It’s hard to believe it’s been more than forty years since Spencer Johnson and I wrote “The One Minute Manager®” in 1981. When it was published, it hit the bestseller lists and remained there for years. The book’s original “three secrets” of management were: one-minute goals, one-inute praisings and one-inute reprimands (changed to one-inute redirects in “The New One Minute Manager®,” which was published in 2015). The simplicity of these principles, I am told, helped guide thousands of managers in supporting, developing and helping people achieve their goals.
These days, every so often, someone will ask me whether I think the One Minute Manager’s simple philosophies of leadership can stand up in today’s unpredictable, relentlessly changing business world. In essence, they are asking me, are the three secrets of the one-minute manager still relevant in 2022?My answer: I don’t just think they are relevant today. I know they are.
It’s true that today’s managers face responsibilities, problems and challenges that no manager has faced before. They are responsible for accomplishing their own goals while supervising and supporting people who may be located in other towns, states or countries. They may be working with smaller budgets and fewer people due to the pandemic and the Great Resignation. Distractions and obstacles abound. And organizational leaders — striving to keep their companies solvent and their own heads above water — may be incapable of offering managers much in the way of help.
Can today’s overwhelmed managers be effective leaders with management theories from 40 years ago? They certainly can. It’s all about communication.
Communication and the three secrets
As you read these descriptions of each of these three secrets, think about how large a part clarity of communication plays in their success. Keep in mind that each process takes only a few minutes to implement.
The first secret: one-minute goals. To successfully implement one-minute goals, managers have a goal-setting conversation with direct reports. The manager listens to the person’s input and they work side by side to plan goals together. They ensure the person knows what a good job looks like. The manager also asks the person to write out their goals and briefly review the most important goals every day, and they encourage the person to ensure their behavior matches their goals. If it doesn’t, the manager suggests the person re-think their behavior so they can realize their goals sooner. One-minute goals work because the manager makes sure that the goal is clear and the person knows what a good job looks like.
The second secret: one-minute praisings. When a manager notices someone doing something right, they let the person know as soon as possible and give praise. They tell the person how good they feel about what the person did, and then pause so the person can feel good about what they did as well. The manager encourages the person to do more of the same and expresses confidence in them and their success. One-minute praisings work because they are merited, sincere and build trust.
The third secret: one-minute redirects. When a manager becomes aware that a person’s performance in a particular area is not meeting the agreed-upon standard, the first thing they do is ensure that the person was clear on the initial goal they set together. If it turns out the person was not clear on the goal, the manager takes responsibility and clarifies the goal. If the person was clear on the goal when their performance began to go off-track, the manager confirms the facts with the person until they reach agreement on what happened. Then the manager asks, “How can I help you get back on track?” At the end of the conversation, the manager should let the person know they are better than their poor performance, and expresses confidence and trust in the person and their future success. One-minute redirects work because they happen as soon as the manager is aware of the situation and they don’t take long. The manager focuses on the specific behavior that caused the below-average performance and reaffirms the person. This process can also apply when someone makes a mistake.
You’ll notice that each of the three secrets are accomplished through brief but explicit conversations between the manager and the direct report. This works whether the manager and direct report are in the same room or miles apart. Communication is the key. If the manager follows the simple steps of the process, the one-minute goal, praising or redirecting will be successful. Each one makes sense because it is communicated clearly and with fair-mindedness on the part of the manager.
When times are tough, mutual trust in the workplace is more important than ever. When managers are able to communicate openly with their people, when they freely share information about the organization and about themselves, team members begin to see them as fellow human beings they can identify with. This creates an invaluable sense of connection and trust that can become a deep and meaningful alliance between manager and direct report.
It doesn’t take long before both managers and team members understand that this kind of management is the best way to maintain good relationships while encouraging accountability, high performance and goal achievement.
