Putting the One Minute Manager to Work

The Symbol

The One Minute Manager's symbol a one minute readout from the face of a modern digital watch - is intended to remind each of us to take a minute out of our day to look into the faces of the people we manage. And to realise that they are our most important resources.

TO

Our wives, Margie and Sandy,

for their constant love

and support throughout

the highs and lows

of our lives

Introduction

In the last episode of The One Minute Manager, the bright young man who was searching for an effective manager learned the One Minute Manager's three secrets. He immediately realised that they were the key to effective management.

The young man learned the One Minute secrets well, because eventually the inevitable happened: he became a One Minute Manager.

He set One Minute Goals.

He gave One Minute Praisings.

He delivered One Minute Reprimands.

In this second episode of The One Minute Manager, a veteran manager wonders whether using the three secrets on a day-to-day basis will really make a difference where it counts - in performance. Bothered by this question, he seeks the answer from a new One Minute Manager. In the process he learns how to put the One Minute Manager to work in a systematic way to achieve excellence.

This book is meant to be a companion to the original book. It is a practical tool that can be used independently to implement the three secrets of the One Minute Manager but will probably be a richer experience if you have first read The One Minute Manager.

We hope you apply and use what the veteran manager learns and see if it doesn't make a difference in your life and the lives of those who work with you.

Kenneth Blanchard, Ph.D.

Robert Lorber, Ph.D.

Putting The One Minute Manager To Work

The Question

WHEN the veteran manager finished reading The One Minute Manager, he put the book down on his coffee table. He leaned back with a questioning look. He had first read the book at the office but had brought it home to give it another reading.

'Even after a second time through', he thought to himself, 'I cannot argue with the logic of the three secrets of the One Minute Manager. But if I practise them, will I actually become a more productive manager?'

The veteran manager decided to do something about his question. The next morning he would telephone a manager in a town some distance away who had, in recent years, turned a troublesome company into a very profitable enterprise. The veteran had read a newspaper interview with this manager in which he had credited much of his success to practising One Minute Management. In fact, he now called himself a 'One Minute Manager'.

The One Minute Manager

THE next morning when the veteran manager got to his office, he rang the new One Minute Manager. He introduced himself and asked the manager if he could see him at some time that week and talk about One Minute Management. The veteran had been warned what the answer might be but he was still surprised when the One Minute Manager actually said, 'Come any time except Wednesday morning. That's when I meet with my key staff. To be honest with you, I don't have much scheduled this week. I'll be glad to talk to you.'

'I'll be there tomorrow morning at ten', said the veteran manager, chuckling to himself. When he put down the phone he thought, 'This ought to be interesting. I'm sure I'll get my questions answered.'

When the veteran manager arrived at the One Minute Manager's office, the secretary said, 'He's expecting you. Go straight in.'

As he entered the room, he found a man in his late forties standing by the window looking out.

The veteran manager coughed and the One Minute Manager looked up. He smiled and said, 'Good to see you. Let's sit down over here.' He led the manager to a pair of comfortable chairs in the corner of the room.

'Well, what can I do for you?' the One Minute Manager asked as he sat down.

'I have read The One Minute Manager and so have my staff', the veteran manager began. 'I'm enthusiastic about it and so are they, but that has happened before when a new management system has been introduced. My question is how do you put One Minute Management to work in a way that turns the secrets into usable skills and makes a difference where it really counts - in performance?'

'Before I attempt to answer that question', said the One Minute Manager, 'let me ask you one. What do you think the message of One Minute Management is?'

'It's quite simple', said the veteran manager. 'If you have a sheet of paper I'll write it down for you.'

The One Minute Manager went over to his desk and got a pad. He gave it to the veteran manager. Without pausing the veteran manager wrote:

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