The analogy used in the reading “Management Time: Who’s Got the Monkey?” from the Harvard Business Review was quite interesting. In the beginning, I was somewhat confused with the analogy, but after thoroughly reading the article several times I found it to be quite amusing. I was fully absorbed in this article because of the story used to describe how the ‘monkey’ is exchanged from person to person and I believe that was the author’s intent. Specifically, I believe that the author intended to illustrate that initiative for a problem is similar to the caring of an animal, hence the monkey. The way the monkey hopped from back to back of the individuals was perfectly correlated to initiative burdens going from person to person when not handled
…show more content…
When the article went into detail, stating that if this metaphorical monkey is not fed, then it becomes the responsibility of the manager and that it is important to show subordinates how to properly care for the monkey. Like a parent who buys their child their first puppy, it is important to teach the young child to upkeep the duties that accompany a new pet. If the parent does not teach the child to take the initiative from the get-go to maintain the puppy’s wellbeing, then the parent must pick up the slack. In turn, the parent’s time and energy is wasted tending for the child’s animal, while the young child is carefree in the matter. In a way, your baggage becomes my baggage.
The understanding that I have acquired from reading this article is that my time at work is filled with many variations of boss-imposed time and system-imposed time There is a small amount of self-imposed time in this entry-level student assistant position, therefore our time management and our supervisor’s time management are rarely conflicting. I also feel comfortable that I have gained my supervisors trust. My supervisor has expressed her trust in my decision-making skills and judgment, therefore I am able to take initiative when needed and I feel confident doing
When the article went into detail, stating that if this metaphorical monkey is not fed, then it becomes the responsibility of the manager and that it is important to show subordinates how to properly care for the monkey. Like a parent who buys their child their first puppy, it is important to teach the young child to upkeep the duties that accompany a new pet. If the parent does not teach the child to take the initiative from the get-go to maintain the puppy’s wellbeing, then the parent must pick up the slack. In turn, the parent’s time and energy is wasted tending for the child’s animal, while the young child is carefree in the matter. In a way, your baggage becomes my baggage.
The understanding that I have acquired from reading this article is that my time at work is filled with many variations of boss-imposed time and system-imposed time There is a small amount of self-imposed time in this entry-level student assistant position, therefore our time management and our supervisor’s time management are rarely conflicting. I also feel comfortable that I have gained my supervisors trust. My supervisor has expressed her trust in my decision-making skills and judgment, therefore I am able to take initiative when needed and I feel confident doing