January 14, 2010 at 22:46The art of caring for your monkeys
The eternal question: why does the leader often lack a working day, while subordinates have nothing to fill it with? A couple of years ago, based on a wide variety of imported sources, which I just don’t remember now, I sketched the theses for an answer to this question.
To answer it, I will draw your attention to the structure of working time, during which the head enters into relations of three types - with the bosses, with the heads of other departments (managers) and subordinates. Therefore, we will divide time into three components:
1. The time of the manager controlled by the boss - this time is spent on activities imposed by the bosses. You can’t “pierce” here - you will be punished.
2. The time that the system takes is work with the heads of other departments and internal current activities. “Hammer” on her - trouble cannot be avoided, it just can be delayed in time.
3. The time that is spent on your own initiatives - this part is spent on what you do voluntarily. However, it is this time that subordinates like to eat, so you can only manage what you can organize yourself. How? Minimize or reduce to almost zero the time consumed by subordinates.
In order to show how much time they steal from you, cunning American clever men William Onken and Donald Woss introduced the term “monkey on the back” back in 1974.
By substituting the back for another monkey, the manager voluntarily swaps places with his subordinate!
A subordinate comes to you and says: "We have a problem with this and that." Listening to his boss and realizing that the problem cannot be solved instantly, he answers that he will think and say what needs to be done. After that they disperse.
Who was sitting on the back of a monkey before talking? The subordinate. And then? At the head. And at that moment when she jumped at you, you assumed the responsibilities of a subordinate (1. responsibility for solving the problem; 2. promised to report) at the expense of your time. Awesome ?!
And after a while, that same subordinate, having hung on himself a mask insanely preoccupied with general (and in fact not already him!) Problems, will look at you and ask: “Well, how are we doing? ...” Here’s your control over the implementation the work entrusted to you.
The options for transferring monkeys to your side from the side are mass. For example, someone asks you specifically how to act in a new direction for him, and you reply that you will give him theses or a plan of action.
It seems that the task was set for the employee, but the first step is yours. Until you make it, be sure that a loyal soldier in your department does nothing.
The same trouble with emails: if a letter from a subordinate contains a question, but does not contain suggestions, then rejoice - you have been sent a monkey.
And besides: while you are insane, trying to solve the piled-up questions of your over-age “menAgers” and “office hens” (forgive me for such degrading definitions of idlers), the same bored subordinates say about you that you are a fool, a bottleneck are not able to come up with anything and they are generally shocked by people like you manage to occupy leadership positions.
Farewell to the monkeys begins with the fact that she is forbidden to take two places.
The rules of the game with subordinates:
1. While you are helping to solve a problem for a subordinate, it does not for a second cease to be HIS problem and only HIS. After all, if it becomes yours, then you rid it of them. And how can you help a person who has no problems ?!
2. When the conversation with the subordinate is over, then HIS problem goes away with him. If he addresses you with another question, then each time you decide together who should take the next step and what it should consist of.
3. In those rare cases when a decision is required from you, you take it TOGETHER. And do not move your finger alone.
Before encouraging the initiative of a subordinate, it is worth making sure that he basically shows it. And “in science” it looks like five levels, when the manager:
1. waits for direct instructions;
2. asks what needs to be done;
3. offers his plan, which then implements;
4. acts independently, asking for advice along the way;
5. acts independently and provides a report on the work done.
It is clear that if you are a professional, you will not be satisfied with level 1 or 2, neither in relations with superiors, nor with the system (other departments). When working according to schemes 3-5, you are controlled by both the content of the work and the distribution of time, while in the first two you cannot plan time.
In relations with subordinates, it is necessary to categorically suppress attempts to act according to schemes 1 and 2, and for each discussed problem, make sure that an agreement is reached on the level of initiative of the executor and the time of the next, control, meeting.
The art of caring for monkeys is the five basic rules.
1. Monkeys should either be fed or shot. If you do not feed them, then they will starve to death and you will have to spend time opening up.
2. The number of flights should not exceed the maximum that the chief can serve.
3. Monkeys need to be fed strictly according to the schedule. It is inadmissible to stop feeding those who come to hand.
4. Feeding of monkeys is carried out in the mode of personal communication or by phone, no email.
5. Each monkey should be assigned the time of the next feeding and indicating the level of initiative.
Conclusions:
- the head MUST release the time spent at his discretion by eliminating the "time to solve the problems of subordinates";
- directing part of the free time to educate them, it is necessary to make sure that each of them takes the initiative;
- it makes sense to direct the remainder of the formed resource to optimize activities related to the requirements of the management and the system.
To answer it, I will draw your attention to the structure of working time, during which the head enters into relations of three types - with the bosses, with the heads of other departments (managers) and subordinates. Therefore, we will divide time into three components:
1. The time of the manager controlled by the boss - this time is spent on activities imposed by the bosses. You can’t “pierce” here - you will be punished.
2. The time that the system takes is work with the heads of other departments and internal current activities. “Hammer” on her - trouble cannot be avoided, it just can be delayed in time.
3. The time that is spent on your own initiatives - this part is spent on what you do voluntarily. However, it is this time that subordinates like to eat, so you can only manage what you can organize yourself. How? Minimize or reduce to almost zero the time consumed by subordinates.
In order to show how much time they steal from you, cunning American clever men William Onken and Donald Woss introduced the term “monkey on the back” back in 1974.
By substituting the back for another monkey, the manager voluntarily swaps places with his subordinate!
A subordinate comes to you and says: "We have a problem with this and that." Listening to his boss and realizing that the problem cannot be solved instantly, he answers that he will think and say what needs to be done. After that they disperse.
Who was sitting on the back of a monkey before talking? The subordinate. And then? At the head. And at that moment when she jumped at you, you assumed the responsibilities of a subordinate (1. responsibility for solving the problem; 2. promised to report) at the expense of your time. Awesome ?!
And after a while, that same subordinate, having hung on himself a mask insanely preoccupied with general (and in fact not already him!) Problems, will look at you and ask: “Well, how are we doing? ...” Here’s your control over the implementation the work entrusted to you.
The options for transferring monkeys to your side from the side are mass. For example, someone asks you specifically how to act in a new direction for him, and you reply that you will give him theses or a plan of action.
It seems that the task was set for the employee, but the first step is yours. Until you make it, be sure that a loyal soldier in your department does nothing.
The same trouble with emails: if a letter from a subordinate contains a question, but does not contain suggestions, then rejoice - you have been sent a monkey.
And besides: while you are insane, trying to solve the piled-up questions of your over-age “menAgers” and “office hens” (forgive me for such degrading definitions of idlers), the same bored subordinates say about you that you are a fool, a bottleneck are not able to come up with anything and they are generally shocked by people like you manage to occupy leadership positions.
Farewell to the monkeys begins with the fact that she is forbidden to take two places.
The rules of the game with subordinates:
1. While you are helping to solve a problem for a subordinate, it does not for a second cease to be HIS problem and only HIS. After all, if it becomes yours, then you rid it of them. And how can you help a person who has no problems ?!
2. When the conversation with the subordinate is over, then HIS problem goes away with him. If he addresses you with another question, then each time you decide together who should take the next step and what it should consist of.
3. In those rare cases when a decision is required from you, you take it TOGETHER. And do not move your finger alone.
Before encouraging the initiative of a subordinate, it is worth making sure that he basically shows it. And “in science” it looks like five levels, when the manager:
1. waits for direct instructions;
2. asks what needs to be done;
3. offers his plan, which then implements;
4. acts independently, asking for advice along the way;
5. acts independently and provides a report on the work done.
It is clear that if you are a professional, you will not be satisfied with level 1 or 2, neither in relations with superiors, nor with the system (other departments). When working according to schemes 3-5, you are controlled by both the content of the work and the distribution of time, while in the first two you cannot plan time.
In relations with subordinates, it is necessary to categorically suppress attempts to act according to schemes 1 and 2, and for each discussed problem, make sure that an agreement is reached on the level of initiative of the executor and the time of the next, control, meeting.
The art of caring for monkeys is the five basic rules.
1. Monkeys should either be fed or shot. If you do not feed them, then they will starve to death and you will have to spend time opening up.
2. The number of flights should not exceed the maximum that the chief can serve.
3. Monkeys need to be fed strictly according to the schedule. It is inadmissible to stop feeding those who come to hand.
4. Feeding of monkeys is carried out in the mode of personal communication or by phone, no email.
5. Each monkey should be assigned the time of the next feeding and indicating the level of initiative.
Conclusions:
- the head MUST release the time spent at his discretion by eliminating the "time to solve the problems of subordinates";
- directing part of the free time to educate them, it is necessary to make sure that each of them takes the initiative;
- it makes sense to direct the remainder of the formed resource to optimize activities related to the requirements of the management and the system.