighthearted icebreakers, humor can transform a team’s culture, making it more connected and resilient under pressure.

This post dives into real-life examples from tech leaders who use humor to foster collaboration, reduce stress, and make the workplace more enjoyable. Whether you’re leading a startup or managing a remote team, these insights will help you incorporate humor into your leadership style.

13 Tips from Leaders Using Humor to Strengthen Team Culture and Boost Results

1. Shared Laughter Strengthens Teams Under Pressure

Pressure is a constant factor when building and growing a company. Laughter truly helps in mulitple ways; it connects us as we find shared perspectives, it allows leaders to poke fun at themselves and be vulnerable, and it breaks the overwrought seriousness that can build up.  

Justin Fite, Co-Founder, Empiric

2. Play Icebreaker Games

I love playing humor in icebreaker games for new team members that make onboarding more fun and create bonds more quickly. For example, having people share their most embarrassing work story or come up with a funny fictional biography can get everyone laughing and connecting.

I once organized a team-building event where we played improv games that required us to come up with fictional scenarios and act them out on the spot. It was amazing how the laughter and creativity flowed, and by the end of the day, our team had bonded to a whole new level.

My experience has taught me that humor can be a powerful tool in creating a positive and united team culture. I always encourage fostering an environment where humor is welcomed and encouraged, as it can lead to increased motivation, productivity, and overall job satisfaction for employees.

Daniel Cook, HR / Marketing Executive, Mullen and Mullen

3. Use GIFs to Celebrate Wins and Lift Spirits

This is a simple gesture but I use a lot of GIFs in Slack get a good laugh from the rest of the team. This is something small that can go a long way, especially for a remote-first team. The awesome thing about GIFs is that there are so many to choose from and one for every scenario. They can be used to celebrate wins or to lighten the mood when there are challenges. 

Casey Bolsega, Sr. Portfolio Manager, Intrepid

4. Create Inside-Joke Rituals

One way (one I like the most) I keep the team’s energy up is by creating inside-joke rituals. When we hit a project milestone or wrap up something big, I send out a mock “award ceremony” email, complete with over-the-top titles like “Master of GIFs” or “Most Likely to Forget They’re on Mute.” Each team member gets a lighthearted, exaggerated title based on something memorable or quirky they did during the project. It’s a guaranteed way to get everyone laughing and keep things fun, even after a stressful sprint.

These emails have become a bit of a tradition, and everyone looks forward to seeing the funny titles. Humor builds a shared language within the team, making us all feel more connected. It also breaks up the daily grind, helping to ease any tension that might have built up over long hours.

For me, humor, when used like this, isn’t just a mood booster but a way to build a team culture that values personality and connection. When people feel comfortable enough to joke around, they’re more engaged, collaborative, and motivated to tackle whatever comes next.

Mike Sadowski, Founder & CEO, Brand24

5. Lighten Meetings with Jokes to Open Communication

Humor can really lighten the mood and bring teams closer together. I like to incorporate light-hearted jokes during meetings or share funny memes related to our projects. It helps break the ice and encourages open communication. Plus, a good laugh can recharge everyone’s motivation and creativity!

Emily Finkelstein, CEO, Auction Experts

6. Foster Transparency with Humor

One of the ways I use humor is to foster transparency, particularly when the team is dealing with difficult or tricky problems. Laughter can do this by slicing through walls and making people feel more able to bring forward ideas, no matter how bizarre. When the tone is relaxed, we all become less guarded, and sometimes we get ideas that we might not otherwise have.

For example, on a particularly challenging project, when we’d hit a design bottleneck, I joked about breaking a world record in terms of “most ways not to solve a problem.” It made everybody laugh, and the whole team felt comfortable slinging around some suggestions without really considering whether or not they were the right ones. It was that little bit of humor that relieved the pressure, and eventually it sparked an idea that finally drew us out of the stalemate. This way, jokes are not only for entertainment—they are also designed to make space for new ideas.

Alex LaDouceur, Co-Founder, Webineering

7. Embrace Inside Jokes to Strengthen Team Culture

Fortunately, our Founder & CEO, Jake Miller, has a great sense of humor! One of our go-to’s (that never gets old) is spotting “Fake Jake” who seems to pop in mysterious text messages to our employees….even though it’s not really him. There are many, many takes on Fake Jake (including a State Farm one, of course) with meme’s and all.

Karen Mangia, President & Chief Strategy Officer, The Engineered Innovation Group

8. Defuse Tension with Humor

I use humor strategically to defuse tension and energize the team, especially during demanding periods. Before a long strategy session, I might share a humorous industry-related anecdote or a lighthearted observation about common challenges. This helps set a relaxed tone, making everyone more comfortable to share ideas and engage actively.

In team meetings, I also use humor to acknowledge and celebrate small wins. Light-hearted comments or playful remarks about our achievements help maintain a positive atmosphere. These moments of levity not only keep the mood upbeat but also make the team feel valued and connected. In an environment where humor is welcomed, I encourage collaboration and creativity, helping us navigate challenges more effectively while strengthening our team dynamic.

Ben Wieder, CEO, Level 6 Incentives

9. Infuse Humor Into Your Team’s Culture

Liberally! One of our 6 cultural values is “Have Fun” and we infuse humor into our meetings, slack, etc. super often to create a fun and casual work culture, while still getting our shit done. I think humor is a super useful tool, but more than anything, it just makes life more fun and worth living!

Steven Plappert, Co-Founder & CEO, Forecastr

10. Give Funny Awards

One way we keep that spirit alive is with funny awards after a big project wraps up. I’ll give out things like “Master of Zoom-Backgrounds” for the person with the most creative or out-there virtual setup, or “Most Likely to Have a Cat Walk Across the Keyboard” for the person whose pet always makes an appearance. There’s even a “GIF Guru” award for whoever drops the best chat reactions. It’s not really about the award, but more about giving everyone a reason to laugh and appreciate each other’s quirks.

These little awards might sound silly, but they’re a great way to blow off steam after a busy week or a tough deadline. It allows us all to take a breath, enjoy the lighter side of work, and just be ourselves. It’s these little rituals that make remote work feel a lot less isolating and more like we’re all in it together. It also means that when things get serious again, we’re more comfortable speaking up and working through challenges as a team.

Mushfiq Sarker, Chief Executive Officer, LaGrande Marketing

11. Humor and Accountability Create Teams That Thrive

Humor and accountability go hand in hand. We’re all well aware that we’re at work to do serious business — to drive strategy, to execute, to put up excellent numbers. What’s more challenging is to do that hard work in a way that feels good. We’re all people, and despite our many differences, we all love connecting with others. And humor is the great connector. We all love to laugh. It’s infectious, it reduces stress, and it spurs creativity. Adding levity and the start and close of meetings — in natural ways, internally and with customers — helps make our work, and us, feel part of a larger community. 

Joseph Loria, Founder and CEO, RetentionCX

12. Use Humor to Reduce Stress

Humor, when used appropriately, can be a great way to boost team energy and morale. As an IT release manager, I’ve found that it helps reduce stress, build connections, and foster a more relaxed and collaborative environment. 

For example, during a particularly challenging release, the team was feeling the pressure from unexpected issues. To ease the tension, I decided to bring some humor into our daily standup. I introduced a light-hearted “bug bingo,” where we jokingly tracked common types of issues we’d seen before. It brought a few laughs and shifted the team’s mindset from stress to problem-solving. 

This simple moment of humor helped reset the team’s energy, making everyone feel more at ease and ready to tackle the challenges ahead. By creating a more positive atmosphere, the team was able to collaborate more effectively, and it reminded everyone that while we work hard, it’s important to keep things light when possible. 

In a professional setting, humor can be a great tool to bring people together and keep the energy up, especially during high-pressure situations. It shows that we can handle the challenges while still maintaining a sense of perspective and camaraderie.

Sha Sarraf, IT Release Manager, Bayview Asset Management, LLC

13. Make Slack Fun with Creative Emoji Ideas

I’ve had a few companies who have used Slack emojis as a way to promote humor as well as brand culture in the workplace. One of the companies I have been part of, made people’s headshots (especially the leaders at the company) into Slack emojis. so they could be used as part of the slack library. Additionally the use of fun GIFs in Slack to display emotion has also been used. 

Rachel Johnson, Fractional Marketing Executive and Growth Scaler

Tap Into the Power of Humor

Humor in leadership isn’t just about cracking jokes—it’s a strategic way to build trust, encourage open communication, and create a thriving team culture. Whether it’s sharing a GIF, handing out funny awards, or embracing inside jokes, small moments of levity can have a big impact on your team’s productivity and happiness.

As you navigate the challenges of building and scaling your business, don’t underestimate the power of a good laugh to bring your team closer together. After all, the teams that laugh together are often the ones that achieve the most.