The art of caring for your monkeys
The eternal question: why does a manager often lack a working day, while subordinates have nothing to fill it with? A couple of years ago, based on a wide variety of import sources, which I simply don’t remember now, I sketched theses for an answer to this question.
To answer it, I’ll draw your attention to the structure of working time, during which the manager enters into three types of relations - with superiors, with heads of other departments (managers) and subordinates. Therefore, the time is divided into three components:
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1. The manager's time, which the boss manages, is spent on activities imposed by the boss. It is impossible to “pierce” here - you will be punished.
2. The time taken by the system is work with the heads of other departments and internal current activities. "Zabete" on it - the trouble can not be avoided, it can just be delayed in time.
3. The time spent on your own initiatives - this part is spent on what you do voluntarily. However, it is precisely this time that subordinates like to eat, so that you can only independently manage what you can organize for yourself. How? Minimize or reduce to almost zero time, devoured by subordinates.
In order to show how much time they steal from you, the sly American clever men William Onken and Donald Wass introduced the term “monkey on the back” back in 1974.
Substituting the back for the next monkey, the manager voluntarily changes 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 diverge.
Who had a monkey on his back before talking? Have a subordinate. And then? At the head. And at that moment when she jumped on you, you assumed the duties of a subordinate (1. responsible for solving the problem; 2. promised to report) at the expense of your time. Awesome ?!
And after a while, the same subordinate, hanging himself insanely preoccupied with common (and in fact no longer his!) Problems mask, looks in on you and asks: "Well, how are we doing? ..." work entrusted to you.
Options for moving monkeys in your direction from the side - weight. For example, someone asks you exactly how to act in a new direction for him, and you answer that you will give him a thesis or a plan of action.
It seems to be the task set before the employee, but the first step is yours. Until you make him be sure that the loyal soldier of your department does nothing.
The same trouble with emails: if a letter from a subordinate contains a question, but does not contain any suggestions, then rejoice - they sent you a monkey.
And besides, while you’re mad, trying to solve the piled up questions of your overgrown “MenAgers” and “office chickens” (forgive me for defining such idle idlers definitions), the same bored subordinates say about you that you are a fool a bottleneck , unable to come up with anything and they are generally shocked about how you manage to occupy leadership positions.
Farewell to the monkeys begins with the fact that she is forbidden to take two places.
Rules of the game with subordinates:
1. While you are helping to solve a subordinate problem, it never for a second ceases to be HIS problem and only HIS. After all, if it becomes yours, then you get rid 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 leaves 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 be.
3. In those rare cases where 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 shows it in principle. And “according to science” it looks like five levels when the manager:
1. waiting for direct instructions;
2. asks what to do;
3. proposes 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 content with level 1 or 2 neither in relations with the authorities, nor with the system (other departments). When you work on schemes 3 -5, you are controlled by the content of the work and the allocation of time, whereas in the first two you cannot plan time.
In relations with subordinates, it is necessary to stop categorically attempts to act according to schemes 1 and 2, and for each discussed problem to ensure that an agreement is reached on the level of initiative of the contractor and the time of the next, control, meeting.
The art of caring for monkeys - five basic rules.
1. The monkeys should either be fed or shot. If they are not fed, they will die of hunger and you will have to spend time on an autopsy.
2. The number of the pack must not exceed the maximum that the boss can serve.
3. Monkeys must be fed strictly on schedule. It is unacceptable to throw feed those who fell under the arm.
4. Feeding of monkeys is done in person or by phone, no email.
5. Each monkey should be assigned the time of the next feeding and indicating the level of initiative.
Findings:
- The head is obliged to free up time spent at his discretion by eliminating "time to solve the problems of subordinates";
- when directing a part of the time freed up to train them, it is necessary to make sure that each of them takes the initiative;
- it makes sense to direct the remainder of the resulting resource in order to optimize activities related to the requirements of the management and the system.
To answer it, I’ll draw your attention to the structure of working time, during which the manager enters into three types of relations - with superiors, with heads of other departments (managers) and subordinates. Therefore, the time is divided into three components:
')
1. The manager's time, which the boss manages, is spent on activities imposed by the boss. It is impossible to “pierce” here - you will be punished.
2. The time taken by the system is work with the heads of other departments and internal current activities. "Zabete" on it - the trouble can not be avoided, it can just be delayed in time.
3. The time spent on your own initiatives - this part is spent on what you do voluntarily. However, it is precisely this time that subordinates like to eat, so that you can only independently manage what you can organize for yourself. How? Minimize or reduce to almost zero time, devoured by subordinates.
In order to show how much time they steal from you, the sly American clever men William Onken and Donald Wass introduced the term “monkey on the back” back in 1974.
Substituting the back for the next monkey, the manager voluntarily changes 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 diverge.
Who had a monkey on his back before talking? Have a subordinate. And then? At the head. And at that moment when she jumped on you, you assumed the duties of a subordinate (1. responsible for solving the problem; 2. promised to report) at the expense of your time. Awesome ?!
And after a while, the same subordinate, hanging himself insanely preoccupied with common (and in fact no longer his!) Problems mask, looks in on you and asks: "Well, how are we doing? ..." work entrusted to you.
Options for moving monkeys in your direction from the side - weight. For example, someone asks you exactly how to act in a new direction for him, and you answer that you will give him a thesis or a plan of action.
It seems to be the task set before the employee, but the first step is yours. Until you make him be sure that the loyal soldier of your department does nothing.
The same trouble with emails: if a letter from a subordinate contains a question, but does not contain any suggestions, then rejoice - they sent you a monkey.
And besides, while you’re mad, trying to solve the piled up questions of your overgrown “MenAgers” and “office chickens” (forgive me for defining such idle idlers definitions), the same bored subordinates say about you that you are a fool a bottleneck , unable to come up with anything and they are generally shocked about how you manage to occupy leadership positions.
Farewell to the monkeys begins with the fact that she is forbidden to take two places.
Rules of the game with subordinates:
1. While you are helping to solve a subordinate problem, it never for a second ceases to be HIS problem and only HIS. After all, if it becomes yours, then you get rid 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 leaves 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 be.
3. In those rare cases where 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 shows it in principle. And “according to science” it looks like five levels when the manager:
1. waiting for direct instructions;
2. asks what to do;
3. proposes 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 content with level 1 or 2 neither in relations with the authorities, nor with the system (other departments). When you work on schemes 3 -5, you are controlled by the content of the work and the allocation of time, whereas in the first two you cannot plan time.
In relations with subordinates, it is necessary to stop categorically attempts to act according to schemes 1 and 2, and for each discussed problem to ensure that an agreement is reached on the level of initiative of the contractor and the time of the next, control, meeting.
The art of caring for monkeys - five basic rules.
1. The monkeys should either be fed or shot. If they are not fed, they will die of hunger and you will have to spend time on an autopsy.
2. The number of the pack must not exceed the maximum that the boss can serve.
3. Monkeys must be fed strictly on schedule. It is unacceptable to throw feed those who fell under the arm.
4. Feeding of monkeys is done in person or by phone, no email.
5. Each monkey should be assigned the time of the next feeding and indicating the level of initiative.
Findings:
- The head is obliged to free up time spent at his discretion by eliminating "time to solve the problems of subordinates";
- when directing a part of the time freed up to train them, it is necessary to make sure that each of them takes the initiative;
- it makes sense to direct the remainder of the resulting resource in order to optimize activities related to the requirements of the management and the system.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/80805/
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