THE ART OF MANAGING MONKEYS

THE ART OF MANAGING MONKEYS
Section: ONE MINUTE MANAGEMENT
Do you ever go home feeling that you've spent the whole day doing jobson other people's "to do" lists instead of your own? Do you feel thatyou're doing more but accomplishing less?Your life may seem out of control, but it doesn't have to be if youlearn the art of monkey management. A "monkey" is the next move aftertwo individuals meet, as illustrated here:Say you meet a colleague in the hallway. They say, "Can I see you fora minute? We have a problem." You listen; time flies. Twenty minuteslater you know enough about the problem to realize you'll have to beinvolved, but you don't know enough to make a decision. So you say,"This is very important, but I don't have time to discuss it now. Letme think about it and I'll get back to you."
The detached observer understands what just happened, but when you'rein the middle, it's harder to see the big picture. Before you met yourcolleague in that hall, the monkey was on their back. While you weretalking, the matter was under joint consideration, so the monkey hasone leg on each of your backs. But when you said, "Let me think aboutit and I'll get back to you," the monkey moved squarely onto yourback.
The problem may have been part of your staff member's job, and he mayhave been perfectly capable of proposing a solution. But when youallowed that monkey to leap onto your back, you volunteered to do twothings: (1) You accepted the responsibility for the problem, and (2)you promised a progress report. Just to be sure it's clear who's incharge now, your staff member will stop in on you several times thenext day to say, "Hi! How's it coming?" If you haven't resolved thematter to their satisfaction, they will begin to pressure you to solvewhat is actually their problem.
To avoid this travesty, monkey management is necessary.Teachers-librarians must be careful not to pick up other people'smonkeys. When they do, they broadcast the message that theircolleagues lack the skills to care for and feed the monkeysthemselves. Teacher-librarians who grab monkeys off people's backsoften kill initiative, and everyone is left waiting for the teacher-librarians to make "the next move".Nobody wins when you take care of other people's monkeys. You becomehassled and don't feel very good about yourself. And you have co-workers who look to satisfy their needs elsewhere, because they feelunder-utilized and unappreciated. The care and feeding of otherpeople's monkeys is the ultimate lose-lose deal.There are four rules of monkey management to help give back monkeyswithout being accused of buckpassing or abdication. They are:1. Describe the monkey. The dialogue between a teacher-librarians anda staff member must not end until appropriate next moves have beenidentified and clearly specified.2. Assign the monkey. All monkeys shall be owned and handled at the
lowest organizational level possible.3. Insure the monkey. Every monkey leaving you on the back of one ofyour people must be covered by one or two insurance policies:recommend, then act; or act, then advise.4. Check on the monkey. Proper follow-up means healthier monkeys.Every monkey should have a check-up appointment.
If you follow these rules, you'll stop viewing your colleagues as themajor source of your problems and will soon start seeing them as majorsolutions, because each of their hacks can be a depository for severalmonkeys.
Try monkey management -- it works!