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Let subordinates solve problems by themselves
This is a typical dilemma of managers - they feel they have delegated everything fair and square to their subordinates. Finally they think that they can do tasks or undertake projects that will help them grow. But unfortunately many find that the load never really gets off their back because their subordinates keep coming back to them with problems or they want their boss to undertake responsibilities which they are unable to fulfil. Ultimately the manager
finds himself with no time to pursue individual goals.
This classic dilemma of managers was interestingly put in an essay, Management Time: Who’s got the monkey? by William Oncken Jr. and Donald L. Wass in 1974 in the Harvard Business Review and which still continues to be read and quoted (Steven Covey even wrote an afterword on this essay).
In the essay Oncken and Wass tell the interesting story of a manager who is overburdened with tasks because he has unwittingly taken up the work of his subordinates in his bid to help them with their problems.
Consequently he feels that he is carrying half a dozen monkeys on his back and finds it hard to shake them off. Sounds like a familiar situation?
As a manager if you find it happening once too often and the tasks you delegate to subordinates coming back to you then you have what the authors call a monkey management challenge.
The monkey here symbolises not only the actual work that you have agreed to do for your junior but also the mental load you undertake when you promise to solve a problem. In effect the ‘monkey’ has landed on your back from that of the subordinate.
But you may wonder whether this is not what a manager is supposed to do. True a manager has to help out subordinates when in trouble but at the same time he has to build the initiative in employees to solve their own problems.
When employees are encouraged to handle their own monkeys (read problems) it helps them develop new skills and you get time to do your own job, follow your boss’ orders or generate more business. So how do you go about preventing monkeys landing on your back?
Some pointers:
When a subordinate comes to you with a problem, ensure that you set aside a time and place to listen to him.
Giving an on-the spot-solution will send the message that you are ready with solutions and the go-to person when problems come up.
In fact you are sending the message to employees that you discourage any initiative on their part to solve them.
A better approach would be to assess the varying levels of initiative your juniors will display to solve a problem, the levels are:
• Wait for instructions
• Ask for instructions
• Make suggestions and then implement them after your approval
• Take independent action and report it to you immediately
• Take action and report later in a routine meeting
When a subordinate comes to you with a problem, rule out options a and b instead give him one of the rest three options to solve the problem. Before deciding ensure that the person has the requisite authority and autonomy. Then, set a time and place for a follow-up report from the employee.
This will ensure that the monkey will not land on your back again.
Another angle to the problem of too many monkeys on the manager’s back is their inability or reluctance to delegate tasks to subordinates.
You may fear that developing their initiative and problem-solving skills will undermine your powers and influence in the organisation.
On the contrary developing such skills will free you to play more important roles and project you as a champion of your employees’ progress.
So the next time you catch yourself offering to take on a problem of a subordinate because of these fears, check yourself.
Employees bring their monkeys to you because they do not know how to tackle them or lack interest in dealing with them. Developing problem-solving skills in them will aid in building an efficient team.
To avoid monkeys landing on your back build a bond of trust with your subordinates, infuse in them the confidence to take initiatives, communicate the fact that you trust their abilities and are willing to accept their failures.
This attitude will definitely encourage them to solve problems with confidence.
As Steven Covey says in his review of the article, “Management thinkers and executives alike now realise that bosses cannot just give a monkey back to their subordinates... It means bosses have to develop their subordinates and establish trust.”
So are you ready to drop those monkeys from your back?
faqs@cnkonline.com
HEMA GOPALAKRISHNAN
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