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26 | EYEWORLD DAILY NEWS | JULY 25, 2021 ASCRS ANNUAL MEETING DAILY NEWS R ather than addressing the challenges administrators in ophthalmic practices faced in 2020, ASOA Exec- utive Director Laureen Rowland cut to the chase, applauding the "resiliency, resourcefulness, per- severance, and leadership" of the group in the 2021 ASOA Annual Meeting Opening General Session. "I'm amazed, but not sur- prised, at your resolve and triumphs both personally and professionally," Ms. Rowland said. ASOA President Deborah Davis, COE, echoed several of Ms. Rowland's sentiments, sharing how Zoom meetings simply can- not compare to the engagement, networking, and collaboration ASOA attendees will experience at this meeting. Ms. Davis shared her journey into ophthalmology with the same practice for 34 years. She praised the support of her practice's MD leadership, saying the partner physician "always said if you pick up just one pearl from a meeting it will have been worth it. I always seem to leave with a strand." Onto the keynote, Karyn Buxman, RN, MS, CSP, CPAE, energized the crowd with her presentation, "Lead with Levity." People, she said, are hardwired to laugh and smile, with positive physiological and psychological benefits that result. "Humor has the power to heal. … Humor has the power to influence. … It has the power to connect. … Humor is power. You can lead with levity. So what's holding you back?" Ms. Buxman asked. There are a few things she said she most frequently hears: 1) It's not professional. Ms. Bux- man's counterargument is that people who are high perform- ers can be professional and still use humor. 2) No one will take me seriously. She said you can have a serious message and still convey it with humor. 3) I'm not funny. Humor, when dealing with influence, is not about being a comedian. Have a sense of humor and being funny will naturally fall into place, Ms. Buxman said. She then talked about the spectrum of "humor apprecia- tion." It includes people who are over the top (constantly trying to be funny), people who genuinely are funny, people who are amused (those who don't make other people laugh but crack themselves up), the humor impaired (people who appreciate humor but just don't get it), and oxygen suckers (people who essentially bring joy when they leave the room). Ms. Buxman has 10 humor habits, and while she didn't have time to cover them all, she did offer a few words of wisdom on the topic. 1) Choose humor by choice, not chance: Be intentional about choosing to seek and use hu- mor. 2) See the funny: This is a meta- phor about putting on the lens of humor and seeing things from a different perspective. What are you missing because you're not wearing the lens of humor, even in dark moments? 3) Stack the deck: This means cre- ating a situation that increases your likelihood for experi- encing more humor. This can include seeking out humor in different mediums and having prepared "saver lines." These are lines you have in your back pocket in case you need them. For example, one "saver line" Ms. Buxman said she kept in her pocket for 14 years before using. She was giving a presen- tation and ended up walking off the front of the stage. Her punchline after recovering her breath? "Now I'll take questions from the floor." 4) Lighten up: We can take our work seriously and ourselves lightly. People often confuse serious with solemn. Several awards—the Admin- istrative Eyecare Editor's Choice Award for 2020 and 2021 and the 2021 Pinnacle Award for Volun- teerism—and special recognitions for Nancey McCann, now retired ASCRS director of Government Relations, and Bruce Maller, BSM Consulting, also retiring, were presented in this session as well. ASOA Opening General Session 'Leads with Levity' Ms. Buxman speaks about the value of humor in the workplace, the humor appreciation spectrum, and humor habits to adopt. Source: ASCRS

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