The Leadership Japan Series By Dale Carnegie Training Japan

Not My Circus, Not My Monkeys   This Polish proverb made me smile.  A handy phrase for whenever the needle on the “ridiculous meter” is hitting red and overloading.  While it serves as a great smarty-pants one-liner, it actually invites some reflection on the difficulty of getting people and teams to work together.  Another great zinger is the “not invented here” attitude of disinterest, when you are trying to introduce change into organisations.  Reflecting on working in small project teams, big divisions, across divisions, and ultimately across industry sectors, this “not my circus” disclaimer pops up all the time.  It is funny, but painful.   Japan throws up a number of challenges around getting cooperation or innovation when it is not that person’s “circus”, not their direct responsibility.  The social ramifications of failing or making a mistake in Japan are such that people have become geniuses at micro-defining their roles and responsibilities.    A hoary old tradition of “tough love” Japanese bosses