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: Brief but powerful...
Review: ...just started a new part time job and I read this because the owner found it to be extremely influential in her management style. This book is lickety-split-quick. I read it in about two hours. The story is a fable about a young man who wants to meet the ideal manager, who turns about to be a "one-minute-manager", a composite taken from the authors' research. This book illustrates simple principles in an accessible way with focus on goal setting, affirmation, and effective, though caring, criticism when goals are not met.
For me, this is an effective book as this is a new area of research focus for me. If you're starting out with management techniques or understanding management techniques, then books like this provide accessible points of entry into the field. Ultimately, the book struggles with two flaws that reduce my rating. First, I would like to have more access to the research that generated the one-minute-manager. Without that research this book can be viewed as a fictional fable rather than a practical one. Second, I feel that while effective, several of the techniques are not practical for American business. I asked my dad, a Wharton grad, about this book, and he said that it was in vogue for a while in the 1980s and then lost its influence in ways that books like "The Seven Habits of Effective People" did not. I feel that the reason the book fails is that it treats American employees and employers like rational, grounded individuals. If you read the Wall Street Journal and the newspapers, you realize that Americans are irrational beings and that this ideal is not always practical. Setting goals with a person that has been marginalized culturally, spiritually, economically, and socially is too reductionist an approach. I'm very interested in programs and management styles that will work with difficult employees, the one's that currently sap the strength of most of the large businesses in corporate America and the large institutions such as our public schools. I think that books like "The One Minute Manager" are best for start ups and new blood who want to impose a new corporate culture on a blank slate. For the majority of businesses that are established and trying to dramatically change course, the ideas in this book will be helpful, but not immediately applicable.
--4 stars
--SD
Rating: 
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.
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!
Rating:
Summary: A useful classic
Review: After the 60's and 70's, the terms reinforcement and punishment held negative cultural connotations that seemed to equate people with Pavlov's dog. Blanchard and Johnson's One Minute method presented scientifically validated behavioral psychology in a way that managers of the time could feel comfortable with. Thus, if you apply these ideas, you will not sound like a psychologist circa 1950. Instead, you'll sound like a Politically Correct 1980's management consultant. Despite its age, the method is simple -you can read it in half an hour- yet extremely powerful. First, define the behaviors or results you want (One Minute Goal Setting/ Activator), then let your reports go out and perform. During the performance, you offer reinforcement in two forms, positive or negative. Catch someone doing good, you give them a One Minute Praising (positive reinforcement). Catch a report doing something bad, you give them a One Minute Reprimand (punishment/ negative reinforcement). The result is classic operant conditioning and behavior shaping. I use the concepts in this book regularly. They are simple and very effective. Once you know where you want people to go, the behavior shaping methods presented in this book will likely get your team there, and quickly. One Minute Managing is a surefire way to increase the quantity of actions which add value, while minimizing those which detract. I would recommend Aubrey Daniels' 'Bringing out the Best in People,' which goes into operant conditioning in more depth, as a very solid companion for this book.
Rating:
Summary: I want to be managed like this
Review: As I have seen among employees in different jobs that I have had, too often is the employee left to figure out his/her own job expectations. When an employee experiences this feeling of insecurity, it is usually the trigger for many other undesired exhibited behaviors which soon follow. Lack of motivation, lack of initiative, competing for the boss' attention, and trying to adopt someone else's talent rather than using one's own strengths to benefit the organization are a few of those behaviors seen. Written job descriptions and performance evaluations are at times too vague in letting the employee know how to plan or work through their day-to-day operation. With the concept of One Minute Goal Setting, a powerful tool for invoking motivation is born. The employee feels like he/she has responsibility for a task, the task and the goal is written down and performance against the goal is frequently checked. Success with the goal is then measurable.
One Minute Praising is another concept of great benefit. More than just providing feedback, it becomes a wonderful tool for reinforcing positive behavior or results, i.e. usually seen as quantity or quality work. The employee feels a sense of fulfillment and importance, knowing that his/her work made an impact or made a difference. It also allows the manager to currently share how he/she feels about the work rather than wait or most likely forget to mention it at the time of the employee's performance evaluation. Out of the three concepts, I think this technique builds employee confidence the most. When one feels confident, one is able to set higher standards for himself/herself. Higher standards develop the attitude for working with excellence.
Similarly, One Minute Reprimands "nip things in the bud." Undesired behaviors are curbed and discouraged and because of the seriousness in which the situation is handled, most employees will want to avoid getting reprimanded. Two important and notable aspects of the reprimand is that the behavior of the employee is addressed, not the employee's worth. The reprimand is also not based on "hearsay" but rather on what has been evidenced by the manager himself. Therefore, using this technique, feelings of resentment are not fostered between the employee and the manager. I found this book to be very inspiring. Though I am not yet a manager, these concepts can be used at home, with family, as well as at work with my fellow employees - especially when we work together on projects. They can be even be used with the managers who currently supervise me. The principles are reciprocal and universal. This is how I would want to be managed and this is the way I would like to manage. Great book!
Rating:
Summary: I like what he said....
Review: I heard the One-Minute Manager on audio tape a number of years ago and I liked what Ken said. "If you don't know where you are going, any road will get you there." Awesome.
Rating:
Summary: A Small Book with a Big Impact
Review: I was amazed in how small the book is when I received it in my mail. And it took me only forty minutes to fall in love with it. A focused book that should be obtained by all managers. By all, I mean manager of life too, which is everybody!
Rating: 
Summary: good ideas, but pitched to a male audience
Review: I was referred to the One Minute Manager series when I asked someone I considered an excellent manager if he could recommend some management resources. The One Minute Manager introduces readers to the three techniques of one-minute management - clear goal setting, one-minute praisings and one-minute reprimands.
The points are laid out clearly and the recommendations simple and easy to implement. The book can be read quickly in a single sitting or several short pages at a time. Those with very little time can read the four pages that summarize all the points made in the book.
What bothered me about the book was the portrayal of the business world as a very male environment. A young man looks for the perfect manager and finds the amazing One Minute Manager, referred to throughout the book as, "quite a guy!" The male employees, described by age, explain goal setting and praisings. The female employees, described with adjectives indicating their dress or competence, are secretaries, those providing general info, or those being reprimanded. All but one of the acknowledgements are to men as are all but one endorsement. The authors use sports - golf, football and bowling, as analogies, making for a tone off-putting to female readers. Only on the last page does a young woman come to the formerly young man, now a successful One Minute Manager, seeking advice.
It's not a bad book, if you can ignore the gender stereotypes, but it's also quite basic. I learned more from the One Minute Manager Builds High Performing Teams.
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."
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