The One Minute Manager

The One Minute Manager written by Dr. Kenneth Blanchard and Dr. Spencer Johnson is a handbook, a management guide that revels in its simplicity.

The One Minute Manager is not only the title of the book but also the character whose management style is put under close scrutiny. The One Minute Manager is more of a Zen-master than an office manager, dishing out seemingly cryptic management maxim after another. The One Minute Manager is a proverbial wiseman cut in the mold of Mahatma Gandhi, Obi-wan-Kenobi and Yoda of Star Wars lore, and Gandalf the Great of the Lord of the Rings anthology. His subordinates hold on to his words like treasures in a world of chaos and squalor.

The One Minute Management consists of three components: the one minute goal setting, the one minute praising and the one minute reprimand.

The One Minute Goal Setting dictates that goals should be written on a single sheet of paper using less than 250 words that when read will require no more than one minute.

The One Minute Praising works under the premise that people want to be told specifically and upfront how good their superiors feel every time they complete their tasks successfully.

The One Minute reprimand works under the concept of "eliminate the behavior, keep the person". It states that if only management would intervene early, they could deal with one behavior at a time and the person receiving the discipline would not be overwhelmed.

The names of the One Minute Manager and his apprentice were never disclosed. The relationship as master and apprentice parallels that of Obi-wan-Kenobi and Yoda as Jedi masters and Anakin and Luke Skywalker as Jedi-in-training. "Trust the power of the force" translates to "The Best Minute I Spend is the One I Invest with People".