My son and I were on a tour bus in Vienna, absolutely spell bound by the amazing beauty of the architecture and the history of this magical city. As we began the tour however, something incredibly strange happened, the driver/tour guide seemed intent on leaving passengers at each stop. It was bizarre and soon everyone was talking about the crazy behavior of the guide and who was going to get left next. We watched people racing back to the bus, and the guide, minutes ahead of schedule, would take off while everyone on the bus was yelling “wait!” After about 15 minutes this was all people were talking about, they actually forgot where they were and the beauty around them.
Have you ever noticed the same thing happens at work? Someone gets a bigger cubicle than someone else and it becomes a badge of honor to become the victim, or there’s an argument and it is brought up for the next six months. Like crazy tour guides, things happen; it’s inevitable. And one of the best ways to handle the unexpected is to consciously acknowledge it, and then decide to embrace Elmo: Enough, Let’s Move On.
When people keep rehashing what didn’t work, it locks them in a cycle of frustration, saps energy, and stops them from moving forward. We can’t predict the future, but we can sure carry around the little red Muppet and choose to ELMO it when we hit a temporary roadblock. It’s a much smarter strategy.
