21 Aug Stop monkeying around!
Many years ago I read an article written by Harvard Business Review entitled “Who’s got the monkey?”. It rang true to me at the time and since then I have used this article many, many times with clients. So, I thought I would share it with you.
What’s it all about?
You’re running down the corridor at work during a busy day. You are running from one meeting to another. A colleague stops you and says, “We’ve got a problem.” You assume you should get involved but can’t make an on-the-spot decision. You say, “Let me think about it.”
You’ve just allowed a “monkey” to leap from your colleague’s back to yours. Your colleague walks away with a smile on their face, as they don’t have to worry about that situation any more – they’ve given it to you to sort out.
Take on enough monkeys, and you won’t have time to handle your real job.
How to avoid accumulating monkeys?
Develop a response, for example, when a colleague tries to hand you a problem, clarify whether they should:
- recommend and implement a solution of their own
- take action then brief you immediately
- act and report the outcome at a regular update
When you encourage others to handle their own monkeys, they acquire new skills — and you get the time to do your own job.
Here’s a link to the full article.
http://clinicaldepartments.musc.edu/medicine/leadership/documents/Whos_Got_The_Monkey_.pdf
Keep all those monkeys that are not yours at bay …