Amir and the Monkeys

When Amir took over as the new plant manager of an oil palm refinery, he was full of ideas and determination. But within the first month, he noticed something troubling — his calendar was jammed with other people’s problems.

Every day, his team would walk into his office with unresolved issues: a machine breakdown here, a shipment delay there, a customer complaint somewhere else. The pattern was the same — they explained the problem, waited for him to decide the next step, and left. Amir would then stay late at night, solving problems that weren’t originally his.

In “Monkey Management” terms, the monkeys — the next steps of these tasks — were all jumping from their owners onto Amir’s back. And the weight was growing heavier.

Frustrated, Amir discussed the situation with his senior leadership. They introduced him to the concept of Monkey Management. The rules were clear:

1. Define the Monkey – Identify the exact “next move” and agree on it.

2. Keep Monkey Ownership at the Lowest Level – Let the person closest to the problem handle it.

3. Insure the Monkey – Agree on how much freedom they have (act and report, act and advise, or wait for instruction).

4. Feed the Monkey by Appointment Only – Meet briefly and regularly, but don’t let problems arrive on your doorstep anytime.

Amir decided to put the rules into practice. Now, when a team member came with a problem, he would listen, ask clarifying questions, and then guide them to propose the next step themselves. Instead of saying, “Leave it with me,” he said, “Okay, so what will you do next, and when can you update me?”

At first, the team was hesitant — they were used to offloading problems upwards. But slowly, something changed. They began coming to Amir with solutions instead of problems. They felt more confident in their decisions, and Amir’s workload became more strategic rather than reactive.

Within six months, the refinery’s performance improved. Meetings were shorter, problems were solved faster, and staff morale was higher. The team had learned to take care of their own monkeys — and Amir finally had the time to focus on innovation, safety improvements, and expansion plans.

Amir realized that real leadership wasn’t about carrying every monkey himself. It was about teaching his team how to handle their own — and in doing so, building a stronger, more independent workforce.