One Question:

Do you often think, “It would be easier if I just do it myself”?

One Idea:

Whether it is with your partner or kids at home, volunteers within your community group or members of your team at work, this gremlin can pop up anywhere.

Take a moment to check in with yourself and consider what is going on. Is it because they are not meeting your expectations? Is it easier than holding others to account? Is it quicker than taking the time to train someone else? By not delegating you are robbing them of the opportunity to build a skill, apply their learning or take on responsibility.

One Story:

“Who’s got the monkey?”, a 1974 Harvard Business Review article by Oncken and Wass, uses monkeys as metaphors for tasks or projects. It makes the point that leaders need to be clear about who owns the work. As a leader it can be easier to assume other people’s monkeys, rather than ensuring the monkey is handled by a person at an appropriate level in the organisation. Over time the leader ends up with too many monkeys, resulting in an excessive workload and unable to take care of their legitimate monkeys. So stop collecting monkeys!

One Quote:

“Delegation is not just about getting things done; it’s also about developing people.” – Unknown

One Small Action:

Next time you think it will be easier to just do it yourself consider, “Do I need to keep this monkey?”