One Minute Manager
Are you a tough autocratic manager interested in results but not people or are you a nice democratic manager prioritising people over outcomes? Well The One Minute Manager by Ken Blanchard can give you a middle way that is likely to be far more effective at getting results from your team. This classic management book has been in print for over 20 years. Written as a story, it is only 100 pages long, but don’t let its easy style and thinness fool you – there are some very useful ideas here.
We join a young man on his search for the perfect manager. After some failed attempts he hears about the “One Minute Manager”. Intrigued by the name he goes to see him in his company and after a number of conversations with him and his staff he learns the secrets to how to get a lot out of people through some simple, quick approaches.
The key techniques covered are how to set clear concise goals, how to motivate people through recognition, how to make staff take responsibility for their issues and lastly, and probably the most difficult to do, how to tell people when they are performing poorly. The approach is really an early version of the coaching style of management that has become popular over the last decade. It helps the manager set clear boundaries for their teams and then allows them to perform within them, whilst always being there in a coaching capacity if needed.
I have used these simple techniques and coached others in their practise. They can work well. My only warning would be that maybe the book is slightly too simplistic. For example, be careful when using the last technique – the one-minute reprimand. I think this can only work if used with the prior understanding of both manager and team member. Despite this – I think it is a great book for new and old managers alike.
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