I remember going to an interview at age of 19 and was told that I was "over qualified". Just recently, I checked out a local employer's job board and they wanted someone with 10 years XP Pro experience. Another farce is: "Entry Level Programmer with 10 years experience, and please don't apply if you don't know these 15 programming languages". Get real! All they have to say is "Programmer with 10 years experience who wants to be paid $7.50 an hour" - GET TO THE POINT!!

One thing I want people to keep in mind is: if you are not hired because a hiring manager did not seriously view your skill set, look at it as their loss because you are bound to make an employer happy that he or she hired you later.

Bill Gates' former employer told him he would be nothing. I bet Mr. Hiring Manager ate his words whole.

Anyway, I am done ranting and raving. I am sure that most of you know what I am saying about hiring game that is being played over and over again.

Some time ago, I read a billboard advertising a certain bank. It said, “Enthusiasm runs rampant in our bank lobbies.” What images does this bring to mind? Do you see bank president, tellers and loan officers in party hats, jumping up and down and blowing on party favors? If so, you see excitement. If on other hand, you see folks who believe in what they’re doing, who call customers by name, who are eager to serve and who have a winning attitude; you understand enthusiasm.

Though excitement can be legitimately experienced by leaders as well as jerks, enthusiasm, by its very nature, is cultivated by leaders and then nurtured in their followers.

SENSE OF HUMOR VS. SELF-CENTEREDNESS

Among most important qualities of a leader is a sense of humor. We must not take life or ourselves too seriously.

I often tell audiences that, as a speaker, I’m somewhat like cross-eyed javelin thrower. I don’t set any records but with humor I do keep crowd alert.

Yet, it’s really more than that. Humor sells ideas, it relaxes, it deflects criticism and it bonds.

President Reagan often put people at ease with humor. When our nation was anxious over possibility of losing another president to an assassin, Reagan looked up at his team of surgeons and said, “I sure hope you’re all Republicans.” He asked nurse who was holding his hand, as a means of comforting him, “Does Nancy know about us?”

Reagan even used humor to deal with criticism. When asked if he had once said he would resign when his memory failed, his answer was, “When did I say that?”

Similarly, all good leaders use humor. It doesn’t have to be something that has people rolling on floor. It just needs to show them that we have our minds on someone other than ourselves and on problems other than our own.

Along this line, just because we are leaders doesn’t mean we can’t be fun to be around – or that we can’t poke a little fun at ourselves. Every time I tell audiences that I graduated in half of class that made top half possible, I’m simply telling them what they already know: I don’t have all answers. They respond by laughing, learning and bonding. I lead – they follow. What else is there?

BARBER-OSOPHY: Leadership is earned – as well as learned.

Copyright 2003, Sumerlin Enterprises. Terry L. Sumerlin, owner of J.B.'s Barber Shop in San Antonio, Texas, is known as "The Barber-osopher," and appears nationally as a humorist and motivational speaker. Permission is granted for you to copy this article for distribution as long as above copyright and contact information is included. Please reference or include a link to www.barber-osophy.com.