That’s Not My Monkey, A Lesson in Delegation

Are you finding that when you delegate, responsibilities seem to fall back into your lap?

There’s a big reason for this.

You’re taking back your monkeys. 

I first came across the concept of “monkeys” in business when reading management expert Ken Blanchard’s book, The One Minute Manager Meets the Monkey. 

In this case, “monkeys” refer to problems or tasks that team members try to pass back to you (even after you’ve tried to delegate them!).

Let’s take a look at the root of the issue here…

Why Do Monkeys Keep Coming Back?

Unclear Expectations
Picture this: A team member comes to you looking for clarification. Rather than investing the time and effort to answer questions or define success, it seems easier in the moment to just take the task back. This happens more often than you think!

Lack of Confidence or Skills in Team Members
A team member finds the task you gave them too daunting. You may feel responsible ‒ and mildly guilty ‒ for your team’s training gaps or find it faster to complete the work yourself, rather than coaching them to complete it themselves.

Fear of Mistakes or Failure
High standards or fear of failure can lead team members to hand back tasks rather than risk making mistakes. It’s tempting to accept these tasks back out of a desire to maintain high quality.

Overly Involved Leadership Style
If you’re very hands-on or frequently check in, team members may develop a dependency and feel it’s safer to defer you.  It may feel like second nature to then take tasks back because you enjoy the involvement or feel it ensures the work meets your standards.

Regardless of the monkeying around cause, there is one glaringly obvious (yet surprisingly difficult) reframe…

Your team is incredibly capable and you need to provide the space for them to show you that!

If you don’t, you’ll hinder productivity, prevent your team and your business from growing, and put yourself on the fast track to burnout.

So here’s what to do next time someone on your team tries to give back a monkey you already delegated to them: 

The 1-3-1 Coaching Technique – “I believe this monkey is yours.”

Inspired by Dan Martell, this technique involves: 

• 1 Question: Ask a powerful question about their task to stimulate thinking and problem-solving.
  
• 3 Suggestions: Request three potential solutions or approaches to how they can accomplish the task.
  
• 1 Challenge: Encourage the team member to take ownership and implement the solution they think is best.

What you end up doing is giving them back their monkey, AND their own ideas for how to best to take care of it.

Takeaways: 

• Be aware of incoming monkeys.
• Practice handing them back.
• Sending back Monkeys may slow progress in the moment, but handing them back creates team empowerment and business growth in the long run.