Boss to Coach Conversation 3 of 5 Check In
Week 2 – Focus on The HOWs

Who’s Got the Monkey. Is The Task Really Yours?

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Lesson 9 Who’s Got the Monkey.  Is The Task Really Yours?

As an individual contributor, our role was to take on responsibility and get things done.  As a manager of people, the exact inverse is true.  In a well-known article in Harvard Business Review, the concept of the monkey on your back and their management of these was introduced.  Its core premise is that everyone has monkey’s on their back, which is a metaphor for the next step on a project or task.  Whether intentionally or not, they can transfer their tasks to others, often their manager.  Whilst we all want to be helpful, the danger for a manager with many direct reports will not only end up with their to do’s, but also takes on tasks that their team should be able to do.  If you have 5 direct reports and you take over a task from each of them, that’s 5 new to do’s.  On day 2 if they have not cleared those and you get another 5, that’s 10.  It can go on and on.  And what can happen is a simple barrel of monkey’s can move from image on the left to the right.

Watch This video on Monkey Management

There are some simple rules to consider when managing monkeys. You can see the diagram The 5 Rules of Monkey Management on Page 10 of your Black Workbook.

How to Manage Monkeys

  1. They key question to ask here is “Is this something only I can do?”  If the answer is no, then delegate.   Could you put this on a post it note on your keyboard to remind you?

  2. Structure your use of e-mail and leverage your face-to-face meetings, specifically the Check In meeting to connect with your team around tasks.  For more on e-mail management, see the blog post

  3. When someone comes to you with a problem, leverage the Monkey Management questions.  These questions can also be helpful to determine if it is a Won’t they do it or Can’t they do it.  You don’t have to be secretive about this.    Let your team know you are doing this, with the aim they eventually come to you with this structure each time.

    1. What is the problem you are trying to solve?

    2. What have you done about the problem so far?

    3. What do you think the next steps are to solve this problem?  Or what is Top 5 strength of yours that you think could help you solve this problem?  How could it help you solve this problem?

    4. What support do you need?

Optional Read the article on Who’s Got the Monkey

Optional Activity Download the Monkey Management questions poster and place this somewhere you can refer to often

Activity Practice the Monkey Management Questions

  1. On Page 10 of your Black Workbook, note a challenge you are currently facing.  It could be from the lowlights section of the of the Check-In Template.

  2. What have you done about the problem so far?  Identify which of your Top 5 CliftonStrengths Themes could help you?   Which of your Top 5 CliftonStrengths Themes could hinder you?  For insight check the My Signature Themes Impact Guide on Page 8 of your White Workbook and the rows Helps and Hinders.

  3. What do you think the next steps are to resolve this problem?

  4. What support do you need to solve this problem?

Optional Watch the video above from well known coach Marshall Goldsmith on delegation
Optional Activity Complete a team audit of where you need to delegate more

Quite simply, people don't delegate because it takes a lot of up-front effort as no one will ever do a task the same as you as.  At first sight, delegation can feel like more hassle than it's worth, however by delegating effectively, you can hugely expand the amount of work that you can deliver. As the proverb says “If you want to go fast go alone. If you want to go far go together.”

When you arrange the workload so that you are working on the tasks that have the highest priority for you, and other people are working on meaningful and challenging assignments that play to their strengths, you have a recipe for success.

To delegate effectively, you have to choose the right tasks to delegate, identify the right people to delegate to, and delegate in the right way. There's a lot to this, but you'll achieve so much more.

Complete a diagnostic with your team about how and where you can delegate more by asking them the following questions.  Don’t have any direct reports?  Could you have this discussion with your team leader instead?

  1. Within each area of your key responsibilities are there areas where I am getting too involved?

  2. Within each area of your key responsibilities are there areas where I need to get more involved?

  3. Do you see me doing things that someone at my level does not need to be doing, that I can delegate?

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