Shifting the Monkey(s

About a month ago a friend recommended I read a book by Todd Whitaker titled Shifting the Monkey: The Art of Protecting Good People From Liars, Criers, and Other Slackers. I have so many professional books that are piling up on my desk the thought of adding another one to the pile seemed like a very foolish thing to do! As soon as I got the book and opened it up there was no way I was going to put it down!! Now I recommend this book to everyone I talk to and here is why: We all have responsibilities (monkeys) that we deal with day in and day out. Laundry, cooking, paying bills, reading with our children, and the list goes on. Where the problems arise are when the monkeys start "shifting". Some people learn to be master monkey shifters! They know exactly how to shift their monkeys onto the backs of good people and walk away happy with the world. The good people are left behind with the monkeys they started out with AND the monkeys of others that have been shifted onto their back. This can happen at home with family or at work. Recognizing the monkeys and how they get shifted was an important focus as I read through the pages. Don't get me wrong, I want to help others, but if the monkeys on my back are getting to big, I need to deal with them before I accept to take on any more!

Monkey’s you may be familiar with:

The Blanket Monkey -

“ We use the Blanket Monkey when we want to avoid dealing with someone directly - like the employee who never arrives at the meeting on time, or turns in sloppy paperwork, or doesn’t turn it in at all.  Instead of dealing with these people individually, we try to correct the problem by addressing an entire group and putting the monkey on everyone’s back.”

The Rule Monkey -

“The Rule Monkey … the leader creates a new policy that makes more work for those who did nothing wrong.” “Leaders who use the Rule Monkey are under the impression that you can control a person’s behavior with rules.”  

The Avoidance Monkey -

“Leaders who use the Avoidance Monkey think they can manage without engaging in any potentially challenging situations.”

  

 The Yelling Monkey -

“The Yelling Monkey is used by leaders who deal with everyone and everything by force: by trying to be loud and obnoxious.”

 The Blame Monkey -

Leaders who operate as if nothing is ever their fault use the Blame Monkey; all problems are laid at someone else’s feet.  

 The Pouting Monkey -

“People who use the Pouting Monkey become aloof or withdrawn in a silent expression of resentment when they’re upset about something.” 

 The Arguing Monkey -

“The Arguing Monkey is handed out by people who are great at arguing.  They love to confront others, take exception to just about anything, and flat-out contradict others.”