I’ve been fortunate to work with many very good leaders over the years. Those who have been most successful have worked hard to surround themselves with good people. They also know that it takes more than having good people around you—it’s about tapping into and developing that talent that makes the difference.
Enough Already – Delegate (or Just Let Go!)
Author: Diane Hamilton, Date: 5/9/2013
The Monkey on Your Back
Author: Paul Dillenburg, Date: 8/16/2012“…if subordinates are afraid of failing in front of their boss, they’ll keep coming back for help rather than truly taking initiative.” – Steven R. Covey
As a resource for new managers, an absolute classic all managers should read is the Harvard Business Review article, Who’s Got the Monkey. In the article, the authors point out a key misstep managers often make, attempting to “help” direct reports find solutions to their problems by accepting responsibility for the solution. This inevitably causes the manager to take up his/her time with finding a solution when the burden of responsibility should remain with the direct report. If, like most managers, you have multiple direct reports, taking on just one problem from each of them will add up to a considerable amount of time away from what you should be focusing on as a manager.
