The One Minute Manager Book Summary - The One Minute Manager Book explained in key points
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The One Minute Manager summary

Increase Productivity, Profits and your own Prosperity

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Brief summary

The One Minute Manager by Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson presents a simple yet effective management approach to boost productivity and satisfaction.
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    The One Minute Manager
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    It’s a people business: how managers can deliver top-notch performance by developing their employees.

    If you distilled the job of a manager down to its very essence, what would you say it was? Controlling a company’s finances? Developing new products? Selling goods?

    Actually, the answer lies in the job title: the main task of a manager is to manage the company’s employees.

    The purpose of the company is to deliver good financial results, but those figures depend wholly on the efforts of the employees. The quality of their work is the main driver behind creating and selling high-quality products, and thus the company’s success.

    This makes the employees the most essential capital that a company can own, and so managers need to focus on maximizing their potential.

    Unfortunately, this does not seem to be the case: even though companies typically spend up to 70 percent of their budget on salaries, most don’t invest even one percent in training their employees. This demonstrates a fundamental lack of understanding.

    Most managers don’t understand the connection between their employees and financial results, which is why they tend to fall into two camps:

    First, there are managers who care greatly about the well-being of their employees, and unwittingly sacrifice the company’s performance to keep them happy. These managers would never dare tell an employee that he or she is doing something wrong, and would rather take on almost all of the work themselves. In the long run, this ends in disaster.

    Second, there are harsher managers who only care about the performance the company delivers, and are even willing to override any consideration for their employees to improve it. These managers are constantly telling their employees that they are not doing enough and need to improve, and this saps their motivation.

    Of course, you really want to be at the cross-section of these two categories, where your employees feel good about working for you, but also deliver high-quality results.

    So how can you get there? By taking just one minute to manage your employees! Read on to learn how this can be done, and how it will both increase company efficiency and save you time.

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    Key ideas in The One Minute Manager

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    What is The One Minute Manager about?

    With global sales of over 13 million, The One Minute Manager is a classic that’s still changing the workplace. It explains how managers can get outstanding results from their employees while spending as little time actively managing them as possible. A one minute manager needs just three simple tools to boost productivity – and transform their company.

    The One Minute Manager Review

    The One Minute Manager (1982) offers valuable insights into efficient management techniques. Here's why this book is essential:

    • It introduces the One Minute Management System, a practical and time-efficient method for better management.
    • The book is filled with real-life examples that demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach.
    • It provides easy-to-follow guidelines for improving leadership and team performance.

    Enhance your management skills and lead your team to success with The One Minute Manager.

    Best quote from The One Minute Manager

    Did you know that most companies spend the majority of their budget on employees salaries?

    —Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson
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    Who should read The One Minute Manager?

    • CEOs, managers and team leaders
    • Anyone who is or aspires to be in a leadership position
    • Anyone who wants to get more out of their working day

    About the Author

    Ken Blanchard is business consultant, speaker and bestselling author, as well as the Chief Spiritual Officer of The Ken Blanchard Companies, who have coached multinational giants from Shell to Merck. Spencer Johnson, MD, is the author of New York Times chart-topper Who Moved My Cheese? and a former Leadership Fellow at the Harvard Business School.

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    The One Minute Manager FAQs 

    What is the main message of The One Minute Manager?

    The One Minute Manager teaches a time-efficient and practical management approach for improved productivity and satisfaction.

    How long does it take to read The One Minute Manager?

    Reading The One Minute Manager takes around 2 hours, while the Blinkist summary can be read in just 15 minutes.

    Is The One Minute Manager a good book? Is it worth reading?

    The One Minute Manager is a valuable read for anyone seeking to enhance their management skills and team performance.

    Who is the author of The One Minute Manager?

    Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson are the authors of The One Minute Manager.

    How many chapters are in The One Minute Manager?

    The One Minute Manager by Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson has 8 chapters:

    1. The Search
    2. The One Minute Manager
    3. The First Secret: One Minute Goals
    4. The Second Secret: One Minute Praisings
    5. The Third Secret: One Minute Reprimands
    6. The New One Minute Manager
    7. A Gift to Yourself
    8. A Gift to Others

    How many pages are in The One Minute Manager?

    The One Minute Manager has 112 pages.

    When was The One Minute Manager published?

    The One Minute Manager was published in 1982.

    What to read after The One Minute Manager?

    If you're wondering what to read next after The One Minute Manager, here are some recommendations we suggest:
    • Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson
    • Extreme Productivity by Robert C. Pozen
    • Building a StoryBrand by Donald Miller
    • Eat That Frog! by Brian Tracy
    • Free to Focus by Michael Hyatt
    • The 80/20 CEO by Bill Canady
    • High Performance Habits by Brendon Burchard
    • The 80/20 Principle by Richard Koch
    • Get It Done by Ayelet Fishbach
    • Singletasking by Devora Zack