Refusing the monkey

One of the greatest challenges managers often raise with me is how to stop people passing the monkey from their back to their manager's. Sound familiar? How many times a day does someone come in your door or send you an email posing a problem minus the solution?

I recently came across a great 10 point plan for addressing this problem. It is written by Bob Bone, Creative Business Coaching, who can be reached at Bob@BobBone.com, or visited on the web. Copyright 2000-2003 CoachVille, LLC.

"The old school of management (Theory x) says the manager is the expert. As such, it is his job to address a problem by telling the employee or agent how something should be done, or should have been done. The problem (the monkey) is handed to the manager, and he accepts it (after all, he/she is the expert). The employee or agent never owns the problem. Not owning it, he/she can never effectively deal with it and never learns how to deal with future challenges. Here are 10 questions to help your charges take responsibility for making corrections and at the same time teach them how to deal with future challenges.

1. What happened? Or what's happening?
Remain silent and objective, giving them time to articulate what happened. Be sure everyone is clear about what did happen or is happening.
2. What do you see as the consequences?
Sure you may already know. But, get them to think about it and come up with what they see as the consequences. Better from them than you.
3. Anything else?
Don't be impatient for answers. Help them think it through thoroughly.
4. What are your (our) options here?
Don't let them off the hook with "I don't know." Let them think about the options. There are nearly always more than one...sometimes several, even if some of them are not good ones.
5. Which of these do you feel would be best?
Narrow it down.
6. Why do you feel that way?
Get them to articulate why they believe it to be the best course. Remember, to talk about it requires them to think it through.
7. What roadblocks do you foresee with this plan?
If any are likely, it is better to be prepared.
8. When will you start?
Commitment. (If "next week," then "why not tomorrow?")
9. How can I support you?
And be ready to do just that in whatever way you can.
10. What resources do you need to get this done?
One way to support them is to make sure they have the "tools" they need to get the job done."

While the questions in here are ones we all ask every day, to think of them in such a deliberate way seems to simplify what is often a major issue.

Reflections

• How can we stop ourselves just reacting and solving thir problems becasue it is faster and easier ?
• How can we consciously use some or all of these questions to shift their behaviours?
• What diffference will it make to you if these beahviours change?
• What difference will it make to yhour people if they don't keep handing over the monkey?

Challenge

Think about someone who regularly hands you their monkey.

Place this checklist within easy reference for when they next do this.

Try out the questions and see which ones work.

Be consistent! every time this person comes in, continue to refuse the monkey

As always, please do add your comments as the richness of these blogs is the input and thoughts from a wide range of leaders.

I look forward to reading your thoughts

Dulise