Not My Circus, Not My Monkey
©iStock.com/lisegagne
There’s a Polish idiom that goes, “Nie mój cyrk, nie moje małpy.” In English, that translates to “Not my circus, not my monkey.” Or, simply, “Not my problem.”
Think of your job as a circus. Within your circus, there are lions to feed, monkeys to train, and lots and lots of elephants to clean up after. It’s just what you have to do to keep your circus going.
Here’s the catch: Your coworkers are the ringmasters of their own circuses, too. And some ringmasters are better equipped to handle their monkeys than others – be it from poor planning, laziness, or being in way over their heads. So what happens is that those who are immersed in their own monkey-induced chaos mistake the relative order within your circus for idleness, and begin foisting problem monkeys upon you.
It’s a vicious cycle in which you’re forced to whip other people’s monkeys back into shape – and, more often than not, to the detriment of your circus.
Stop it.
This is not your circus. Those are not your monkeys.
Your Time is Sacred
It’s one thing to be super-responsive, but it’s quite another to let the priorities of others supersede your own. Don’t let the ill-behaved monkeys of your boss or coworkers take over your circus.
Monkey Business Happens
There are going to be times in which you’ll have to step in and handle someone else’s monkeys. Like, when their constant shenanigans get in the way of your ability to do your job. It’s called being a team player.
Your Circus, Your Monkeys
If you don’t have time to adequately handle your own monkeys, don’t try to handle the monkeys of others. Take care of the monkeys in your own circus before worrying about what’s going on under someone else’s big top.
Be the Ringmaster
Any given week, I expect to have to take on 3-4 monkeys. That’s why I’ve learned to plan my workload so that spontaneous monkeyshines don’t throw my entire circus off track. In a perfect world, you shouldn’t have to plan around the chaos of others. But this isn’t a perfect world. Get used to it and plan accordingly.
So take a look at your circus.
Have you ever come to the realization that most of your day was spent running around, cleaning up out-of-control monkey poop?
Or had to set aside your own work to stop a coworker’s monkey from, say, setting your office on fire?
Or have been called into your boss’ office to discuss why his/her monkeys haven’t been trained yet?
Maybe it’s time to brush a few of those monkeys off your back, and get back to running the best damn circus you can.
Your job is a circus. Jill of All Trades Aimee Brock’s job is REALLY a circus. But you don’t have to let ill-behaved monkeys stress you out. What monkeys in your day do you need to brush off? Leave a comment below for Aimee or email her directly!
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