You end up overwhelmed, under-appreciated, and angry, if you own other people’s monkeys.
Someone walks into your office with an issue – a monkey. Make sure they walk out with their monkey.
Pronouns explain ownership. Don’t use ‘we’ when you mean ‘you’.
3 pronouns:
- ‘You’ – The monkey stays in their zoo. They own the issue. Responsibilities are theirs.
- ‘We’ – The monkey is shared. “We will fix this.” Responsibilities are shared. Beware of adding unnecessary layers of complexity by sharing too many monkeys with team members.
- ‘I’ – The monkey moves to your cage. You own this issue. Responsibilities are yours.
Useful endings:
The end of a coaching conversation is the moment to clarify goals, deadlines, and responsibilities. Who does what, by when?
An office manager taught me how to structure questions around responsibility.
- ‘What do you need to do to move the ball forward?’ (The monkey is theirs.)
- ‘What do you need from me to move the ball forward?’ (Shared ownership of the monkey.)
- ‘What do I need to do to move the ball forward?’ (The monkey is yours.)
“The way you structure a question determines the response.” Brandie Moroskie
Accountability question:
‘What do you want me to ask you the next time we meet?’
- Write their accountability question down.
- Modify their question, if necessary. ‘I’ll also ask about … .’
- Ask it during your next coaching conversation.
How might managers and leaders manage their monkeys?
How might leaders clarify ownership and responsibility?