Book Notes: The One Minute Manager

I first picked up the original edition of this little book in December of 1985 and loved it immediately.  Don’t be deceived by its small size, it’s packed with very practical leadership tools that you can put to use immediately.

The One Minute Manager - Blanchard and Johnson

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Written as a parable by Kenneth Blanchard, Ph.D. and Spencer Johnson, M.D., the book follows a young man as he interviews a succession of people in a high-performing organization and learns what makes them successful.

Instead of encountering the expected domineering autocratic leadership style, he finds a series of very effective leaders who lead people through empowerment.

By making goals that are crystal clear, by focusing on reinforcing good behavior instead of zeroing in on the bad, and by making corrections that focus on fixing the behavior instead of the person, the authors outline an effective way to lead people positively.

They provide clear, step-by-step instructions about what to do and how to do it, and include interesting results from several studies to explain why their method is so effective.

I can’t claim to have perfected doing all these techniques in only one minute, but the method is sound, and following it will help you focus on what is important as you interact with your team. The One Minute Manager was a national best seller when it came out, and the new updated version retains all the qualities that made it so great.

It remains a highly popular and easy read – and a great tool for new leaders to use to get started on the right foot.

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About the Author: Ken Downer
Ken Downer - Founder RapidStart Leadership

Ken served for 26 years in the Infantry, retiring as a Colonel.  From leading patrols in the Korean DMZ, to parachuting into the jungles of Panama, to commanding a remote outpost on the Iran-Iraq border, he has learned a lot about leadership, and has a passion for sharing that knowledge with others.  Look for his weekly posts, check out his online courses, subscribe below, or simply connect, he loves to talk about this stuff.

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