Monkey Management: Who’s got the monkey?

A team member approaches you, asking for help with a customer issue. Another colleague needs to place an order but can’t find the login credentials and asks if you can do it for them. Or someone requests instructions for a subsidy application you once handled in the past.

Sound familiar? These (and many other) situations create disruptions throughout your workday. You want to be helpful and ensure things move forward, so you listen and… agree to take care of it yourself later that day. Oops!

Who’s got the monkey?

Why do entrepreneurs and managers often feel short on time, while their team’s workload seems to decrease? This was the exact question William Oncken Jr. explored in his famous Harvard Business Review article from 1974 (later revised in 1999). He introduced the concept of monkeys—a metaphor for tasks and responsibilities that others shift onto managers, preventing them from focusing on their strategic role. Think of these monkeys as problems, questions, or tasks that jump onto your shoulders the moment you take ownership of them. And worse? They can leap from one person to another, creating an endless cycle of delegation without resolution.

The issue? Once you adopt a monkey, you become responsible for it—whether you like it or not.

Monkey Management: stop adopting everyone’s monkeys

Ever end your day without knowing what you actually accomplished? Feel like you’re getting further away from your goals instead of closer? That’s what happens when you accumulate too many monkeys. To regain control, you need Monkey Management—a structured approach to handling other people’s requests and responsibilities without overloading yourself. William Oncken Jr. outlined four essential rules for keeping monkeys where they belong:

🐵 Rule #1: Describe the monkey (WHAT)

• Clearly define the issue at hand. What exactly needs to be done?
• Identify the next move—what is the first step required to resolve this?
• Tip: If the task is vague, don’t adopt the monkey yet—clarify first!

🐵 Rule #2: Assign an owner (WHO)

• Once the next step is clear, keep the monkey with the person who brought it to you.
• If the monkey must be passed on, explicitly state who is responsible to avoid misunderstandings.
• Tip: If ownership is unclear, the monkey will get lost—make responsibility crystal clear.

🐵 Rule #3: Take out insurance (HOW)

• Ensure clear guidelines on how the task will be completed.
• Decide on the level of responsibility:
  • Is there an existing procedure that must be followed?
  • Should the task be reviewed before completion?
• Match responsibility with the person’s skills & experience—don’t set them up for failure.
• Tip: Guide, but don’t take over—help them manage their own monkey!

🐵 Rule #4: Check up on the monkey

• Follow up to ensure the delegated task is being handled correctly.
• Stay focused on your own monkeys—let others care for theirs.
• Tip: If you constantly find yourself chasing updates, your team lacks ownership—fix that first!