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Jeff Borschowa (Host): Welcome back to The Lighthouse Sessions. If you’re navigating the complexities of building a business that feels truly yours, sometimes the best signals come from unexpected places. Today, we’re exploring one of those surprising tools: humor. My guest, Jeff Kothe, shares how leaning into humor isn’t just about getting laughs; it’s about cutting through the fog, making genuine connections, and becoming unforgettable in a way that aligns with who you are. For visionary founders like Alex Rivers, who crave clarity but resist rigid boxes, this conversation offers a different kind of map – one navigated with wit, intelligence, and authenticity.
Episode Highlights:
- Humor Beyond Jokes: Jeff Kothe explains that integrating humor into business isn’t about telling knock-knock jokes in sales pitches. It’s about wit, wordplay, challenging norms, and using relatable moments to create connection and memorability.
- The Intelligence of Comedy: Effective humor requires intelligence, sharp editing, and the ability to convey a message concisely – skills valuable in any business communication. It’s about wordsmithing, not just punchlines.
- Memorable = More Opportunities: In sales and networking, being forgettable is the biggest risk. Humor helps you “scratch the record”, grabbing attention in unexpected ways and making you memorable enough to get those crucial follow-up interactions (the 5th to 12th touch where most sales happen).
- Authenticity Over Offense: Jeff Kothe advocates for clean, clever humor that engages rather than alienates. It’s about disrupting patterns and expectations, not about being offensive for shock value. The goal is to make leadership more approachable and foster creativity, not create HR issues.
- Finding Your “Onliness”: Jeff introduces the powerful concept of a “Market Dominating Position” – identifying what makes you uniquely better AND different from competitors. This creates “onliness,” allowing you to eliminate competition, set your own value, and stop feeling lost in a crowded market.
Key Takeaways for Alex Rivers:
- Humor as an Alignment Tool: If generic business-speak feels suffocating, consider how humor can be a more authentic way to communicate your vision and connect with others. It allows for creativity within communication.
- “Scratch the Record” Moments: Feeling stuck in predictable patterns? Jeff Kothe’s idea of creating unexpected moments can be a low-stakes way to stand out and re-engage people (and maybe even yourself) without overhauling entire systems. It’s about memorable distinction, not just noise.
- Beyond the Map – Defining Your “Onliness”: Struggling to define your unique value proposition in a way that feels true? Kothe’s “Market Dominating Position” concept isn’t just strategy; it’s about identifying the core of what makes you the only answer for the right people. This clarity can be a powerful lighthouse in the fog. What makes you better and different?
- Connecting Through Shared Experience: Humor often works best when it taps into shared, relatable human experiences (like bad meetings or confusing product names). This resonates with the need for genuine connection, not just transactional interactions.
Golden Nuggets:
- “Humor makes you more memorable, and more memorable makes more at-bats.”
- “The perfect joke is the least amount of words to draw the same picture in the mind of the listener.” (Think: Clarity and Impact)
- “If they don’t remember the first time for the second touch, the fifth one’s pretty much impossible.” (On the value of memorability in the sales cycle)
- “My answer is, ‘I am awesome, but I am improving.’” (An example of a simple “scratch the record” response)
- “If you’re offended on the behalf of somebody else, you need to go.” (A perspective on navigating cancel culture and authenticity)
- “If you don’t know what your market dominating position is, your clients, your prospects have no way of knowing.”
- “What makes you better and different… makes you the only game in town. They stop shopping.”
Connect with Jeff Kothe:
Find Jeff Kothe and explore how humor can transform your business communication and positioning:
- LinkedIn: Jeff Kothe (He’s responsive!)
- Speaking/Comedy: jeffkothe.com
- Consulting (Humor in Business): humor.jeffkothe.com
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Jeff Borschowa (Host): Don’t forget to subscribe to The Lighthouse Sessions for more conversations that illuminate the path for visionary founders. Until next time, keep seeking your signal.