In this conversation, Dr Austin Tay explores the significance of humour in leadership and its impact on workplace dynamics. He discusses the different styles of humour, the strategic use of humour to foster team cohesion, and how humour can serve as a diagnostic tool for understanding organisational challenges. The conversation emphasises the importance of context, trust, and appropriateness in using humour effectively, ultimately highlighting how leaders who leverage humour can create a more engaging and resilient workplace culture.TakeawaysHumour can unveil deeper organisational problems. Positive humour boosts team performance and cohesion. Understanding humour styles is vital for effective leadership. Humour can serve as a diagnostic tool for organisational health. Trust is crucial for humour to be impactful. Timing and context are essential when applying humour. Inappropriate humour can harm leadership credibility. Leaders should monitor humour patterns within their teams. Self-deprecating humour promotes psychological safety. Humour can help manage workplace tensions and contradictions.REFERENCESHatch, M. J., & Ehrlich, S. B. (1993). Spontaneous humour as an indicator of paradox and ambiguity in organisations. Organisation Studies, 14(4), 505-526. https://doi.org/10.1177/017084069301400403Holmes, J., & Marra, M. (2006). Humour and leadership style. Humor: International Journal of Humor Research, 19(2), 119-138. https://doi.org/10.1515/HUMOR.2006.006Mao, J. Y., Chiang, J. T. J., Zhang, Y., & Gao, M. (2017). Humour as a relationship lubricant: The implications of leader humour on transformational leadership perceptions and team performance. Journal of Leadership & Organisational Studies, 24(4), 494-506. https://doi.org/10.1177/1548051817707518Vetter, L., & Gockel, C. (2016). Can't buy me laughter—Humour in organisational change. Gruppe. Interaktion. Organisation. Zeitschrift für Angewandte Organisationspsychologie (GIO), 47(4), 313-320. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11612-016-0341-7Mesmer-Magnus, J., Glew, D. J., & Viswesvaran, C. (2012). A meta-analysis of positive humour in the workplace. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 27(2), 155-190. https://doi.org/10.1108/02683941211199554Martin, R. A., Puhlik-Doris, P., Larsen, G., Gray, J., & Weir, K. (2003). Individual differences in uses of humour and their relation to psychological well-being: Development of the Humour Styles Questionnaire. Journal of Research in Personality, 37(1), 48-75. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0092-6566(02)00534-2Lee, D. (2015). The impact of leader's humour on employees' creativity: The moderating role of trust in leader. Seoul Journal of Business, 21(1), 59-86. https://doi.org/10.35152/snusjb.2015.21.1.003Tremblay, M. (2017). Humour in teams: Multilevel relationships between humour climate, inclusion, trust, and citizenship behaviours. Journal of Business and Psychology, 32(4), 363-378. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10869-016-9445-xRosenberg, C., Walker, A., Leiter, M., & Graffam, J. (2021). Humour in workplace leadership: A systematic search scoping review. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 610795. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.610795Bitterly, T. B., Brooks, A. W., & Schweitzer, M. E. (2017). Risky business: When humour increases and decreases status. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 112(3), 431-455. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspi0000079Decker, W. H., & Rotondo, D. M. (2001). Relationships among gender, type of humour, and perceived leader effectiveness. Journal of Managerial Issues, 13(4), 450-465.Yue, X., Jiang, F., Lu, S., & Hiranandani, N. (2016). To be or not to be humorous? Cross-cultural perspectives on humour. Frontiers in Psychology, 7, 1495. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01495