Book Description
For more than twenty years, millions of managers in Fortune 500 companies and small businesses nationwide have followed The One Minute Manager's techniques, thus increasing their productivity, job satisfaction, and personal prosperity. These very real results were achieved through learning the management techniques that spell profitability for the organization and its employees.
The One Minute Manager is a concise, easily read story that reveals three very practical secrets: One Minute Goals, One Minute Praisings, and One Minute Reprimands.
The book also presents several studies in medicine and the behavioral sciences that clearly explain why these apparently simple methods work so well with so many people. By the book's end you will know how to apply them to your own situation and enjoy the benefits.
That's why The One Minute Manager has continued to appear on business bestseller lists for more than two decades, and has become an international sensation.
Customer Reviews:
A little disappointing .......2007-10-02
Yes, the 1 minute manager method is nice, and it can really work in certain conditions. But the books is too pretentious and the authors wrap the idea in way too many pages, just to fill a book.
This kind of book should have half as many pages and sell for half as much.
Insightful approach but too vague.......2007-08-29
On one hand I really like the way this book gets right to the point without consuming lots of time. Too many books with a similar mission would spend 400 pages, but this one can be read in an hour.
The brevity is a double-edged blade though, because the book falls short of fully explaining its concepts. It really touches on only three main approaches to management, but it does not provide anything in the way of examples or contingencies in case real life does not match the story.
I am glad I read it but it is hard to say the book is worth the money. You really do not get much content for the price. Upon finishing the book, you'll soon realize the need to buy more books from these authors to flesh out how to implement their suggestions.
Practical, cute, and easy to read.......2007-08-05
This is a great little introduction to personnel management. Though slightly misnamed, the book introduces three skills of management which can be done in a concise way (but probably not quite 60 seconds). Managers should cast clear vision and expectations, commend good work, and correct mistakes. That's it.
The reason the book is so good is that so many managers can't or won't do those three simple things. The ability to confront employees in a non-combative way is too abrasive for sensitive people-people, and too limited for true autocrats. Praise is simple and obvious enough, but many managers think they've done it when they haven't. And precise goal-setting is sometimes beyond business leaders who do not have sharp mental editing skills. When you're finished with the book, you haven't heard anything you didn't already know, you've only been reminded of how important it is to do these things. Like diet and exercise, most of us know what's best for us regardless of whether or not we do it. Additionally, and this is a subtle point, the manager has to express how he or she feels about an employee's performance, and accurate expression of feeling is sometimes beyond the emotional range of some really driven leaders.
It's a top notch, brief read. Everyone in leadership ought to read it, even if they walk away with nothing new. The only thing I'd correct is some mediocre narrative, as the whole book is written as a fictional set of interviews by a young manager-to-be of his idiolized One Minute Manager, running a company. But no one's reading this book because they meant to pick up a good novel, so writing style is a minor issue. That aside, it's worth the content.
Yesterday excelent, today just good.......2007-08-03
What can I say about this book? - If you haven't heared anything about it, you must read it, but don't expect too much. It's a well-known stuff, covered by a lot of modern management books and authors, but I wanted in my collection, so ....
yeah right.......2007-07-23
This book is too simple to be really effective. So what if you are a tough or nice manager? This book is basically trying to find a balance, and that's nothing new. And it tell you to evaluate your performance with your goals, thanks for the insight, wow, I've learned so much. Save your money and time. If you must, check it out at the library.
Book Description
In clear, simple terms Leadership and the One Minute Manager® teaches managers the art of Situational Leadership®--a simple system that refutes the conventional management mandate of treating all employees equally. Here, you'll learn why tailoring management styles to individual employees is so important; why knowing when to delegate, support, or direct is critical; how to identify the leadership style suited to a particular person; and how consistent use of the One Minute techniques will produce better management and enhanced motivation on all levels. This remarkable, easy-to-follow book is a priceless guide to creative, personalized leadership that elicits the best performance from your staff--and the best bottom line for any business.
If your management motto is "everyone should be treated equally," Leadership and the One Minute Manager. will show you why this style not only hinders workplace efficiency, but also frustrates your staff. In clear, simple terms, Ken Blanchard, co-author of the enormously popular The One Minute Manager., coupled with business gurus Patricia and Drea Zigarmi, teach managers the art of Situational Leadership.. You'll learn why tailoring management styles to individual employees is so important; when to delegate, support, or direct; how to identify the leadership style suited to a particular person; and how consistent use of the One Minute techniques will produce better management and enhanced motivation on all levels. This remarkable, easy-to-follow book is a priceless guide to creative, personalized leadership that elicits the best performance from your staffand the best bottom line for any business.
Customer Reviews:
One Minute is practical.......2007-08-13
The style of the book is great, it's a story. Someone discovers the method just like we would do it.
It's fiction (I suppose) but the situations are clear and the lessons are clear.
This makes the methods usefull, you understand them immediately.
Putting it into practice will require some thinking and self-training, but the principles are sound.
It's all too obvious, but in practice I see that not doing this is very unproductive.
Leadership.......2007-07-01
4 Stars.
Leadership and the One Minute manager, by Ken Blanchard, Patricia Zigarmi, and Drea Zigarmi, is a great book on leadership methods. In particular, Blanchard's "Situational Leadership 2"(tm) model is an outstanding description of effective leadership approaches. The idea that your approach to leadership should depend not only on the individual(s) you're leading, but also on the context (i.e. - the situation) of leadership is sadly overlooked by many other theories/philosophies on leadership.
Admittedly, Blanchard's parable style approach to the matter is a little hokey, and some of the dialogue is contrived. Nonetheless, this book sends a message that many of today's leaders and managers would do well to pay attention to.
Also recomended are Blanchard's other One Minute Manager books, particularly:
- The One Minute Manager, with Spencer Johnson, and
- The One Minute Manager Builds High Performance Teams, with Donald Carew and Eunice Parisi Carew.
Leadership - developed, not appointed.......2007-02-18
Very good book for any one that supervises or directs employees. Primarily for a manager with salaried employees, but applicable for first line supervisor of hourly.
This book examines different levels of ability, and the different responses required to deal with different conduct/performances.
A Must Read - Situational Leadership.......2007-01-09
Leadership and the One Minute Manager: Increasing Effectiveness Through Situational Leadership by Ken Blanchard and company takes the classic "One Minute Manager" to the next level. The key difference is that Leadership and the One Minute Manager provides you with a scalable system to assess your team members skills, agree on the terms of success and the steps to success and then agree on a system for accountability. I have found it to be one of the most powerful tools to run my business.
a different definition of consistency.......2006-07-13
This entry in Ken Blanchard's One Minute Manager Library uses the narrative style that has for better or worse become standard in business literature to teach `situational leadership' in terms of flexibility, diagnosis, and partnering.
Blanchard's style tends toward the simple rather than the complicated side of the leadership menu and so his popular books are short and broken into bite-sized chapters, usually based upon one of his trademark sayings.
The `situational' in `situational leadership' means that Blanchard wants to coach a leader who can vary his style based upon the situation he encounters. The idea is not to produce an automaton of managerial efficiency, but rather a human being who is wise. This latter aspect of his program may have increased in recent years. The book under review dates from 1985, but wisdom under other names is already a desirable feature, even if it emerges at this early date more as a technical ability than a character virtue.
I find this little entry to be a refreshing reminder to step back and understand the human being whom one is `managing' when much of my leadership reading focuses--properly, I think--on the person of the leader. Blanchard reminds us between the lines of Leadership and the One Minute Manager that we manage human beings and that we do so for some reason larger than ourselves. Their competence and attitude vary from week to week and from task and so, therefore, should our managerial interaction with them.
That alone is worth the read.
Book Description
Get that monkey off your back!
Start with a monkey. It comes from your subordinates shifting their responsibility to you -- until you're working for them! How does the successful manager keep monkeys off his back? In this lively, provocative seminar, two of today's foremost consultants show you:
* How to recognize monkeys before they land on your back
* How to stop your subordinates from imposing unnecessary time demands on you
* Why "an honest day's work for a fair day's pay" does not apply to managers
* The real answer to the Manager's Lament: "where does all the time go?"
* Why you should be on the golf course on Saturday instead of at the office
Be a smarter, tougher and better manager!
Together and separately Kenneth Blanchard and William Oncken have trained and consulted with America's largest corporations. Now they bring their unique style and hard-hitting program to audio -- to help you take charge of your job and your life.
Customer Reviews:
An easy read that could change your life immensely!.......2007-07-23
I would read another 100 books in this series!
There are so many business books out there that offer complex theories and require a PHD to read.
Kenneth Blanchard created yet another easy to read classic that will help me not only grow my business and help my clients, it gave me some great lessons to share with my grandchildren too.
Full of practical, simple advice and stories that can help you identify the monkey business in your life, and get the monkeys off your back!
AA++ mate! Looking forward to more! See you in Austin!
20/20 Ex Hostage - Professional Visionary
Formerly known as John Wingert
Get those monkeys off your back!.......2007-06-10
If your a mid-level manager and you need some basic supervisory skills training, this is the book for you. Excellent overview--it helped my work productivity from day 1, and a good entree into the rest of the One Minute Manager series.
Simple Lessons Concisely Presented.......2007-06-04
This book is a very quick read that describes some simple rules for managing better by not taking on other people's work. The authors explain that by doing things for your people you are not only making life harder on yourself, but also not actually doing an important part of your job, which is helping people develop. Anyone who manages (or who has a manager and needs to manage up) will benefit from the simple lessons, concisely presented. There are even lessons you can apply to the informal leadership roles many of us have such as parent, or someone involved in a community activity.
Promotion Material.......2007-05-07
Since my first purchase of this book last year, I have recommended it to half a dozen people and received a promotion myself. It's so clear after reading and applying the teachings from this book, that so often as managers, we tend to do a lot of things well but unfortunately we are doing the wrong things at the wrong time. Being free to delegate and ensure that what we let go of is completed with the same level of expectation as we would put on it, is liberating to say the least. A must read if you are feeling too busy to do the things that are important to you outside your work a day world. Best management book I have read.
The One Minute Manager Meets the Monkey.......2007-01-04
This is a great coaching tool to create a conversational strategy for learning to effectively delegate and build trust and empower indiviudals. It is an easy read and when used with graphics and other creative tools it has a dramatic impact on individuals behaviors.
Product Description
SAFETY 24/7 Building an Incident Free Safety Culture By Gregory M. Anderson & Robert L. Lorber, Ph.D. Book Summary
Customer Reviews:
Wonderful Book.......2007-03-08
I was first introduced to the book while providing consulting services (for the company who I now work for) at one of their customer's locations. The particular customer provides a copy of the book to all contractors doing business at their site!
I have been in the field of safety for approximately 15 years; 6 years with a Japanese Company, 7 years with a major Lift Truck manufacturer, 1 ½ years with the State of Ohio, and approximately 6 months with my current employer dealing with Construction, Crane & Rigging, Maintenance, etc. This is the first book dealing with safety that I could not put down; I had to read the entire book in one sitting!
I have taught behavioral safety and found that most of the items I have covered in training were in this book. It is the perfect book for everyone from top management to a newly hired employee to read. I am a member of the Society of Ohio Safety Engineers and I took Safety 24/7 to a meeting with me, briefed the members on it and strongly recommended that they all get copies. We (PSC) purchased several copies of the book and are in the process of giving copies to all of our supervisors. We have had several employees read the book, write summaries of the book and indicate how building an incident-free culture is beneficial to their workplace. Our goal is to have all employees who work for us, go through this - on our time!
We have provided copies to some of our customers to help impress upon them how strongly we feel about safety! I just can't say enough good things about the material covered in the book! I must also tell you that when the owner's of PSC came to me to ask me to come work for them I told them they had to do two things; 1) Support me in "safety" and be actively involved and 2) Read Safety 24/7!
Thank you so much for the wonderful book! It goes beyond what a safety professional can teach! I am looking forward to a sequel!
Julie Cotrell
Good book........2007-01-11
Good book, easy read. Makes you think that zero injuries and accidents are possible (and they are). Just work at it 24/7...
Book Description
Ken Blanchard's phenomenal bestselling classic The One Minute Manager explores the skills needed to become an effective self leader. Now, Self Leadership and the One Minute Manager clearly and thoroughly reveals how power, freedom, and autonomy come from having the right mind-set and the skills needed to take personal responsibility for success.
In this captivating business parable, number one
New York Times bestselling author Ken Blanchard, with coauthors Susan Fowler and Laurence Hawkins, tells the story of Steve, a young advertising executive who is about to lose his job. During a series of talks with a gifted magician named Cayla, Steve comes to realize the power of taking responsibility for his situation and not playing the victim. Passing along the knowledge she has learned from the One Minute Manager, Cayla teaches Steve the three skills of self leadership. These three techniques not only empower him to keep his job but show him what he needs to know in order to keep growing, learning, and achieving.
For twenty-five years, millions of managers in Fortune 500 companies and small businesses nationwide have followed Ken Blanchard's management method, thus increasing their productivity, job satisfaction, and personal prosperity. Now, discover Ken Blanchard's newest techniques in Self Leadership and the One Minute Manager and experience the profitability that has been achieved by applying his management lessons.
Customer Reviews:
good book!.......2007-07-09
very eye opening. I hope it will increase my effectiveness and it has increased my awareness.
good concept but...........2007-01-10
The idea behind increasing effectiveness is a good one. There were times that I was able to incorporate the ideas into the situations here in an optical office. There were more times however, that the events just do not unfold as you would hope. It is as this point that the book's offered guidelines become faint and you may find yourself deeply in, and feel like you are starting over.
Worked in conjunction with the other Minute Manager books your business self is improved. The earlier books were more helpful than this addition to the series on their own. This edition just does not stand up by itself.
Eliminating Victimization.......2006-09-06
One of the main problems with most organizations is the amount of victimization throughout; blaming everything and everybody for ones problems. In delightful story form, this book shows how one can go from being a victim to self leader. The book gets at the very foundational factors that allow us to learn and grow and shows how we can use our power to lead ourselves and others. It is a must-read for everyone.
Simply Amazing!.......2006-06-08
I selected a variety of management books to browse at a local bookstore. This was the second book I picked up from the stack and I didn't get to any of the others. I couldn't put it down. Because it was such a quick and easy read, I finished it in the store!
When I finished I felt better about myself, my position at my newly formed software company, and how to push through to complete my large goal list. I will definitely be adding this book to my library. My friends and coworkers will be receiving copies as well.
Another "Home Run" for the Blanchard Team!.......2006-02-20
Blanchard's Leadership and the One Minute Manager written in 1985 was an excellent, easy to understand book about Situational Leadership.
Self Leadership and The One Minute Manager is a "must read" if you are working in the year 2006. Here's why...
Blanchard points out on page xiii of the introduction that it is not unusual for a manager to have 25 to 75 direct reports. Some of these direct reports he/she may never have met face to face.
This "fact of working life" makes it important for YOU to take responsibility for the application of the situational leadership model to YOUR life and career. Your supervisor or HR no longer has the time to be concerned with the YOUR career development.
As a executive coach I find many people in the work place are discouraged with the progress of their careers, but are not ready to accept the responsibility for their own career development.
This book will show you how!
Book Description
The One Minute Manager, published in 1982, took the world by storm. More than 13 million copies have been sold in this country and it has been translated into more than 25 languages, making it one of the most influential books about business management ever written. The second book in this record-breaking series, Putting the One Minute Manager to Work, turns the three secrets of One Minute Management into day-to-day skills and shows how they work in real-life situations. By going straight to boardrooms and assembly lines for their examples, the authors put the One Minute concepts into working systems that directly affect a company's bottom line. Here is the next step in the revolutionary, simple, and uniquely effective system that is changing how the world runs business.
Customer Reviews:
Good re-read. Always a good refresher course........2007-07-16
This book keeps management principles in its simplist form. I have given these books to many managers over the years to help them understand and learn the basic principles of management. A great read!!!!
The orginal book changed my life.......2007-05-08
This book is about so much more than management. I applied the principles to all areas of my life years ago and what a difference it made.
I highly recommend this as a wonderful addition to your must read list. This book gave me easy ways to apply the concepts to my life.
Better than the first, but still little meat.......2007-01-12
I read this book in an MBA course taught by one author. Both are "executive coaches", meaning they counsel well-paid CEO's. Nice shtick if you can burrow in. They cannot be mentors since neither has real work experience and they aren't real academics. Lorber spends less than 1 day/wk at UCD, mostly lending his Organization Behavior aura.
The methods discussed are necessary, but hardly sufficient. A competent manager should walk the floor, pat people on the back, discuss short-term goals, and give regular performance reviews. However, managers must also be very competent, which usually requires rising through the ranks. They should do more than shuffle papers and put on a show, although that can work in large bureaucracies. Psychology tricks may work in the short time to get employees to shoulder more of the company's obligations and risks, but over the long-term employees wise up. Managers must provide proper incentives, both financial and for professional/career advancement, otherwise their best people walk.
Still Managing to get it right.......2007-01-05
The One Minute Manager series is still managing to get it done right even after all these years. I highly recommend it to middle managers evrey where in every field.
A book for everybody........2006-03-07
This book is pitched at managers who are either new to the position or managers who feel they might have people problems they need to resolve - in other words: everybody. A lot of the philosophy is common sense to me, and I say this to emphasize that I agree with it wholeheartedly.
The core of the book revolves around closing the loop - if you'll pardon the pun - on training, monitoring and giving feedback when managing employees. The authors follow the style of management that delineates goals, performance and how the employee's performance matches the targets: activators, behaviors and consequences, that is, the ABC's of people management.
The manager should make sure he ("he" is she or he) sets appropriate goals for each employee and for each task. Goals must be concrete and observable and targets must be measurable. When giving feedback, make sure it is constructive. If the results are positive, give lots of praise. If the results aren't up to par, review the reasons with the employee, get agreement, and end the discussion on a positive note, praising the employee about one angle of the task he or she did well. The authors therefore, advocate encouraging learning by reassessing goals, and never reprimanding a learner.
Another part of the philosophy is PRICE, which stands for P-inpoint, R-ecord, I-nvolve, C-oach, E-valuate - all revolving around identification and recording of planned measurable output, help or coaching along the way and checking performance against the specific targets originally set. This identification and planning of the measurable output must be arrived at together with the employee to ensure that the employee has a sense of ownership of the targets to achieve.
Another example worth noting from this book is about the character Hank. If the manager expects his people will do nothing right, he shouldn't be surprised if they aren't motivated to do better. This is basic human psychology: expect the best, treat people in that way and that's what you will get.
Near the end of the book, one last nugget of wisdom is given. Do implement this philosophy in everything you do, and you will start to see improvements. Don't overly worry if you can't get everything right at first. Incremental improvements to this process will also bring results.
One main consequence of this people management style, is better motivated people, basically because it implies management does care not only about what employees do, and how well they do it, but also that management follows up. In the process management earns trust, and the employees will reach to achieve any goals they believe is even slightly within their grasp. In the end, contrary to the common belief that one cannot motivate others and that one can only enable people to feel motivated, I believe this management method is one way to motivate people.
Amazon.com
Does it seem that good ideas go nowhere at your company? That meetings are often a waste of time? That nobody seems to be in charge? Roger Fisher (the coauthor of the bestselling book Getting to Yes) and Alan Sharp tackle, in their book Getting It Done, the inertia that afflicts many groups. The authors advance the idea of lateral leadership as a means of breaking apart the logjams that inhibit effective collaboration in organizations. Lateral leadership consists of five elements: clarifying the purpose of what you're trying to accomplish; understanding how to harness the power of organized thought; learning how to integrate thinking with doing; getting yourself and your team engaged; and, finally, learning how to give feedback on what's been accomplished. This is a practical guide to solving common workplace woes that will relieve the frustrations that many of us experience everyday and at the same time help us to stand out as leaders.
Book Description
Let's face it. In this chaotic world of teams, matrix management, and horizontal organizations, it's tougher than ever to get things done. How do you lead when you're not the one in charge? How can you be effective when joint action is needed? You need an edge in order to reach solutions and effectively work with others.
Customer Reviews:
Great book on leadership.......2007-09-09
I recently bought this book from Amazon and really liked it. The book breaks down the leadership process and helps the reader to achieve the goals individually and then 'laterally' lead his/her team to achieve the same. Simple advice coupled with relevant examples make it easy to read and implement. Highly recommended for anyone working in a team environment.
The Goal Setting Chapter is worth the price of admission.......2007-02-21
Overall this book covers a topic we all understand, but maybe dont implement or think too much about. So - from that standpoint, its a good book to review basic team "best practises".
Specifically though, I found the chapter on Goal setting to be excellent. Being someone who is heavily into goal setting and mission statements, I still found information that was new to me. I would recommend this book, just based on that chapter.
In Conclusion - if this is the only Negotiation/Team Building book you'll read this year, then I would pass for something like "Getting to Yes" by the same Author. This is a great polish book once you've delved into other team building books.
Good Information... Nothing New..........2006-11-06
This is a good book if you've never read a book about leadership. However, it's nothing new... the 'lateral leadership' concept discussed in this book are no different than any other leadership book.
Useful for every situation........2005-02-07
Learnings from this book can be applied to many things in your life.
Maximizing You're Group's Potential.......2003-07-31
When searching online for a book on leadership, this book's title,"Getting It Done. How to Lead When You're Not in Charge", immediately grabbed my attention. It seemed perfect for what I needed a little help on. I am sure I am not alone. Everyone at one point in their life is forced into a group situation, whether it is in school, work or everyday life, where they are assigned a problem in which the group needs to accomplish together. However, before a group can solve the problem assigned, it needs to conquer the problems within the group. One of the problems that I have found to exist within every group I have been in is how to reach solutions and successfully work with others when no one knows exactly who is in charge. Everyone needs to individually take on responsibility and contribute, but it works best when you know exactly what you should focus on and the right questions to ask your group members to obtain the best results. This book does an excellent job in first of all, mapping out the problems that groups face and then going into detail by explaining the route group members should take to maximize success. Fisher and Sharp have five basic elements that groups can follow to get things done. By following these five easy steps it will give you a clear focus of how to put it all together and create a successful way to complete the tasks assigned within your group. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a little extra help to maximize their group's potential. It is very easy to read and the information and suggestions that the authors provide will be remembered and used every time I am placed in a group situation again.
Book Description
Never before in the history of the workplace has the concept of teamwork been more important to the functioning of successful organizations. Ken Blanchard bestselling coauthor of Raving Fans, The One Minute Manager, and Gung Ho! teams up with Donald Carew and Eunice Parisi-Carew to explain how all groups move through four stages of development on their way to becoming high performance teams -- orientation, dissatisfaction, integration, and production. The authors then show how a manager can help any group to become fully effective quickly and with hardly any stress.
The valuable addition to The One Minute Manager® Library is essential for anyone who works with groups and wants to build a high performing team.
Never before in the history of the workplace has the concept of teamwork been more important to the functioning of successful organizations. Bestselling author Ken Blanchard and his two collaborators explain how all groups move through four stages of development on their way to becoming a high performing team-Orientation, Dissatisfaction, Integration, and Production. They then show how a manager can help any group become fully effective sooner and with much less stress.
This valuable addition to The One Minute Manager. Library is essential for anyone who works with groups and wants to build a high performing team.
Customer Reviews:
all books should be like this one.......2006-11-30
Short, straight-to-the point, wise book. This is exactly what I needed for increasing the productivity of the team I manage.
one minute manager builds performing teams, the rev.......2006-03-10
great reference and information in one concise format.
A useful resource for team development.......2005-01-16
I was referred to the One Minute Manager series when I asked someone I considered an excellent manager if he could recommend some management resources. The One Minute Manager Builds High Performing Teams was my first introduction to the series.
The book is written as a conversation between the One Minute Manager (a nameless, faceless character), a curious manager named Dan, and a human resource manager named Maria who brought up the question of how to manage teams versus individuals.
The print is large and there are only a few paragraphs per page, making it quick and easy reading, especially for those who only have time to read a small segment at a time. The dialogues are occasionally dull and a bit pedantic, but the messages come through clearly. And these messages, how to diagnose the development stage a team is currently in and which management style is appropriate for each stage of development, are usual analysis tools for anyone leading a group. The messages from the book can also easily be identified and passed on to group members through a short presentation.
A worthwhile book to look at for anyone wanting to improve team motivation, productivity and functioning.
Excellent! .......2004-08-23
This book gives a great overview of team stages and the simple idea of situational management based on team progress. Excellent!
Simple, fun superficial read.......2004-01-26
Kenneth Blanchard turns his attention to small group dynamics and group performance in this, on of the stable of One Minute Manager books.
Academically, the two principal concepts that Blanchard and his co-authors use, are the stages of group development and Situational Leadership. The familiar stages of forming, storming, norming and performing are termed orientation, dissatisfaction, integration and production. Situational Leadership in this context refers to changing leadership styles according to the stage of the group, thereby filling in for process tasks that the group is unable to accomplish for itself.
Groups tend to start in a high-energy, high motivation but low skills and understanding mode of operation. In this stage, directive leadership provides the structure necessary to move forward. The second stage is one of dissatisfaction, questioning of leadership and clarification of roles. As unpleasant as this stage is, we are reminded that conflicts cannot be resolved if they are avoided. A resolving attitude on the part of the leader is exactly what is needed. As confidence and morale return to the group members, they pass hesitatingly into a third stage, termed integration. In this stage, commitment on goals, roles and tasks increases, as well as to the norms, values and processes of the group. A collaborating leadership style that allows control to be shared and facilitates the surfacing of disagreements is critical to the group's continued growth. Finally, the production stage is characterized by high levels of trust, morale, energy and empowerment. The team can pretty much function autonomously, without a leader whose primary purpose is to validate.
Blanchard's strength is his manner of presentation and clarity of relating ideas from disparate sources. The book is a quick read and yet it presents some fairly profound concepts, connecting the dots in a way that reading a collection of "Harvard Business Review" articles can never accomplish. Most of the book is a conversation between Dan Brockway, the director of training at a chemical company, and his mentor, The One Minute Manger. The coordinator of customer service programs, Maria Sanchez, disagrees with the presentation of material for The Essentials of Management course that Dan is coordinating.
Instead of helping Dan convince her that she is wrong, The One Minute Manger allows Dan to observe the functioning of four groups at different stages of development at his own company. The gradual, real-world exposition of the central issues of group dynamics leads into three-way discussions between Dan, Maria and the Manager about the practicalities, pitfalls and variations in group development. The goal is to produce what Blanchard and others have called "Highly-Effective Teams", effectively defined in the early pages.
The intent of the book is to teach and, with two educational doctorates as co-authors, the structure and style is simple to read and flows so logically that it is as easy to digest as Jello. A busy manager can read this book in a single New York commute and keep revisiting it as needed, while his teams evolve. Students can learn and integrate new concepts more fruitfully, as they learn how the pieces all fit together. Participants in teams can quickly get a sense of what they need to do to effectively contribute to the tasks at had, which inevitably include the processes that the group uses to get things done. Anyone reading this book is well advised to realize that this is a brief synopsis and oversimplification of group dynamics and leadership styles. Extended discussions of roles played by participants in dysfunctional groups and extensive elaboration of Situational leadership are found elsewhere and should be referenced when necessary. In the end, drawing on all our creativity and individual knowledge and experience is the path to generating value in a knowledge economy.
Book Description
This is the story of a One Minute Manager who was so successful in every way that he forgot one important thing: He forgot to stay physically fit. He was so much in demand that he ate on the run, didn't take time to exercise, and all the while saw his weight balloon and his breath grow shorter. He soon discovered success in business was endangering his health. His life was out of balance.For all those busy, achieving people with overcrowded schedules, here is a useful blueprint that shows how to manage stress and make a lifetime commitment to fitness and well-being. By following four important strategies for balancing a complicated life, everyone can get their bodies back into shape and their lives into proper perspective. The One Minute Manager Balances Work and Life offers a way to achieve not only a new, healthier style of living but increased productivity as well. For the millions of readers of Ken Blanchard's bestselling books--including Raving Fans and Gung Ho!--here's invaluable advice for getting the most out of life.
Customer Reviews:
shaken, not stirring.......2006-07-26
Ken Blanchard's little One Minute Manager books define a genre.
Neither riveting reading nor high-stakes illumination, they simply get a message across effectively to the management reader who is not too concerned with aesthetics. Even the illustrations are garden-variety basic.
Yet these books have sold millions and they work.
The One Minute Manager Balances Work and Life presents the usual contrived encounter between the One Minute Manager and another of the usual subjects, this time the Professor. Somewhat off the beaten path, this time it is the One Minute Manager Himself who is desperately in need. Since we last saw him contentedly setting the organization world right, he has foolishly transformed himself into an overweight, out-of-breath victim of his own success.
Bad One Minute Manager!
This gives him the chance to narrate his own turn-around process, a conversion that I must admit I find rather inspiring.
Along the way one is treated to the usual locked doors when he tries to slip away from responsibility for the situation. This habit of assigning personal responsibility is perhaps one of the keys to the success of this series.
If you need to balance work and life, pick up one of these little books on the cheap.
Title is deceiving.......2005-12-17
I'm guessing the book was retitled to what is now to attract more readers. However, the content doesn't match the title. This is all about the importance of staying fit and being healthy. If that's what you're looking for, this book is for you. But if you're looking to balance work/life, there are better books to purchase.
The One Minute Manager Takes Care of Himself!.......2003-04-26
This book was originally published under the title "The One Minute Manager Gets Fit." An even better title would have been "The One Minute Manager Takes Care of Himself." The entire volume emphasizes the importance of taking of oneself so that effectiveness in all other areas of life will be at a maximum.
There are four components presented here to insure a fit, healthy life: autonomy, connectedness, perspective and tone. Autonomy pertains to getting control of one's personal schedule so that there is enough time for self-care. Connectedness refers to having a strong, interpersonal support network to keep on track with proper fitness, nutrition, etc. Perspective pertains to how well one views his own life. Tone refers to the actual physical condition and health of a person's body, mind and emotions.
This title should be at the top of the list for "One Minute" fans. The format is the same as all the other books in the series and the principles are life-changing. For some persons, this book may even be life-saving!
Setting the tone.......2002-11-12
For a change, the One Minute Manager is a student in this book. Despite his professional success and fame, he realizes that he has neglected his own physical well being over the years. Then comes a professor who teaches him to put physical fitness first.
There is a simple questionnaire (The Professor's dozen) that the one minute manager needs to answer. It applies to all of us. Depending on the score on this, one may decide the true state of ones "Tone", the word that is used to describe the physical well being of the individual. The four parameters (or moderators that prevent stress) responsible for sustained success in work and life are:
1. Autonomy : The availability of many choices that give good control in life
2. Connectedness : Strong positive relationship at home, at work and in the community
3. Perspective: The direction, purpose and passion about what one is doing.
4. Tone: The feeling about the body, energy level, physical well being and appearance.
In a remarkable way, the clear connection between Tone as the enabler for the other three moderators is brought out in this book. The illustrations that support the concepts are excellent.
Organizations spend billions of dollars in health care and suffer productivity loss due to the lack of physical well being of their employees. Employees on the other hand are sacrificing their health in the process of achieving career advancement. "In early life, people give up their health to gain wealth. Then, later in life they give up some wealth to regain health."
This book is for HR managers and employees at all levels to help achieve substantial gains for the Organization; through employee well being that needs serious attention; as much as we do for career planning.
Straightforward and easy to undestand.......2002-04-03
This book was originally published in 1986 as "The One Minute Manager Gets Fit" and is well worth every minute you take to read it! It is written in the classic "one minute manager" style and shows you exactly how you can balance your life by adjusting your lifestyle. I enjoyed the easy to read layout and found it to be a quick, yet revolutionary, read. I picked it up on a lark and I'm glad I did. It's never to late (or too early) to start becoming healthy. Highly recommended for anyone who wants to get their life in order, but thinks they are too busy to dedicate the time to start.
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Books Index
Books Home
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General
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| Books
Who Moved My Cheese? An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life
Putting the One Minute Manager to Work: How to Turn the 3 Secrets into Skills
Leadership and the One Minute Manager: Increasing Effectiveness Through Situational Leadership
One Minute Manager Meets The Monkey
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
