Garen McMillan: Message extends beyond managers

‘One Minute Manager’ still a gem of a book

I can recall seeing brand-new copies of “The One Minute Manager” at the store when I was just a wee child in 1982. (Depending on the reader, that may cause you to think I’m either really old or really young.) Twenty-five years later, I happened to snag the book for the bargain price of 25 cents at a friend’s garage sale.

The poor book then managed to languish in my own garage for another year before I dusted it off and gave it a try. If you happen to know the authors, Kenneth Blanchard and Spencer Johnson, please don’t tell them of my thoughtlessness.

Even though “The One Minute Manager” is officially closing in on 30 years old, this is a true gem of a book. It’s barely 100 pages long and makes for a quick read initially, especially since it’s told as a parable. However, the three main concepts are timeless — and worth going back to again and again. If you read this book in the past and have let it gather cobwebs over time, then you owe it to yourself and those around you to crack it open again.

This book is not just for managers, either. Everyone can benefit from the idea of doing One Minute Goal Setting. This involves the clarification of what is expected from an employee (or anyone, really) and putting these expectations in writing, using fewer than 250 words. These expectations include not only the desired results, but also the desired behavior that’s needed to get those results. Each goal is on a dedicated sheet of paper, and the book suggests using the 80/20 principle to keep your number of top goals to between three and six. By keeping these goals on hand at all times to revisit not only daily, but repeatedly, you can ensure that success is much more likely to occur.

The second principle in the book is called One Minute Praisings. I particularly liked this section, with its nifty phrase of “Catch them doing something right!” What the authors mean by this is that all too often, the managerial approach is to do the opposite: watch for your employees to do something wrong, and then pounce on them. I knew instinctively that I didn’t like this method of managing, but I hadn’t ever thought about why. The book does a great job of showing that “catching people doing something wrong” ensures that they deliver mediocre performance — just good enough to keep out of trouble with the boss. By “catching people doing something right,” you can foster above-average performance.

The third and final concept in the book is labeled One Minute Reprimands. The authors recognize that not all is eternal sunshine in the workplace, and when something goes awry, it’s time to take action. Far too many managers shrink back from providing immediate feedback to their employees, and instead wait until the infamous six-month review to talk about problems. This is ridiculous when you think about it. By allowing so much time to elapse, the problem doesn’t seem as crucial to resolve within the employee’s mind — and the boss runs the risk of coming across as a tyrant who is impossible to please.

The book suggests that you inform others of your reprimanding style beforehand — prior to any wrongdoing. Once an employee does something wrong, then your reprimand is made up of two parts. The first half requires telling the person what he did wrong — immediately. The manager then lets the employee know how he feels about the situation, and allows this to sink in with a moment of (uncomfortable) silence. The second half of the One Minute Reprimand requires that you shake the employee’s hand, remind him how valuable he is — even though you don’t approve of that particular behavior — and then ensure that everyone knows that when the reprimand is over, it’s over.

The simplicity of the One Minute Manager approach might cause some to give it little consideration; indeed, I have never worked for a One Minute Manager myself. I haven’t found many others who have. There is no doubt in my mind that every workplace would benefit from these three concepts. Even if you don’t manage anyone personally, it would be worth your while to somehow persuade your boss to read this book.

Garen McMillian, a Joplin business owner, can be reached at garenmcmillian@gmail.com.