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"Elmo is just checking in! How is everybody doing?"
That's the innocent question the "Elmo" account, representing everyone's favorite furry red Muppet from Sesame Street, posed on social-media platform X on Monday.
The responses varied, with many expressing feelings of dismay and distress. Others shared feelings of joy and happiness. But another sentiment also came out loud and clear in the replies:
Gratitude.
"Thanks for asking," wrote one person.
"I am grateful for you, Elmo," chimed in another.
"Thanks for stopping by, bud," shared another.
In less than 48 hours, the post has received over 12,000 replies, over 100,000 likes, and has been reposted over 46,000 times. At the time of publishing this article, "Elmo" is the No. 1 trending topic in the U.S. on X (Twitter), with over 338,000 posts.
"Wow! Elmo is glad he asked!" responded the "Elmo" account yesterday. "Elmo learned it is important to ask a friend how they are doing."
On the surface, a question like this coming from Elmo -- or, more accurately, the Sesame Workshop social-media team -- may seem silly, superficial even. But look deeper and it teaches a powerful lesson in emotional intelligence, the ability to understand and manage emotions.
Why is Elmo's question so powerful? And what lessons can business owners and leaders glean from it? Let's discuss. (If you find value in this lesson, you might be interested in my free course, which teaches you how to build emotional intelligence in yourself and your team.)
"How are you?" is a simple question. The problem is, most of the time we use it simply as a greeting, with no real expectation of hearing an honest answer. In reality, though, people are craving to be asked this question sincerely.
The research backs this up. For example, Gallup showed that employees especially valued communication from managers who were interested in what happened in their lives outside of work. But the company's most recent employee engagement survey says this is still a dire need, as employees are "less likely to feel someone at work cares about them as a person," compared with four years ago.
Another survey, this one from financial services company EY and presented in the Harvard Business Review, found that more than 40 percent of U.S. respondents reported feeling physically and emotionally isolated in the workplace. The problem spanned generations, genders, and ethnicities.
But there's another reason I know people are craving to answer this question.
Over the past two years, I've used this question in a unique way: When people sign up for my free emotional intelligence course, I send out an email introducing myself and asking, you guessed it, "How are you?"
I've received thousands of replies. People openly share specific details about their lives and current situation. I try my best to respond to each one. Doing so not only helps to build the connection between my readers and myself, it helps me to better support them through my work by sharing how to use emotional intelligence to deal with their specific problems.
If you're a business owner or leader, how can you help solve this problem?
Quite literally, by doing what Elmo did. Reach out to members of your team and say the following:
"Just checking in. How are you?"
Now, sit back and listen. Often, you don't have to say much at all in reply. It's the sincere personal interest -- and the listening -- that matters most.
There's one more takeaway from this story: More and more people are demonstrating a need for cost-effective, easy-to-access mental health resources. If you can provide these as a company perk, you'll increase your appeal as a potential employer.
So, if you want to make people feel valued at your workplace, take a lesson from Elmo:
Check in regularly. Ask them how they're doing. Listen carefully.
If you do, you'll build deeper, stronger connections -- and give people exactly what they're craving.
A refreshed look at leadership from the desk of CEO and chief content officer Stephanie Mehta
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