You’ve delegated a task. You feel lighter. Then, a day later, your teammate shows up at your desk: “I hit a problem. What should I do?”
You give a quick answer. The next day, they’re back with another roadblock. Soon, you’re not just advising—you’re doing the task again. The load you thought you passed on has quietly returned to you.
This is reverse delegation: the silent thief of a manager’s time. It sneaks in politely, disguised as “just a small question” or “just helping out.” But left unchecked, it places the monkey right back on your shoulders.
In The Delegation Game, I warned:
“Reverse delegation is delegation in reverse gear—you thought you shifted forward, but suddenly you’re rolling back downhill.”
Why It Happens More Often Than You Think
Reverse delegation doesn’t always come from laziness. Often it’s fear, uncertainty, or habit.
- Fear of mistakes: The employee thinks, “Better ask the boss before I screw this up.”
- Lack of clarity: They were never sure what “done” meant, so they keep checking.
- Old habits: Some teams are conditioned to lean on the manager for every decision.
- Manager’s ego: Sometimes, leaders secretly like being needed and step in too quickly.
The result is the same: the task bounces back, the employee remains dependent, and the manager stays buried.
The Story of the Returning Monkey
There’s an old management parable called “Who’s Got the Monkey?” Imagine each task as a monkey. When you delegate, the monkey jumps onto your team member’s back. But the moment they ask, “What should I do with this problem?” and you answer, the monkey leaps back onto yours.
Soon you’re walking around the office carrying ten monkeys, while your people walk free.
The cure is not refusing to help. The cure is refusing to carry the monkey.
One Shift is a twice-weekly newsletter that gives you one quick, actionable shift—tested in the real world—to help you lead with clarity, courage, and calm. You’ll also get first access to books, free trainings, workshops, and webinars. Get One Shift every Monday and Thursday.
When Helping Hurts
Take Andrea, a team leader. She delegated the drafting of a training manual to Luis. At first, Luis was excited. But halfway through, he got stuck with formatting issues. He went to Andrea. She sighed, “Fine, I’ll do the layout myself—it’s faster.”
From that point, Luis stopped trying. Every time he faced a roadblock, he just handed it back. By the end, Andrea had done 70% of the work she had “delegated.” Luis learned dependency, not initiative.
Andrea thought she was being efficient. But by rescuing him, she robbed him of responsibility.
Return the Monkey
The only way to stop reverse delegation is to deliberately hand the monkey back. When a team member brings a problem to you, resist the urge to solve it on the spot. Instead, ask:
- “What do you think you should do?”
- “What options have you considered?”
- “Come back with two possible solutions and we’ll review them.”
This shifts the responsibility back to them—where it belongs.
It’s not abandonment. You’re still supporting. But you’re supporting as a coach, not as a rescuer.
Strategies That Keep Ownership in Place
Here are practical ways to stop reverse delegation before it derails you:
- Clarify at the start. The clearer the “done” statement, boundaries, and authority, the fewer reasons they’ll have to bounce it back.
Example: “You have authority to finalize the vendor list up to ₱200,000. If it goes higher, that’s when you check with me.” - Ask for thinking, not tasks. When they come with a problem, don’t accept the monkey. Say:
“I’d like you to think further about this. Bring me your best two options, and we’ll decide together.” - Delay the rescue. Sometimes just pausing solves it. Instead of instantly taking over, say:
“I trust you to handle this. Let’s review it Friday.” The act of waiting often pushes them to act. - Announce ownership. Tell the team (or client): “Luis is leading this. He’s the point person.” Now the social contract makes it harder for the task to boomerang back.
- Praise problem-solving, not handoffs. When they come with solutions, recognize it. When they try to dump, gently redirect. Culture grows from what you reward.
A Story of Growth Through Ownership
Rico once delegated a customer service improvement project to Ana, a rising team lead. Midway, Ana hit a roadblock: complaints were spiking, and she wasn’t sure how to respond.
Instead of taking it back, Rico asked: “What do you think is driving the complaints? Give me your top two ideas and one action you can test this week.”
Ana returned with a pilot fix: a revised response template that immediately reduced negative feedback. By the project’s end, not only had the complaints dropped, Ana had grown more confident in her own judgment.
Rico didn’t just save himself work. He grew a leader.
The Shift That Matters
When you take the task back, you teach dependence. When you keep it with them, you teach ownership.
Reverse delegation feels harmless in the moment. But every time you “just do it yourself,” you train your people to give up faster. Over time, you end up with a team of hands, not heads.
When you resist the reflex to rescue, you build thinkers, problem-solvers, and future leaders.
Your Move This Week
Watch for the next time someone tries to hand a task back to you. Before you respond, pause and ask:
- “What options do you see?”
- “What would you do if I weren’t here?”
- “What’s your next move?”
Then, wait. Don’t solve it for them. Don’t pick up the monkey. Keep the task with the owner.
You’ll be surprised how quickly people rise when you refuse to carry their monkey.
Where We Go Next
This is where delegation gets tested in real life. It’s easy to hand something off. It’s harder to stop it from sneaking back.
Next, we’ll explore how to make delegation part of your team’s culture, not just your personal practice. Because if only one person delegates, the bottleneck remains.
Reverse delegation may feel like a shortcut. But the real shortcut is teaching your team to finish what they start.
