You’re in back-to-back meetings. You’ve got your own goals, your own deadlines. And yet, here comes another phone call, another knock on the door, another rep asking: “Hey, can you take a look at this real quick?”

Congratulations. You’ve just adopted another monkey.

Wait – What Monkey?

There’s a classic leadership article called Who’s Got the Monkey? that perfectly explains this.

The “monkey” is the next move. The problem. The thing that needs a decision or action. And guess what sales professionals love to give you? Their monkeys. 

And we are really good at taking them. Sales leader DNA is often from the sales side of the business, and we like the thrill of solving the problem. A match made in heaven – reps hand their monkey to their manager, and the manager takes it.

Every time you take care of the problem or fix it, you’re putting their monkey on your back.

You feel helpful. They feel relieved. You even get the thrill of a quick win. Leadership is not about quick wins, it is the long-term development of your team.

But here’s the catch: You just taught them to bring you more monkeys and – worse – you are not teaching your team problem solving skills or developing your sales professionals to the next level.

The Problem with Being Helpful

Being the fixer feels good. But over time, it creates:

• A dependent team
• A reactive leader
• Zero space for coaching or focusing on the growth and development of your team.

And it sends the silent message:

“Bring me your problems. I’ll solve them.”  The consequence for the leader is that they solve the same problem multiple times for different team members.

That’s not leadership. That’s bandwidth theft.

Shift from Problem Fixer to Development Coach

So how do you still support your team, without carrying their monkeys?

The best tool for this is the GROWTH Coaching Model from our Excellence in Sales Leadership® program.

Here’s a quick breakdown:

• Goal: What are they trying to accomplish?
• Reality: What’s happening right now?
• Options: What have they tried? What else could they try?
• Way Forward: What will they do next?
• Timeline: By when?
• Help: What support do they need?

You stay involved. You stay curious. But the monkey stays on their back. 

The simple aspect of “GROWTH” is making sure sales professionals remain responsible for the care and feeding of their own monkeys (with the leadership and guidance of their sales leader, of course).

What If They’re Stuck or Inexperienced?

Sometimes the GROWTH model won’t cut it. If your rep is brand new or unwilling to engage, you may need to switch to the Direction Model:

1. Clearly define the desired outcome and engage them for their input
2. Break down the steps
3. Confirm their understanding
4. Provide feedback along the way

Use this sparingly. It’s effective, but it doesn’t build long-term ownership, and you own the monkey. It’s a tool for emergencies or true beginners.

How to Know If You’re the Monkey Collector

Start here:

• Are you ending most meetings with a new to-do that isn’t yours?
• Do your reps rely on you to finalize or follow up?
• Are you the one chasing action items after the fact?

If so, you’re not alone. But you are probably tired.

This shift won’t just help your team. It will protect your time, your energy, and your ability to lead strategically.

The Payoff

When you change the care and feeding of monkeys, they stay with their rightful owner where they belong:

• Reps grow in confidence.
• You grow in capacity.
• The team grows in performance.

That’s how you build a high-performing sales culture – not by carrying everyone – but by coaching them to carry their own weight.