The One Minute Manager : The Quickest Way to Increase Your Own Prosperity

Rating:
Summary: Got a few minutes?
Review: "The One Minute Manger" by Kenneth Blanchard and Spencer Johnson teaches the readers the three skills to achieving effective management. Although the keys to being an effective and successful manager, as described by Blanchard and Johnson, seems unbelievably simple, they will strike an understanding chord among most people who have ever managed and supervised employees. Not because managers typically follow the principles, but precisely because these simple principles are ones that they intuitively know they should be practicing yet do not because of lack of conviction in the methods, worry about changing management styles, low level of interest, or apprehension that they will take too much time.

Not to fear, Blanchard and Johnson address these concerns in their short simple book. The allegory starts off with a young man in search of an effective manager. Initially disillusioned by the managers he encounters, who are only results-oriented at the expense of the employees or only people-oriented at the expense of the organization, the young man discovers The One Minute Manager. The young man learns from The One Minute Manager and the people whom he manages the philosophy of the one-minute management style. The authors gradually convince the readers through examples, anecdotes, explanations, and quotable quotes why and how their three principles, when followed appropriately, actually work. A brief guideline list accompanies each of the three management skills: the "one minute goal setting," "one minute praising," and "one minute reprimand." There is even a concise flow chart to help solidify the management principles into one page near the end of the book; no doubt, designed to be cut-out or photocopied and posted in every manager's office. By the end of the short 60 minutes required to finish the book, most readers will be convinced to at least test out the method. After all, the title of the book already suggests that time commitment is not an issue; one can become an effective manager by investing a short 60-second of time. When one reads the book, this really translates to several 60-second intervals per day, but the amount of time will be much less than what most managers are used to.

More effective management in significantly less time? Is it possible? The authors certainly make a compelling yet uncomplicated and clear case for this. One does have to wonder if this is too easy. Will it work for managing all types of people in all types of organizations? How about the slackers? Or the employee who is the wrong fit for the job, doesn't have the appropriate training, or lacks motivation? How about the company with a long tradition of top-down management style? The book doesn't get mired in the details or specifics of every possible variation or situation; instead it attempts to provide the general strategies of effective management. The simple message of the book is to focus on making people feel valued which will lead to greater self-motivation and increased productivity for the individual and organization. As the One Minute Manager best described it, "People who feel good about themselves produce good results." And because they are not difficult to understand, learn, or implement, the skills can be readily used by most managers immediately.

The book is not only for managers of people. The message from the book is relevant to anybody interacting with people or when managing your own work and life. For example, I can utilize the skills to not only manage the people who report to me, but also in working with my colleagues or my supervisor, although the lesson on reprimanding may be less applicable in such situations. The most useful setting to apply the skills, perhaps, is when teamwork is involved, such as in committees, meetings, and group projects. This is when setting goals and timelines are critical and working effectively with colleagues, including giving praise and constructive criticism, is paramount to success. Furthermore, I can even see me being a One Minute Manager to myself, be it in the work environment, personal life, educational pursuits, or participation in hobbies. Who wouldn't want to be happier and have better results in all of these activities? I wouldn't mind impressing my boss more, fulfilling all my New Year's resolutions, or running a marathon in 3 hours and 15 minutes. After reading "The One Minute Manger", most readers will want to be a One Minute Manager tomorrow.

Rating:
Summary: Even More Valuable Now
Review: I read this book almost immediately after it was first published more than 20 years ago and recently re-read it, curious to learn how well it has held up over the years. In fact, I hold it in higher regard now than I did before because Blanchard and Johnson focus on certain core principles which (if anything) are more relevant today than ever before. Specifically, they offer an allegory in which they use the metaphor of a single minute to suggest how to set goals, praise achievers, and reprimand non-achievers within a brief period of time. It is probably human nature to over-explain. (How often have you asked someone for the correct time and received an explanation of how a watch works?) I agree with Blanchard and Johnson that much of our precious time is wasted during interaction which is out of focus. We waste others' time. They waste ours. Group meetings are unproductive. One-on-one conversations fail to achieve their desired objectives. We also waste time when thinking about what we do and how we do it, about what others do and how they do it, and about unsatisfactory results when working with others.

Blanchard and Johnson draw heavily upon their extensive research in medicine and the behavioral sciences. What they share in this book is organized within 16 brief chapters. In the first, they introduce a "bright young man" who is searching for an effective manager from whom he can learn how to become one himself. In the last, the young man (who by then had become a One Minute Manager) is about to share with a young women the same "gift" which he had previously received from others. "I will make only one request of you." Blanchard and Johnson make the same request of those who read this book.

For whom will The One Minute Manager be most valuable? Good question. My initial response is to recommend it to those who want to increase their organization's productivity and profits as well as their own prosperity. In other words, to almost everyone. In fact, my opinion is that many of them (for whatever reasons) will not be receptive. Why? Perhaps they reject any ideas presented within an allegory. Or perhaps they strongly disagree with Blanchard and Johnson about what can be accomplished in only a minute.

I think it is a thoughtful. well-written, immensely practical book. Just as in my review of Spencer Johnson's The One Minute Sales Person I recommended that sales managers provide a copy of it to each new salesperson, I now strongly recommend that management supervisors provide a copy of The One Minute Manager to anyone for whom they become responsible. I also think that senior-level executives would be well-advised to re-read both books from time to time. Dust and rust do accumulate, don't they?

Rating:
Summary: Here's what I think about it...
Review: The book is not a comprehensive management tool but nonetheless contains good basic concepts all managers should use or at least give a great deal of thought to. A short, easy read that has many nuggets of wisdom, I give it five stars. Other self-help books I liked include "The Multifidus Back Pain Solution."