This one is a classic. First time
published in 1982, this book has sold over 13 million copies and been
translated into 37 languages. I have read this in the past and have just reread
again.
Louis P. Neeb President of Fast Food Division, W. R. Grace & Co has said about this book that “Buying copies of The One Minute Manager is one of the best investments I’ve made in myself and in our managers.”
Such a powerful less than 100 pages book is this and really a quick read. I finished just in one sitting.
These are the 3 key learning (which Kenneth and Spencer called ‘Secret’) from this book:
The First Secret: One Minute Goals
1. Agree on your goals.
2. See what good behavior looks like.
3. Write out each of your goals on a single sheet of paper using less than 250 words.
4. Read and re-read each goal, which requires only a minute or so each time you do it.
5. Take a minute every once in a while out of your day to look at your performance.
and
6. See whether or not your behavior matches your goal.
Authors recommend following 80:20 principle while doing the goal setting, which means 80% results should come from 20% goals.
The Second Secret: One Minute Praising
1. Tell people up front that you are going to let them know how they are doing.
2. Praise people immediately.
3. Tell people what they did right—be specific.
4. Tell people how good you feel about what they did right, and how it helps the organization and the other people who work there.
5. Stop for a moment of silence to let them “feel” how good you feel.
6. Encourage them to do more of the same.
7. Shake hands or touch people in a way that makes it clear that you support their success in the organization.
Here authors recommend to catch people doing something right. Take a moment to comment and appreciate on something they have accomplished that you value.
The Third Secret: One Minute Reprimand
1. Tell people beforehand that you
are going to let them know how they are doing and in no uncertain terms.
The first half of the reprimand:
2. Reprimand people immediately.
3. Tell people what they did wrong—be specific.
4. Tell people how you feel about what they did wrong—and in no uncertain terms.
5. Stop for a few seconds of uncomfortable silence to let them feel how you feel.
The second half of the reprimand:
6. Shake hands, or touch them in a way that lets them know you are honestly on their side.
7. Remind them how much you value them.
8. Reaffirm that you think well of them but not of their performance in this situation.
9. Realize that when the reprimand is over, it’s over.
The first half of the reprimand:
2. Reprimand people immediately.
3. Tell people what they did wrong—be specific.
4. Tell people how you feel about what they did wrong—and in no uncertain terms.
5. Stop for a few seconds of uncomfortable silence to let them feel how you feel.
The second half of the reprimand:
6. Shake hands, or touch them in a way that lets them know you are honestly on their side.
7. Remind them how much you value them.
8. Reaffirm that you think well of them but not of their performance in this situation.
9. Realize that when the reprimand is over, it’s over.
Here, authors recommend One minute reprimands should be given as soon as an employee does something
wrong. One minute reprimands are effective because the feedback is immediate and one need not wait for annual performance
review to give or obtain the feedback. Also, since one mistake is pointed out at one time, the person attends
to it seriously and can take action to work on it and correct it.
In ‘The New One Minute Manager’, One Minute Reprimand is now the One Minute Redirect. Today, where everyone is the learner as there is constant need of skill development, Redirect is more applicable and relevant than Reprimand.
Have you read this book already? If not, I would highly recommend, please do read this. This would help a lot in your dealing with people whether you are a ‘designated’ manager or not.
