What You Will Learn

The book breaks down effective management through the tale of the 'One Minute Manager' through 3 simple secrets.

The First Secret - One Minute Goals

Most organisations when you ask people what they do and then ask their boss, normally you get two different lists.

Once the manager has told you what needs to be done, or you have agreed what needs to be done, each goal is recorded on no more than a single page. The OMM then feels that a goal and its performance standard should take max 250 words. It should be able to be read in a minute.

The Second Secret - One Minute Praisings

Hardly anyone sees the One Minute Manager, except at the start. He knows it would be a lot easier for employees to do well if you get crystal clear feedback from him on how you are doing.

After the goals are set, the OMM is watching the employee like a hawk. He always keeping a close eye and taking notes. At first you think it is because you think he doesn't trust you, that is until I found out from some of the other people who report to him what he was really doing.

He was actually trying to catch me doing something right.

The Third Secret - The One Minute Reprimands

For those who have been there a while, they typically only see the OMM when they do something wrong. If you make a mistake, that's when you get the one minute reprimand.

He looks you straight in the eye, and tells you precisely what you did wrong. Then he shares how he feels - angry, annoyed, frustrated or whatever he is feeling.