Seeing It Like It Really Is

The Art of Delegating – don’t take the monkey!

I now realize that George, Mike, Valerie and Dave are not working for me; I'm working for them. I stand in awe of the fullness of that revelation as it hits me all at once. I now realize that if I do any of the things that I came to the office to do, I would only make matters worse. I recall Dr. B. F. Skinner's principle that "any form of behaviour that you reward you will reinforce." Therefore, if I go ahead now and make for George the decisions he has given me to make (thereby rewarding his initiative-surrendering behaviour), what will happen to the frequency and the difficulty of the future decisions he brings me to make? They will increase.

Escape to Freedom

I know that any time I spend doing things my subordinates think I'm supposed to do will only exacerbate the situation. Therefore, of all the places that I might well be this weekend, my office is the most disastrous of all. So I snap my briefcase shut with the precision of a man who's seen a vision upon a mountain top. I run down that hallway with such speed that the weekend janitor says to me, "Fred, where are you running in such a hurry?" And I say to him, "My speed is not explained by where I'm going. It is explained by where I'm leaving." Down those stairs I go hitting every sixth step. Then out that door, into the car, and I drive out of that parking lot in a random direction of the compass as fast as I can go. Ten minutes later I am outside town; I don't know where I am; I don't know where I'm going; I even have no plans for the weekend.


What Precisely Is a Monkey? Procrastination vs. Insubordination George, the Trouble Shooter Procrastination Again Planning the Solution Honest Day's Work for a Fair Day's Pay Seeing It Like It Really Is Whole New Ballgame The Open Door Giving Monkeys Back The Key to Managerial Competitiveness Ground Rules for Handling Monkeys Replacement Planning A Career Risk of a Lifetime Freedom and Protection Joining Hands in Partnership Running Out of Wrong Decisions The Other Subordinates How's it Coming? The Professional Manager Returning Monkeys to Their Owner Discretionary Time Development of proposals for specific courses of action 'Proposal for Action' The Third Week Mutual Benefits The Professional Manager Using the Job Description Setting a Standard of Performance The Next Step Corporate Management Improvement Program A Management philosopher The Professional Subordinate "Boss, what do I do now?" Batting the Monkeys Back A collection of unrelated activities The Irreplaceable Employee Job Analysis Major Reorganisation Management by Results The Boss's Job Using his self- imposed time to get control of his boss-imposed time Getting the Boss's Ideas Delivering the Boss's Ideas Discretionary Time When "pro" works for "amateur" Monkey Feeding Rules Rules 1 and 2 Rule 3 Instead, as a pro, what did I do? Rule 4 Rule 5 Rule 6		The Art of Delegating – don’t take the monkey! Seeing It Like It Really Is I now realize that George, Mike, Valerie and Dave are not working for me; I'm working for them. I stand in awe of the fullness of that revelation as it hits me all at once. I now realize that if I do any of the things that I came to the office to do, I would only make matters worse. I recall Dr. B. F. Skinner's principle that "any form of behaviour that you reward you will reinforce." Therefore, if I go ahead now and make for George the decisions he has given me to make (thereby rewarding his initiative-surrendering behaviour), what will happen to the frequency and the difficulty of the future decisions he brings me to make? They will increase. Escape to Freedom I know that any time I spend doing things my subordinates think I'm supposed to do will only exacerbate the situation. Therefore, of all the places that I might well be this weekend, my office is the most disastrous of all. So I snap my briefcase shut with the precision of a man who's seen a vision upon a mountain top. I run down that hallway with such speed that the weekend janitor says to me, "Fred, where are you running in such a hurry?" And I say to him, "My speed is not explained by where I'm going. It is explained by where I'm leaving." Down those stairs I go hitting every sixth step. Then out that door, into the car, and I drive out of that parking lot in a random direction of the compass as fast as I can go. Ten minutes later I am outside town; I don't know where I am; I don't know where I'm going; I even have no plans for the weekend.
		Next page