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When the joke is on you
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October 1, 1997: 7:52 p.m. ET
In an era of corporate angst, comedian lightens up the workplace
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NEW YORK (CNNfn) - Comedian Judy Carter performs for some of the toughest audiences around -- in deadly serious Corporate America.
Carter, a humor consultant who helps companies cope with everything from layoffs to political turmoil, says laughter can boost creativity and morale, and lower employee turnover.
"Corporate America is humor-impaired," Carter told CNNfn's "Business Unusual." "I decided to bring to the corporations the techniques that I use as a stand-up comic to turn pain into punch lines."
Her clients include huge corporations such as Boeing Co., Lockheed Martin Corp. and Teledyne Inc., among others.
"You've got to lighten up because our lives are jokes," Carter said. "My whole idea is that we just have to accept the idea that stuff is going to happen. Life is humiliating and let's just have a good laugh about it."
For example, Rockwell International Corp. hired her after Boeing acquired some of its units in 1996. She spoke with top executives and human resource employees to find out what the staff was worried about -- then she came up with jokes to lighten their mood.
"I'll just say, you know, I got to think about Rockwell and you guys are in space and how large the whole universe is and if the universe is so large, why are you all working in cubicles?'' Carter said about her Rockwell presentation. "And then we can laugh about some of their issues."
Carter recommends people take their job seriously -- but not themselves. She says bosses should humor -- not order -- their employees.
"We love people who can joke about themselves," she said. When President Clinton's daughter, Chelsea, went off to college, he joked that it freed up a bedroom at the White House. Former presidential candidate Ross Perot, known for his big ears, used to joke, "I'm all ears."
Perhaps going a step further, Herb Kelleher, the chief executive of Southwest Airlines Co., shows up at shareholders meetings dressed as Elvis, Carter said. The airline says people can smoke on board -- but only if they smoke on the wings, she said.
"This is what I call power joking," Carter said. "We've gotten very politically correct at corporations and we don't want to make a joke to offend somebody or another group. So make fun of yourself." 
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