Not my circus, not my monkey

Nie mój cyrk, nie moje małpy

A Polish idiom. Literally, “not my circus, not my monkey”.

At the simplest level, this could be expressed as “not my problem”, which for me can be of value but can also be an abdication of responsibility.

So, let me today give two other layers of depth which may be supportive for leadership and in a responsible fashion.

First, another picture:

This feels different to me than “not my problem”, the language of which lands to me as shutting out the issue, whether or not it is something one has responsibility for.

Adding “every time that you feel yourself getting pulled into someone’s nonsense” changes the meaning. It infers that you may or may not have a responsibility for addressing the underlying issue at hand, but reminds you that you don’t have to be part of the dramatic energy surrounding it, whether to “jump in” to the energy or to be the one to “fix” it.

So, this then leads me to one last picture, of one of the absolute core behavioural models I live by and teach and coach with more than almost any other.