You are probably familiar with the idiom of “having a monkey on your back,” typically used to describe a problem that you are wrestling with. Common variations on this theme include getting the monkey off your back, passing the monkey and the question, who’s got the monkey?

A challenge I often encounter when coaching executives is ineffective delegation; many struggle to assign responsibility and hold others accountable for carrying out tasks they are ultimately responsible for as leaders. The reasons behind this struggle range from perfectionism on the part of the leader, to lack of trust in the capability of the team member to whom they are delegating. In our primate lexicon, the leader keeps the monkey on his back when he fails to delegate.

A less common but more problematic challenge is when a leader is on the receiving end of upward delegation. In other words, the leader takes on a problem that her subordinate is either unwilling or unable to tackle themselves—the so-called “upward leaping monkey.” The reason this happens is not so much the employee’s audacity to engage in upward delegation (hey, I’d try it if I thought I could get away with it) as it is the leader’s willingness to take the monkey on their back.

Why does this happen? Sometimes it emanates from the leader’s sense of responsibility—this problem is in my span of control, therefore I must address it myself. It might be caused by the need for approval—if I say no to this request, my employee will be angry/won’t like me. Sometimes it results from the fear that if I am not called on to solve my employees’ problems, I am no longer adding value. Regardless, it’s a nasty habit to get into and here’s why:

• You set a bad precedence. By tolerating one upward leaping monkey, you invite an entire troop—imagine if everyone on your team delegated their problems to you!
• You take away the opportunity for your employee to develop problem-solving skills and independence.
• You cut off alternative ways of solving problems and inhibit creativity.
• You undermine the confidence of your team members by perpetuating the myth that you are the smartest person on the team—that only you have the right answers.
• Last, but not least, you compromise your own capacity to engage in more strategic, forward-focused activities.

How do you stop those upward leaping monkeys before they land? Increase your awareness of what might be causing you to invite them in the first place:

• If it is out of a sense of responsibility, be reminded that you are responsible to accomplish results with and through others, not single-handedly.
• If it comes from the need for approval, remember that your role is to lead first and a leader commands respect by exhibiting sound judgment and placing the needs of the business first, not by pleasing others.
• If it is based in the fear that you will no longer add value if you aren’t solving others’ problems, understand that you are actually adding less value when you fail to empower others to develop the skills they need to tackle tough problems and you are clogging the pipeline for leadership development.

Still finding the monkey on your back? Toss it back to your employee as soon as you recognize it. Ask them what their recommendation is and wait it out. By demonstrating confidence in their capability to problem solve, you encourage their growth.