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I have what I believe is an original theory on management. I call it, "Monkey Back Management".
The reason I call it that is that at various times in my career I've worked with managers who were just about slaves to their subordinates. I'm not a tyrant--really, I'm not. As far as I know, my employees have all enjoyed working for me. A couple even said so in public without prodding or bribes.
So here's the back story of monkey back management... There is an old euphemism wherein someone says, "I've got a monkey on my back." The concept is that there is something they have to do and they can't avoid doing it. On th contrary, they're very nearly compelled to do it. I've heard alcoholics and addicts use the phrase when referring to their addictions, but that's certainly not what I'm talking about.
Instead, I'm talking about who is responsible for the next task. If you're a manager and you walk into a meeting with subordinates and come out with more tasks than they do, the monkey is on your back. You're probably a productivity chokepoint.
Some managers feel good about themselves when subordinates must rely on them for the tiniest of decisions, but that's just stupid. I won't even bother to refute that approach. If that describes you, you're definitely a productivity chokepoint.
Instead, try to always put the monkey on your subordinates' back. If you need more information to make a decision, have them do the research. If they have a laundry list of requests, have them pick the top one or two and e-mail them to you. Whenever possible, allow them to make decisions.
Get the monkey off your back and you'll find that your employees take better care of him than you do.
Ross W. Lambert, CEO
Digital Provisioners, LLC
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