Some people build careers by stepping into the spotlight.
Others build remarkable careers by standing just to the side of it. Watching. Listening. Noticing the exact moment when an audience shifts from polite interest to genuine engagement.
On the latest episode of The Humourology Podcast, I sat down with Jeremy Lee, founder of JLA and a man who has spent decades helping comedians, broadcasters, business leaders and the occasional future Prime Minister find their voice in front of a crowd.
Yes, that includes a certain Boris Johnson before the keys to Number 10 were ever on the table.
Jeremy’s professional life has been lived in green rooms, conference halls and slightly surreal after-dinner speaking circuits where brilliance, bombast and baffling PowerPoint decks all coexist. It has given him a uniquely sharp understanding of what makes communication land and what makes it sink without trace.
One of the strongest themes in our conversation was risk.
In comedy, risk is obvious. A joke either flies or dies in real time.
In business, risk is often disguised as caution. Safe language. Sanitised ideas. Corporate-speak that sounds impressive but somehow manages to leave audiences unmoved.
Jeremy argues, with gentle conviction, that humour can be the antidote to this creeping safety. When people laugh together, psychological distance shrinks. Hierarchies soften. The conversation becomes human again.
From a behavioural psychology standpoint, this makes perfect sense. Shared laughter reduces perceived threat and increases social bonding. In leadership terms, it creates what I often call “permission to listen”
We also explored the curious dance between talent and luck. Jeremy Lee has represented some of the sharpest minds and funniest performers in the country, yet he is refreshingly honest about the role timing plays in success.
Preparation matters. Skill matters. The courage to stand up and have a go matters enormously.
But sometimes the stars align in ways that even the most strategic career plan could never predict.
There is something rather comforting about that.
Jeremy now eagerly explores many of these ideas on his own excellent podcast, Just Between Us, where conversations range from politics to performance to the unpredictable psychology of influence. It is well worth a listen for anyone fascinated by what really happens behind the scenes when public personas are created and careers take flight.
What makes this especially relevant today is the communication landscape we are all navigating. Technology is accelerating. Attention spans are fragmenting. Artificial intelligence can generate flawless sentences in seconds.
And yet the simple, slightly magical experience of people laughing together in a room remains one of the most powerful leadership tools available.
Jeremy’s early days booking comedians into holiday camps and cavernous bingo halls taught him a brutally practical lesson. If the room was not with you, you knew instantly. There were no strategy consultants to blame. No data dashboards to hide behind.
Just the sound of silence.
It is a lesson many modern leaders could still benefit from.
Three Humourology takeaways for business and life
- Courage communicates
Audiences respond to authenticity more than polish. Taking thoughtful risks often creates stronger connection than perfectly scripted safety. - Jargon kills joy
If your language cannot survive a gentle joke, it probably needs simplifying. Clarity builds trust far faster than cleverness. - Luck favours the psychologically ready
You cannot control timing. You can control mindset. Stay flexible, stay curious and keep your sense of humour intact.
Recording this episode reminded me that humour is not a decorative extra in communication. It is frequently the gateway to influence.
Jeremy Lee has spent a lifetime observing the moment a room comes alive.
Listening to him explain how and why that happens is both entertaining and unexpectedly instructive.
You can hear our full conversation now on The Humourology Podcast.
See you next Tuesday.
Warmest
Paul x
If you missed it, here’s a link to our previous episode with Sean Foley
