Book Review – The One Minute Manager, Kenneth Blanchard and Spencer Johnson

This book is about thirty years old but the message still rings true. I would imagine that it was ahead of its time with the suggestions on how to treat your staff in a positive, productive manner.

Most people would agree that the One Minute Manager is a very easy to read book that gives some great tips on how to improve your management and leadership style.

Written as a story about a young fellow looking for an effective manager to learn from. He finally finds him when he meets the self-titled ‘one minute manager’ who agrees to share his knowledge.

This book is an entertaining read that offers three very practical tips for managing people successfully using the following points:

1. One Minute Goal Setting: Make Sure Staff Know What is Expected of Them. 

• Keep goals and objectives very clear, write them down;
• Take time throughout the day to look at your goal list and how you are doing;
• Are you on track to achieve what you set out to?

2. One Minute Praising: Help Your Staff to Reach Their Full Potential. 

• Be open about the fact that you will be observing and giving them feedback;
• Show praise and gratitude when you do observe them doing a good job;
• Encourage them to do more of the same.

3. One Minute Reprimands: Reprimand and Reassure 

• Be open about the fact that you will let them know if they do the wrong thing;
• Reprimand immediately, don’t leave it until much later;
• Be specific about what they did wrong then remind them that it is about their performance in this instance not about them as a person or the valuable contribution they make to the business.

The overall message of the book is to be clear with your staff whether you are setting goals, praising or reprimanding.

Keep the communication simple so that your staff members can easily digest the information you are giving them. When we can clearly understand and process information it is so much easier to put it into practice.