The One Minute Manager by Kenneth Blanchard, Ph.D. and Spencer Johnson, M.D., seems like a practical simple plan on managing people and there for other areas of one’s life, however I must admit I am a little skeptical. The three philosophies do make sense especially once analogies are used to put them into more simple terms. Being in the work force for more than fourteen years I have witnessed many types of mangers. I have worked for hostile managers, calm caring managers and managers who fit somewhere in between. My skepticism with this theory is simply applying its use. On paper this method sounds great and makes a lot of key points, but again after seeing first hand the types of people in management positions I think the challenge comes from undoing current behavior. My observation of people in general, is that they unwelcome change and find it uncomfortable. The first philosophy “One Minute Goal Setting” makes tasks assigned to the individual clear and precise. The manager first expresses goals that need to be accomplished. Once an agreement is made, each goal is written down in 250 words or less. It is strongly held that it should take no more than a minute to read. You should reinforce each goal throughout the day. Also take time to look at your performance and see if your behavior matches your goals. I agree with this theory and think there should be more interaction at the beginning of an assignment. With One Minute goal setting everything is out on the table. There is no dispute on what should have been done or didn’t get done. The bowling analogy used has a lot of truth to it. If there were a sheet in front of the pins with a supervisor standing behind it, it would be hard to tell how well your doing because you can’t see the pins or goal. Only the supervisor knows your score. I see this a lot in staff meetings. There are usually conflicts between my manager and staff becaus...
