“The One Minute Manager” by Kenneth Blanchard and Spencer Johnson
A Book Report
How can any individual be an effective manager? This is a question that I had in mind even before opening the book “The One Minute Manager.” The book is authored by Kenneth Blanchard, a prominent management expert and business consultant (“Kenneth Blanchard Ph D. – Biography,” 2008), and Spencer Johnson, a former physician and medical director who was dubbed as “The King of Parables by USA Today” (“Author Biography: Spencer Johnson,” 2008). Blanchard and Johnson have expertly narrated and provided the three best advices which any person can use in managing various situations.
In summary, the book promotes the three various “secrets” in order to have an efficient and productive management skills. The book is seen through a young man’s perspective in search of a perfect person who has perfect leading and managing skills. The young man finds a man whom the former sees as admirable due to his leadership towards his subordinates. The success of this man is due to the three secrets that he has. The man’s first secret is the One Minute Goals. This first secret reveals that, during meetings, managers need to have a goal which has to be agreed upon by their subordinates. The minutes of the meeting, together with the goals and the agreement, should be written down through a brief statement. The statement must be reviewed occasionally in order to secure productivity and development. The authors stated that acquiring this step only takes only a few minutes to do and is the superlative way in attaining great managerial skills.
The second advice is One Minute Praising. This step only involves the act of relating to other people and being open with regard to their performance. Whenever the manager sees his subordinates doing an excellent job, it is best to acknowledge and praise them for their hard work and commend their job. The authors advised that, while praising a subordinate, it is best to notify him or her in detail about the act which the manager finds pleasing. Every once in a while, it is advisable to make employees feel good about their work. In addition, the subordinates would feel that they are given worth by the company. Again, the act only takes a few minutes, but it would have a great impact not only in the performance of the employees, but also in the relationship between managers and subordinates.
The third advice is the One Minute Reprimanding. Honesty is one of the most important values a company should have. Being transparent towards the work done by subordinates is needed in order to have a better outcome in the productivity of the company. However, after the act of reprimanding a person it is said in the book that managers should make the subordinate feel that he or she is important to the company. It is the manager’s responsibility to make the subordinate understand that reprimanding him or her will help in the development of the company. As discussed in the book, it is only natural that subordinates will commit mistakes or not understand some of the instructions given to them. Therefore, reprimanding is very important in the relations of the employees as well as the company’s achievement of goals.
The three key steps given in this book are easy and quick steps to have good relations with managers and their subordinates. These steps can truly help new managers and established managers in having good communication with their employees. Being able to communicate and understand the issues from the perspective of the both sides (mangers and employees) will not only create better working relationships among the members of the organization, but it will also reflect in the performance of the company. Established managers could change their leadership style and shift in to a “one minute manager.”
The three secrets given in the book one minute manager is not only the key to success for managers but also for regular people. If analyzed, the three keys to success simply state that communication is needed in a relationship. While the book pertains to business relationship, it could also be related to our daily lives. One good example is in our home. Parents and children have a relationship with one another; therefore, communication is needed. Parents need to commend and apprehend their children if needed. Children need to feel that their parents appreciate their actions such as their achievements in school or their high grade in an exam. Sometimes, little things are the most important matter for a child. A little appreciation and a simple conversation will not only create good relationship between the child and their parents; it will be evident in the activities done by the children as well.
Based on the reviews given about the book “One Minute Manager,” it is agreed by many authors that it is truly helpful for a starting manager and an established manger. An author named Donald Mitchell, the writer of the book “A Practical Optimist,” stated that “One Minute Manager provides a positive role model for those who have not yet seen one, and good reinforcement for those who have not seen one lately” (Mitchell, 1999, n.p.). Thus, Mitchell sees the book as a helpful material for managers. In addition, he also advised that it must be read annually.
The whole book was worth the time spent while reading it. It is not only a book which offers great advice, but it is also something that can relieve stress because of the way it was written. The writing style is not complicated; hence, it can be read by any type of person. The advices provided are also simple to do, and they only take a few minutes to make. However, I agree with an author named J. Miller who stated that the book was “slightly misnamed [as] the book introduces three skills of management which can be done in a concise way (but probably not quite 60 seconds)” (Miller, 2007).
In addition, the book is something that only refreshes a reader for what he or she needs to do as a manager. The book reminds managers that they need to do simple things in order for them to have an effective communication and relationship with their employees. The whole book is helpful for anyone that needs to have the proper leadership skill. It also serves as a reminder for everyone that sometimes it takes only a minute or two in order to create good development in a company.
Reference
Author biography: Spencer Johnson. (2008). Book Browse. Retrieved September 18, 2008 from http://www.bookbrowse.com/biographies/index.cfm?author_number=221
Blanchard, K. & Johnson, S. (1982). The One Minute Manager. United States of America: William Morrow and Company Inc.
Kenneth Blanchard Ph D. – Biography. (2008). American Speakers Bureau. Retrieved September 18, 2008 from http://www.speakersbureau.com/speakers/blanchard/bio.htm
Mitchell, D. (14 December 1999). Great role modeling of communications and motivation. [Review of the Book One Minute Manager]. Amazon.com. Retrieved September 17, 2008 from http://www.amazon.com/One-Minute-Manager-Kenneth-Blanchard/dp/0688014291/ref=si3_rdr_bb_product.
Miller. J. (4 August 2007). Practical, cute, and easy to read. [Review of the Book One minute Manager]. Amazon.com. Retrieved September 17, 2008 from http://www.amazon.com/One-Minute-Manager-Kenneth-Blanchard/dp/0688014291/ref=si3_rdr_bb_product.
