The One Minute Manager

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Summary: GREAT BOOK FOR ALL MANAGERS!
Review: IT'S A WONDERFUL BOOK FOR MANAGERS AT ALL LEVELS. THE BOOK SHOWS YOU THE MOST FUNDAMENTAL RULES WHAT YOU SHOULD BE AWARE OF WHEN MANAGING PEOPLE--THE MOST VALUABLE ASSET IN ANY COMPANY. FOR SOMEONE WHO COULDN'T UNDERSTAND THIS, HE OR SHE SHOULD READ IT AGAIN, SLOWLY AND CAREFULLY. I WOULD BE VERY SURPRISED IF ANYONE TOLD ME THAT HE OR SHE COULDN'T GET ANYTHING OUT OF THIS BOOK!

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Summary: Pushing below the surface...
Review: My first text into management, read eight years ago, and I still find that I'm going back to it. A great relational management tool to build upon. I highly recommend it! Reinforcing the understanding that you can never lead anybody until you care about them first. That what you do validates or condemns what you say. That follow through must be demonstrated first by the manager, whether the follower possesses it or not is irrelevant. Someone referred to this text as preachy. If that's the case, after reading this book, you will become aware that it is better to "see" a sermon than to "hear" one anyday! It doesn't boil down to what you read, but rather, what you do with what you read - the One Minute Manager preaches a good foundational message - read it...

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Summary: ...Written (how appropriate) in kid-book style
Review: ...I was given this as a gift and did take the time to wade through its moralizing, preachy text. "People are Your Most Valuable Assets," the authors breathlessly remind us, as if those of us in business are somehow blind to this obvious truth. Its fundamental promise of transforming ones' organization, like that of so many management gurus, rests on the notion that the authors' sheer intelligence and brilliant insights into human nature will transform any organization into a productivity machine. This, as anyone with a real job can tell you, is long, hard work deeply idiosyncratic to the specifics of one industry -- nothing that can be collapsed into a book; certainly not one as thin as this one. Which is not to say that the One Minute Managers is all bad. It paints a wonderful theoretical world where all interpersonal problems can be solved in 59 seconds flat thanks to the fact that the characters are all fictional. It is a terrific daydream. Because that is really what the One Minute Manager, like most fad management books, are about...

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Summary: GREAT LITTLE BOOK, BUY ONE FOR YOUR BOSS
Review: THIS IS THE BOOK I WISH MY PAST LEADERS HAD READ. ITS A QUICK READ THAT GIVES YOU 3 RULES FOR PEACE, HAPPINESS AND SUCCESS. T.J. ENGELBACH

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Summary: A classic! a few minutes summary of One Minute Manager.
Review: I have not read the book, but the cassette does what it preaches and provides valuable material in a shor time. It focuses on giving feedback and interactions with the employees, and to me, when employed effectively it can do more than just save time. I recommend it.

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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.

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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."

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Summary: Simple and Fast
Review: A quick read because the concepts it describes are simple yet powerful. "The One Minute Manager" has evolved into a management classic since its first edition in 1981. Managers will take three precepts from this book: Efficient Goal Setting with employees, Praise, and Reprimands. In other words, make sure your people know precisely what they are to do, and then give them feedback whether they meet those expectations or not. That's it. Simple and effective. It takes an hour to read "The One Minute Manager", consider it an investment.

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Summary: Stilted, simplistic, annoying.
Review: Okay, so when one of your employees is doing something right, you praise him or her. When there is a "problem" (where expected behavior does not equal actual behavior), you quickly reprimand him or her, then wait a second to let it sink in, and then offer a little praise.

This worked very well with my dog.

I learned more about managing people from "Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic" (for XBOX, Amazon item #B000067DPM).

Rating:
Summary: Here's what I think...
Review: A simple, straightforward story that provides handy advice for anyone who has to manage people. To boot, most should be able to finish it in a few hours time. Truly a classic, I give it 5 stars easy. Other self-help books I liked include "The No- Beach, No-Zone, No-Nonsense Weight Loss Plan, A Pocket Guide To What Works. Happy reading!