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0800 302 9344
Throwing the Monkey: Delegation Training
London
Testimonial -
Ralph is very, very knowledgeable and has a fantastic ability to instil self-confidence and help you realise your true potential. I will be back for more Monkey Throwing.
Meet your trainer(s)
Every task someone brings to you and leaves with you is a monkey. It climbs off their back and onto
yours, and before long you are carrying half the team's workload while wondering why you never have
time for your own.
Throwing the Monkey is practical delegation training built around the method Ralph Moody has taught for years and wrote the book about. You'll learn how to recognise when a monkey is being handed to you, return ownership properly and delegate work so it gets done well by the right person without continually bouncing back.
£750.00
Course Location
Timings: 09:30 - 17:00
Throwing the Monkey runs at our central London venue:
- 20 Cavendish Square, London W1G 0RN, a short walk from Oxford Circus and Bond Street
Your venue is confirmed in your joining instructions.
Who This Course Is For
Every task someone brings to you and leaves with you is a monkey. It climbs off their back and onto yours, and before long you are carrying half the team's workload while wondering why you never have time for your own.
Throwing the Monkey is for managers, team leaders and professionals who regularly finish the week having done everybody else's work as well as their own, and who want their team to take greater ownership rather than continually passing problems upwards.
What You'll Learn on Throwing the Monkey
Delegation is not giving work away. It is giving responsibility away while remaining accountable for the result.
It is also not abdication. Handing somebody a task and walking away is not delegation, it is dumping, and it is one of the reasons managers lose confidence in delegating.
Most managers know they should delegate more. The problem is that too often when they try, the work comes back incomplete, late or accompanied by another question. Eventually it feels quicker simply to do it themselves.
That is when the monkeys start to pile up.
The manager works longer hours, becomes the answer to every problem and gradually teaches the team that difficult work travels upwards. Meanwhile, the people in the team lose opportunities to develop their judgement and capability.
Throwing the Monkey breaks that cycle.
It starts with recognising the moment a monkey changes hands: the innocent sounding "Can I just ask you something?" that somehow ends with the manager owning the next action. Delegates learn how to clarify what is really being asked, establish who owns the problem and resist the temptation to take it over simply because they know how to solve it.
The Four Stages of Effective Delegation
From there, the course teaches the four stages of effective delegation at the heart of the Throwing the Monkey approach:
Decide. Brief. Check in. Review.
Managers learn how to decide what should be delegated and to whom, brief the task so the person has a genuine chance of succeeding, agree appropriate check-in points and review the outcome in a way that develops the person's judgement rather than increasing their dependence on the manager.
This is a practical course, not a theory of management. Delegates work with their own task lists, their own teams and the monkeys they are carrying right now. They decide what needs to go back, what should be properly delegated and who needs to own it.
They also practise the conversations, because recognising a monkey is one thing. Handing it back without sounding dismissive is another.
Key Takeaways
1. Spot the monkey. Recognise the moment somebody else's problem is quietly becoming yours and stop ownership transferring by default.
2. Hand it back properly. Return responsibility without dumping, so the person leaves knowing what they need to do next.
3. Delegate the right things to the right people. Decide what you should keep, what somebody else can own and where delegation can help another person develop.
4. Use the four stages. Decide, brief, check in and review. A practical method that can be applied to almost any task and any member of the team.
5. Keep it thrown. Handle the questions, wobbles and "it would be quicker if you did it" moments without automatically taking the monkey back.
Who Delivers It
Delivered by Ralph Moody, who developed the Throwing the Monkey approach through decades of leadership and training and wrote the book on the subject, the course gives delegates a practical method they can start using immediately.
It can be attended as an open course in London or delivered in-house for organisations where too many monkeys have developed a habit of climbing the management structure.
What Clients Say
★★★★★ "Ralph is very, very knowledgeable and has a fantastic ability to instil self-confidence and help you realise your true potential. I will be back for more Monkey Throwing." Kirk McGregor
★★★★★ "I feel much more confident in how to plan, lead and facilitate. I look forward to continuing to learn from them and throwing the monkey!" Nicola Middleton
We are five star ★★★★★ rated 5.0 excellent with Trustpilot
To book, use our course finder on this page, call us on 0800 302 9344 or email [email protected]
Write Your Own Review
"Are courses accredited?"
Courses such as PTT Train the Trainer, Advanced PTT Train the Trainer, Master Trainer, Coaching Skills for Managers/Trainers, Master Coach, Presentation Skills, Management Development Programmes and Essential Skills for Managers are all accredited by the ILM. Based in the UK as part of the City & Guilds group they are a leading provider of specialist qualifications. ILM is also recognised globally and many of their products and services are delivered and enjoyed by customers in many countries around the world.
"Do I have to complete a portfolio or pass an exam to complete the course?"
On courses that are accredited, they are performance assessed. No portfolios or additional tests or statements are required. Whilst on the training delegates are shown the skills and techniques required and they are then given opportunities to practise and develop. During this time our trainers offer support and guidance accordingly. A formal assessment is then conducted at the end of the course and one to one feedback is given focusing on what was done well and areas for development.
"What is the difference between Coaching and Training?"
There are often mistakes regarding understanding the differences between the two methods.
Coaching - A conversation between the coach and the coachee whereby the coachee achieves a higher level and understanding of awareness and self-awareness, while the coach provides a safe environment and structure for that outcome to occur.
Training - Training is teaching or developing in oneself or others, any skills and knowledge that relate to specific useful competencies. Training has specific goals of improving one's capability, capacity, productivity and performance and to maintain, upgrade and update skills throughout working life.
To train, you need to know the skill, to coach you don’t because it is more about the person.
How can these be miss-understood? I know the English language does not help with a ski instructor and a tennis coach, but coaching and training are different. I see the cross between coach and mentor is the same; the key is to understand the boundaries between them all.
"Are trainers experienced?"
Our trainers have a vast experience in coaching, training and management and you can see their individual profiles here. We pride ourselves on delivering the best possible training to our clients and we guarantee it will fit your training need requirements.
"What about delivery in-house?”
All our courses can be adapted for delivery internally and we have experience of this globally and throughout the UK. Just contact us for further information.
We have numerous courses running throughout the year and are always happy to provide you with any information about them that you may need. Please do not hesitate to contact us to discuss any of your training requirements on 0800 302 9344.
To book, use our course finder on this page, call us on 0800 302 9344 or email [email protected]