What Abraham Lincoln Taught Me About Taking Work Seriously

Even in the darkest moments, Lincoln knew laughter was not optional.

Every so often, I hear some version of the same sentence in my programs: “This is nice and all, but my work is too serious for humor.”

Some people say it with pride, others with fear, most with a sigh of resignation. They seem to believe that humor is at odds with serious work. As if the moment something becomes important, the human brain must suddenly shut down all connections to levity.

But using humor doesn’t mean you don’t take the situation seriously. If used well, it means you’re serious about finding a solution using all appropriate means necessary.

Which brings me to one of my favorite stories about US President Abraham Lincoln.

The Most Serious Room In The Country

Few would argue that the United States has faced a more trying and difficult time than during the American Civil War (our current times notwithstanding).

The country was on the brink of division, it would become the deadliest war in US American history, and one of the largest civil rights issues of all time was at stake (slavery, not the admission of Kansas as a state).

In 1862, the first full year of the war, Lincoln called together a special session of his war cabinet. When the members of his cabinet got settled, he said, “Gentleman, did you ever read anything by Artemus Ward? Let me read you a chapter that is very funny.”

He read the chapter, laughing as he finished. No other member of the cabinet so much as smiled. So, to the astonishment of the attendees, Lincoln read another chapter.

Silence again. Lincoln didn’t waver; he didn’t apologize or feel he was in error.

Instead, the 16th president of the United States said,

“Gentlemen, why don’t you laugh? With the fearful strain that is upon me night and day, if I did not laugh, I should die, and you need this medicine as much as I do.”

Only then did he reveal why he had called them in. “I have called you here upon very important business. I have prepared a little paper of much significance.”

That little paper was the first draft of the Emancipation Proclamation, one of the most important documents in US American history. Introduced in the same meeting where Lincoln insisted on the value of laughter.

Lincoln understood something that too many people and workplaces forget: Humor does not trivialize seriousness, it helps us survive it.

When The Work Is Serious, Boredom Is Dangerous

The late Pablo Suarez facilitating a session.

Years ago, while working with Pablo Suarez at the Red Cross, he shared why he was so keen on learning how to effectively use humor in his work in disaster preparedness:

“If what you are communicating is important, then boredom has serious consequences.”

Read that again.

If your work is important, if your message matters, if you want to make a difference, then disengagement is not neutral. It’s a risk.

Because humor isn’t about “telling jokes.” Humor is about keeping people awake, engaged, and emotionally capable of processing hard things. Especially when the work is heavy. Especially when the stakes are high.

If the Red Cross can embrace humor while responding to disasters, and if Lincoln can embrace humor while preserving the Union, then I’m fairly certain you can use it during a budget meeting or a performance review.

Times feel too serious for humor? The truth is times are too serious not to use humor.

Your Turn

I would love to hear from you.

What’s an example you’ve seen of humor being used effectively in a serious moment?

Big or small, life-changing or everyday, reply and share your story.

Your examples help prove something important: Humor is not the opposite of seriousness. It is a tool for navigating it.

Wit regards,
-Andrew