The One Minute Manager

book: The One Minute Manager
author: Kenneth H. Blanchard and Spencer Johnson

general overview

this book talks heavily about three tools that could change your management style for the better. they are:

• set three goals for each of your employees, which you can review in one minute or less.
• use one minute praise to give your employees positive feedback.
• a one minute reprimand is more than enough to express your dissatisfaction.

many struggles that a company will face will often times go back to one simple thing which is communication. so many problems are preventable as long as you communicate well, honestly, openly and early.

it’s easy for managers to forgot to praise good work done by their employees, especially because they’re so busy by nature. this book talks a lot about how a good manager should always take 60 seconds to praise good work.

an example of this could be:

“Tom, you did a fantastic job fixing that broken code this morning, i can always rely on you when stuff breaks!”

and the same goes for dissatisfaction with work. if you’re dissatisfied with someone’s work then you need to let them know. one minute is enough time to do so.

an example of this could be:

“i’m sorry Shirley, but that company presentation was below par and didn’t present us in the right light. promise me you’ll do better next time, okay? i know you can do better, you’re doing so well on organizing that workshop for our clients, keep up the good work there.”

criticism like this works well for three reasons:

• your employee feels that their mistakes are being treated fairly and not with injustice.
• you both clear the air instantly and avoid dwelling on bad feelings
• you remind your employee of their own worth and the valuable part they play in the organization

these same strategies carry over to person life as well. they’ll be very helpful for managing people in your life.