My Favourite Management Book ‘The New One Minute Manager’

                   

Abstract

Management is an important course that helps one understand what true leadership is and the best effective leadership techniques. This paper analyses my most favourite management book ‘The New One Minute Management’ that was written by two legends Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson. The paper begins by explaining the reason for my interest in the book and the reason I selected it. A continued elaboration of the book with a focus on the story that is within the book and how it helps bring out the main theme of the book that is, using both human resource and result focus in a balanced manner for effective business experience is then given. A further analysis is made to help explain the lessons that I have learnt from the book in relation to the course book ‘management a practical introduction’; and the ways that I can apply these lessons today in my academic life, at home and even in future citing some real examples. The three lessons learnt from the book are; the importance of setting goals, the importance of appraisal and the importance of reprimand. ‘The New One Minute Management’ is a great management book that everyone should read.

 

My Favourite Management Book ‘The New One Minute Manager’

My most favourite management book is ‘The New One Minute Manager’ by Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson. I selected this book mainly because it focuses on two important factors that affect the business world; human resource and results. The book guides teams in management on balancing their focus between the success of the employee and that of the business results in an efficient compassionate way. This book also interests me because its message is very similar with that of Kinicki & Williams, (2013) when it comes to exceptional management. Good communication is an important element in management, good communication helps to motivate and engage the rest of the team at the work place and this leads to better results for the business Kinicki & Williams, (2013). A manager should be able to engage with people within and also outside the work premises which will help them understand their employees better.

I find this book motivating because it is not complex, it does not have those complicated management terminologies common in other books. It is easy to read because it is brought out more like a narrative, it is short and does not really give one the chance to rule it out of their books to read list. The story is woven around a young man that is trying to find the most effective manager and his search leads him to meet many types of managers that are categorized into two; autocratic and democratic. The autocratic managers are those ones that are profit minded, realistic and those who always like to be at the top in every situation happening around the business (Blanchard & Johnson, 2015). The democratic managers are those ones that can be described to be participative, considerate, humanistic and supportive (Blanchard & Johnson, 2015). All these types of managers are filled with pride because of their result minded and people oriented focus which is not all that management is about. Yes the autocratic managers have prosperous companies, but they also tend to have a higher turnover. The same thing happens with the democratic managers, they have happy employees but at the end of the day the business suffers meaning that most managers today are either focused on the people or on the results meaning that the two cannot work hand in hand (Blanchard & Johnson, 2015).

Managers as explained by Kinicki & Williams, (2013) should always pay attention to the environment outside of the organization. This means being alert for long run opportunities as well as problems and trying to get the right strategies to deal with them. The One minute manager that was selected by the young man was an example of an effective manager because he was able to combine both results and the people in a balanced manner for effective business.  The views of Kinicki & Williams, (2013) and this book are very similar when it comes to the characteristics of an exceptional manager. They both illustrate that a manager who is exceptional should have technical, conceptual and human skills. Through this book I have learnt that effective managers are those that manage themselves, as well as the other people they work with such that both the organization and the people benefit from their existence (Blanchard & Johnson, 2015). I now understand the need to ensure that people and the results are in balance as a manager. The book also helped me understand the different managerial systems that are there in the business world something that inspires me to continue studying management so that I learn more about effective management.

There are three secrets to effective management that I have learnt from this book; one is that as a leader, one should always ensure that there are always some set goals by each of the team members for every meeting that is held (Blanchard & Johnson, 2015). This allows for effective communication because it creates an opportunity for people to speak openly and honestly. Creating these goals by the employees helps them understand what is expected of them and also the manager to gage their understanding of their roles (Blanchard & Johnson, 2015). As a manager in future, I will ensure that my employees always come with their written goals in any of the weekly meetings that we hold. This will give me the chance as the manager to understand what my employers understand about the business objective and it will also give me the chance to guide them into the right direction and enhance business results as well communication between them and I.

The second important lesson that I have learnt from this book is the importance of appraisal. Every individual feels good when their work is appreciated. It motivates one to work harder and even do much better next time.  A great manager should ensure that they appreciate their employees even for the small accomplishments, it is something that takes less than a minute to do and its impacts are massive (Blanchard & Johnson, 2015). Appraisals help in providing a clear feedback on whether an individual is on the right track. As a manager in the future, I will ensure that I appreciate any job well done by my employees even if it is just a simple pat on their back to show them that I appreciate what they have done. I understand that this will improve their work morale and also motivate them to continue working hard which will be for the good of the business.

The last important lesson that I learnt from this book is the need for reprimand, just like it is important to appreciate good work, it is also important to note when something wrong has been done by an employee. A manager should ensure that they explain what the mistake is and the way that it can be fixed; this greatly helps in striking a feedback balance (Blanchard & Johnson, 2015). After a reprimand it is important that an effort is made by the manager to reaffirm that you do not think any less of them because of their mistakes, but they need to do better and improve on their performance. When I become a manager in the future, I will ensure that I do not let mistakes be downplayed, I now understand the need to correct employees and led them on the right path in order to ensure that the everything goes well in the business and at the same time allow the employees to understand that I am keen on their roles.

The good thing about all the lessons learnt in the course of reading this book is that I can apply them in any point of life. Whether it is correcting my friends in school or congratulating them on their good academic performances to encourage them to always do their best. Or even at home with my brothers and sisters especially with the fact that I am the first born, I now understand the techniques that I can use to motivate them to work hard in their lives and be well mannered all thanks to ‘The New One Minute Manager’.  I encourage any person to take their time and read this book; it is the most interesting and motivating management book of all times and you can read it as many times as you like because you learn something new with every reading session.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reference

Blanchard, K. Johnson, S. (2015). The new one minute manager: Revised edition. Recorded

            Books, LLC., OneClick Digital (Firm). New York: Morrow.

Kinicki, A., & Williams, B. K. (2013). Management: A practical introduction.