Joy is a Leadership Strategy.

Joy is a Leadership Strategy.

For well over a decade, I’ve had the privilege of leading SAFElab, a research group I founded as an assistant professor at the University of Michigan (go blue!). I started this group to conduct rigorous research at the intersections of gun violence, AI, and social media, but over the years, it has become something even more powerful—a source of deep, sustaining joy.

That joy comes from:

✨ Doing work that aligns with my values.

✨ Hiring brilliant students and researchers who lead with heart and passion.

✨ Collaborating with youth and community members who bring lived expertise to our work—ensuring it’s authentic, community-centered, and brave.

We’ve faced challenges together—the ongoing violence against Black communities, COVID, attacks on our research and humanity. And yet, we process together, cry together, laugh together, and remain honest with each other.

I cannot lead without joy. Leadership, innovation, and impact are meaningless without intentionality and vulnerability—without a flexible joy plan that centers community, purpose, and well-being.

And here’s the research to back it up:

📌 Leaders who cultivate joy are more creative, engaged, and resilient. (MIT Sloan)

📌 Positive leadership increases team well-being and productivity. (Journal of Public and Nonprofit Affairs)

📌 Joy is a signal of great leadership—it drives innovation, trust, and risk-taking. (Forbes)

🔥 Want to bring more joy into your leadership? Try these:

✅ Prioritize values-driven work—Align tasks with personal and organizational values.

✅ Build teams with heart—Hire and nurture people who are passionate about the mission.

✅ Create a joy plan—Identify and integrate practices that energize you and your team.

✅ Foster psychological safety—Make space for honesty, laughter, and community care.

✅ Celebrate small wins—Success isn't just the big milestones, it's in the daily moments of connection and impact.

💡 What brings YOU joy in leadership? Let’s talk about it. 👇🏾