Many managers often encounter situations where, after entering the office each day, employees come to them saying, "I encountered some problems with my work yesterday; how should I solve them?" At this point, many managers find that after listening to their subordinates' reports, the issues are not fully resolved, and the work they had planned for the day is delayed. - 01 - Responsibility is a monkey The key here is that tasks that should be completed by subordinates themselves are handed over to superiors due to avoidance of responsibility. Each subordinate has their own monkeys; if all are managed by the superior, the manager's time will obviously become insufficient. William Oncken's Monkey Management principle aims to help managers determine the right person, at the right time, using the correct method to do the right thing. Of course, this principle only applies to monkeys with survival value; if a monkey is not worth keeping, be ruthless and kill it! The purpose of the Monkey Management principle is to help managers ensure that the right people do the right things at the right time with the right methods. As a manager, you should enable employees to raise their own "monkeys," giving you enough time for planning, coordination, innovation, and other important tasks. - 02 - "Monkey" = Problem Are you a problem-solving expert? If your subordinates admire you, you might be quite pleased. But afterward, if they ask for your guidance on almost everything, how would you feel? Would you feel that your time is insufficient and start to check if there is a problem with your management?

One day, one of your subordinates meets you in the office corridor, stops, and asks, "Boss, there is a problem I have been wanting to ask you about." At this point, the subordinate has a "monkey" that needs care, and he proceeds to report the problem in detail. Even though you have important matters at hand, you still find it hard to disappoint the subordinate who is eager to get things done. You listen attentively... Gradually, one foot of the "monkey" has quietly climbed onto your shoulder. You keep listening attentively, nodding occasionally. After a few minutes, you tell him this is a very good question, and you would like to hear his opinion first, asking, "What do you think should be done?"

"Boss, I came to you for help because I couldn't think of a solution."

"That can't be; you can surely find a better way." You glance at your watch, "How about this: I have something urgent right now, but I'll be free after 4 p.m. tomorrow. Bring a few solutions then, and we'll discuss them together." Before parting, you add, "Didn't you just receive 'brainstorming' training? If you really can't think of anything, get a few partners for a 'brainstorming' session. I'll wait for your answers tomorrow." The "monkey" quietly withdraws the foot it had placed on your shoulder and remains on the subordinate's shoulder. The next day, the subordinate arrives as promised. From his expression, he seems confident: "Boss, following your advice, we have come up with five feasible solutions, but we're not sure which one is better. Now we need you to make the final decision." Even if you can see at a glance which one is better, don't rush to make the decision for him. Otherwise, he will become dependent on you in the future, or if things go wrong, he will say, "Boss, it's not my fault; I followed your advice." - 03 - Regarding decision-making, remember the following guidelines: ➤ For decisions that subordinates should make, let them learn to make decisions themselves. Making decisions means taking responsibility for one's own decisions. Not wanting to make decisions often stems from an unconscious reluctance to take responsibility. ➤ The root causes of subordinates not thinking or not being accustomed to making decisions are generally two: one is a "dependency mentality," relying on superiors or others, such subordinates are not suitable for important roles; the other is that superiors habitually make decisions for subordinates or enjoy the sense of achievement from others following orders, such superiors and their teams are unable to handle complex tasks. ➤ Let subordinates find their own solutions and make decisions; this is training their ability to think independently and their style of taking responsibility. The conversation continues. You say excitedly, "Great, so many good solutions. Which one do you think is better in comparison?"

"I think Plan A is better."

"That is indeed a good plan, but have you considered what to do if this situation occurs?"

"Oh, that makes sense. It seems Plan E is better."

"This plan is also really good, but have you thought about..."

"I understand. We should choose Plan B."

"Very good, my thoughts are the same as yours. I think we should go with your opinion." Based on your experience, you actually knew from the beginning that Plan B should be chosen. The purpose of not telling him directly is to gain another opportunity to train your subordinate. Training is a process that is slow but fast; the "slowness" of training is for faster progress in the future. The benefits of doing this are self-evident: ➤ Break the negative "dependency" neural chain of subordinates. ➤ Train subordinates' ability to analyze problems and think comprehensively. ➤ Give subordinates confidence and a sense of achievement. They will feel that they can solve complex problems. Increasingly capable subordinates can handle more important tasks. ➤ Stimulate subordinates' initiative. ➤ You will therefore not need to look after subordinates' "monkeys" and can free up more energy to look after your own "monkeys." - 04 - Enlightenment from the Monkey Management Principle

  1. Everyone should look after their own "monkeys";
  2. Do not trouble others to look after your "monkeys";
  3. In an organization, everyone should understand which "monkeys" they should look after and how to look after them well;
  4. Do not try to entrust your "monkeys" to others. The "others" here may be superiors, subordinates, colleagues from other departments, or even the company, society, heaven, fate, etc.;
  5. There should be no "monkeys" without someone looking after them, nor should there be "monkeys" with more than two "owners";
  6. As a superior, you should not only clearly let subordinates know which "monkeys" they should look after, but also train subordinates on how to look after their "monkeys."
  7. "Monkey Management" does not apply to all management situations. For example, in the early stages of entrepreneurship, the entrepreneur or founding team needs to carry all the "monkeys." They should proactively help others carry "monkeys," otherwise the startup will not succeed. Just like Bill Gates, who not only carried the "monkey" of writing software but also the "monkey" of selling software.
  8. To some extent, "Monkey Management" can make people selfish, similar to "each sweeping the snow from his own doorstep," which can reduce team vitality. A normal team should be vying to carry "monkeys," not trying every means to prevent others' "monkeys" from jumping onto their shoulders! Leaders will encourage subordinates who proactively carry others' "monkeys." Only subordinates who are willing to proactively carry others' "monkeys" have the opportunity to become leaders, and only small leaders who are willing to proactively carry others' "monkeys" have the opportunity to become big leaders! And subordinates or small leaders without "monkeys" to carry should go home and sleep! Isn't that right? Source: Internet -END-