The “Monkey Collector” (Monkey Management)

This is the most subtle and dangerous form of sabotaging your own time. The concept of “Monkey Management” (created by William Oncken Jr.) starts from a simple premise, presented as a metaphor: every problem is a monkey. When a subordinate stops you in the hallway or walks into your office and says, “Boss, we have a problem with Client X, we don’t know how to deliver on time,” the monkey is on his shoulder. Both feet are firmly planted on him.

The Fatal Mistake: If you respond with: “Let me think about it and I’ll tell you what to do / I’ll call you later with a solution,” in that very second, the monkey has jumped from his shoulder to yours.

Situation Analysis:

• Who is working for whom? Normally, you are there to support the team, not to take over their tasks. Through this transfer, you have effectively become the subordinate of your own employee. He leaves for coffee, waiting for an “update” from you, while you have just added another task to an already overflowing list.
• The Execution Block: A manager who collects monkeys no longer has time for strategy (the fire on the 10th floor) because they are too busy feeding everyone else’s animals on the ground floor.

The Golden Rule: “No subordinate leaves your office leaving a monkey on your back.”

When the discussion ends, the monkey must stay with the person who brought it. Your role is to help the employee find the “food” for it (resources, direction, approval), but not to become its caretaker.

How to apply this immediately: Instead of saying “I’ll handle it,” use this: “Interesting problem. Please come back to me in an hour with a clear solution and a backup plan (Plan B). And tell me exactly how you plan to proceed and why you chose that specific option.”

The Efficiency Math: If you have 5 people and each “sells” you one monkey per day that occupies 20 minutes of your time, you lose 100 minutes a day. This means over 30 hours a month in which you did other people’s work on your manager’s salary.

Delegation doesn’t mean getting rid of work; it means ensuring the work is done by the right person. Next time a subordinate brings you a “problem,” look at it like a monkey trying to jump on your back. Refuse to be its babysitter.

Start tomorrow: stop accepting any problem without a proposed solution attached. You will see how, suddenly, your team becomes more competent, and you finally start having time to be a manager.

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