The New One Minute Manager, Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson, (New York: HarperCollins, 2015).
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The New One Minute Manager Synopsis
Revamped from the original, The New One Minute Manager equips leaders with three tools for leading their people. Written as a management fable, the authors walk readers through the three tools in a modern work story. Each tool takes less than one minute to implement. Additionally, each tool can have a dramatic impact on an employee’s motivation and satisfaction.
Key topic #1: One-minute goals
The first tool is for leaders to set three to five one-minute goals that are succinctly formulated for team members. The purpose of this is to provide individuals with clear direction as to what they are responsible for and what is expected of them. For example, a goal for a customer service representative maybe to resolve eight customer inquiries within an hour. This goal clearly outlines what the customer representative is responsible for (customer inquiries) and how many the manager expects them to resolve (eight).
Key topic #2: One-minute praises
This second tool is for managers to acknowledge their team members when they do great work. It also gets managers to tell the employees specifically what they did well. This provides positive reinforcement to the employee for their actions. This serves as encouragement for the employee to continue doing what they are doing. Furthermore, demonstrating appreciation to employees for their work fosters higher employee satisfaction and a culture of positive support.
Key topic #3: One-minute redirects
In this new version of the book, the authors make an adjustment to tool number three. Instead of a one-minute reprimand, the authors rework this to a one-minute redirect. With this tool, managers still respond to a mistake and expresses how they feel. Managers then give the employee an opportunity to reflect on their mistake.
One key thing to note about the one-minute redirect is that the manager focuses on how their disappointment is with a mistake and not the person. This is to ensure that the feedback is constructive. Additionally, with both the one-minute reprimand and one-minute redirect, the manager reaffirms their trust in the employee.
Key takeaways
- Managers can motivate their employees with three simple tools: one-minute goal, one-minute praise, and one-minute redirect.
- Setting three to five one-minute goals for employees that are succinct and specific gives employees clarity on what they are responsible for and what they need to achieve.
- When giving an employee praise, be as specific as possible.
- For the one-minute redirect, reaffirm trust in the employee in conjunction with expressing disappointment.
Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson
Ken Blanchard, PhD, spent his academic career observing individuals. He worked with fellow researcher Paul Hersey on their Situational Leadership Theory when writing for Management of Organizational Behavior. Blanchard has authored over 60 books, with The One Minute Manager selling over 13 million copies worldwide. He currently runs The Ken Blanchard Companies, a consultancy focusing on leadership development.
Spencer Johnson is the late American physician and Blanchard’s co-author. During his time, he worked at Harvard Business School and the John F. Kennedy School of Government. His writing legacy includes the ValueTales, a series of children’s books.
