Got a Minute?

Just when you thought your employees weren't cooperating, weren't communicating well, weren't producing results or weren't giving your customers the type of service they deserve -- And just when you thought you would never quite get a handle on this management thing -- along comes a book that just may help you put things into perspective and get it right.

Funny thing is, the book has been around for more than a decade. And if you missed it when it first hit the shelves back in 1982, then it's well past time to take a look -- or a fresh look if you've read it before.

The One Minute Manager ($9.95 paperback, Berkley Books) presents a clear, easy-to-read formula for management success that is applicable to just about any business. It'll only take about an hour to read, but the lessons inside might just save countless headaches.

Straightforward Advice

The book was written back in the early 1980's by nationally recognized business consultant Kenneth Blanchard, Ph.D., and psychologist Spencer Johnson. There are more than a few references to matters of that decade - for example, a quick take about the Japanese car revolution in America and a reference to women in the workforce that would have received more than a few raised eyebrows had it been written in the 1990s.

Yet as a whole, the message is written to apply to just about any workplace scenario, and the faceless characters are developed as vehicles to illustrate the major fundamentals of a One Minute Manager: start with one minute goals and give either one minute praisings or reprimands when applicable.

The scene is set with a "bright young man" who is "looking for an effective manager." After spending a great deal of time traveling the world, he goes to an anonymous company and interviews both the head manager and several employees. What he finds out apparently changes his life, because he ends up working for the company and later becoming a manager himself.

The man begins with the boss, getting a blunt and seemingly simplistic assessment of what it takes to be a One Minute Manager, a manager who gets great results from employees in very little time (hence, the "One Minute"). The manager invites him to interview three different employees and find out how the "One Minute" management system works.

The One Minute Philosophy

As the young man interviews the three employees, he learns the secrets behind the technique, which is accomplished with little micromanagement on the part of the boss. Employees are empowered with a one-page list of concise, clearly defined responsibilities and performance criteria. They are encouraged to check up on their progress, seeing if behavior matches the goals.

The employees also tell how they are praised or reprimanded in an almost Pavlovian fashion by the manager. When they do something right, the manager gives him or her an immediate, quick and specific praise. And when they do something wrong - you guessed it - an immediate, quick and specific reprimand followed by a quick reassurance that they are valuable employees.

But as simple as the One Minute message seems, there's a lot more to it. The book takes a positive approach to management, but also a realistic one. With regard to hiring, for example, the manager offers a humorous observation:

"you really have three choices as a manager. First, you can hire winners. They are hard to find and they cost money. Or, second, if you can't find a winner, you can hire someone with the potential to be a winner. Then you systematically train the person to become a winner. If you are not willing to do either of the first two (and I am continually amazed at the number of managers who won't spend the money to hire a winner or take the time to train someone else to be a winner), then there is only one choice left -- prayer."

What is the end result of One Minute Management? While some may say the philosophy completely changed their businesses, perhaps your results may be subtler. Even if you simply take a step or two back and reevaluate your management style from a different viewpoint, the hour invested in reading The One Minute Manager is well worth it.

And increased managerial efficiency also translates into a better end product and better customer service. If an employee receives the right training and feels a personal investment in what he or she is doing, there is a much greater chance that employee will deliver premium service. In a world where customer satisfaction can very well make or break a business (a recent survey by the Technical Assistance Research Program found that 68 percent of customers who leave a business do so because of an attitude of indifference on the part of the employee), it seems only common sense to want to tap into the best possible management strategies.

Anna Myers is a freelance business writer.