BOOK: The One-Minute Manager by Ken Blanchard
Why I Read This Book: It was handed to me by my new district manager. He said that there was great context for his management style in it and, for my degree of skills, I should absolutely read it. And, besides, ts a classic, actually, and I should certainly have a bunch of the classics under my belt.
How Long It Took Me To Read It: 2 hrs.
What I Got Most Out of This Book: The One-Minute Manager thrust Blanchard into the forefront of modern corporate management (and into a healthy speaking career! BAM! Video of Ken at the end of the post.)
Aside from spinning off ump-teen amounts of books with The One-Minute X brand, the material was simple and in story form.
I appreciate the model it presents of healthy management.
The dilemma that most managers deal with is best expressed in Steven Covey’s The 8th Habit when he discusses Mission versus Margin.
It is the decision between managing people through the ”feel-good” components of vision and mission, and managing them from the aspect of the bottom-line, profit margin. This is the Mission vs. Margin debate.
Margin-driven ideas: The NUMBERS drive this thing.
Perform or you are fired.
Carrot-and-stick model, I entice you with a carrot, at least until you do not perform. Then I drive you forward with a fear-based stick.
Mission-driven ideas:
Here is a happy mission.
Let’s live for the experience.
Don’t worry about forcing a sale; make the customer feel good.
Both philosophies of management have their pros and cons. You can live OR die taking either to excess.
The Elusive 3rd Option
I am a fan of “The 3rd Option.” Covey calls it Win-Win-or-No-Deal in 7 Habits.
When I am presented with a black-or-white dilemma (one or the other, Grant!), I doggedly reject them and search for the 3rd option, option C, or the little box to shade in that reads “Neither or Both.”
(Me and the S.A.T. test didn’t go so well! I would write in options that they didn’t present me with. Jeeze. But, hey, that’s sparking, right?!)
I believe that there is always a 3rd option that can create a better situation. It may take time. It may take creativity. But living for the 3rd option is a worthy pursuit. It is the pursuit of the ideal in any given situation.
So, Uhm, Grant, Back to Blanchard’s One-Minute Management
Yes, so, as I was saying, in management, especially corporate management, we are told that it is either Mission or Margin, feel-good or profit-driven. I believe in both.
The problem I have been having is finding a good model to follow which illustrates the potential.
The One-Minute Manager offers that model, albeit in allegorical form. I am also a fan of allegory, especially when I am just starting out studying out a topic. It is the best way I have found to begin to communicate the principles of a subject without overwhelming me. Allegory serves that need very well.
Other powerful allegories:
The Richest Man in Babylon; Rich Dad, Poor Dad, or The One-Minute Millionaire for the subject of personal finance.
The Alchemist for following one’s dreams.
Pilgrim’s Progress, or maybe the Narnia series, for spirituality.
Atlas Shrugged for socio-economic prophecy. (Seriously, its big, but powerful.)
I could go on, but you get the idea.
Kenneth Blanchard’s The One-Minute Manager offers the model of a management style that gives the human spirit (mission) its due attention while still having high expectations for performance (margin).
Do I Recommend This Book: well, I guess I have never really NOT recommended a book I read, so, of course. And, if you are in a situation, as employee or manager, I think you can benefit from this book. So, rock it.
I still believe that Covey’s books, 7 Habits and then The 8th Habit, are the advanced course; Business Management 202, if you will. Thus I recommend that you pound through One-Minute Manager (Business Management 101) and quickly move into Covey’s writings.
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Grant R. Nieddu
