The document summarizes the key principles of The One Minute Manager book, which are one minute goals, praisings, and redirects. It explains that one minute goals clearly define tasks so employees understand expectations and feel a sense of achievement. One minute praisings positively reinforce good behavior immediately to boost esteem and productivity. One minute redirects address undesired behavior promptly to correct it early without damaging self-esteem. The author believes following these principles creates happier and more productive employees, and that all managers should read this book to help their teams grow.

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I would like to start off by stating that I read The New One Minute Manager instead of
the original version, and thus some of the information may be different when compared. With
that disclaimer out of the way, I’ll begin by summarizing the book.
The book starts off with a man who is attempting to find a manager that could be
successful in today’s world. He has gone to several places but each to no avail, until he discovers
that there is a manager of high praise nearby. Our protagonist meets with this manager who talks
to him briefly before telling him to speak to the employees underneath him to discover why he is
such a great manager. From these conversations we learn that there are three unique “secrets” to
becoming a one-minute manager: one minute goals, one minute praisings, and one minute re-
directs.
One minute goals are planned together and described clearly so the employee understands
what needs to be done. Additionally, they must write their own goals and review them daily
while looking at what they have done to ensure they are acting accordingly. One minute
praisings are done in three steps; the first being praising people as soon as possible and stating
what exactly they did correctly with the impact it carries. The second step is simply pausing to
let the praise soak in, and the final step is encouraging them to perform the same in the future
and to show your support. Finally, the one minute re-direct follows closely to the one minute
praising. You should do it as soon as possible; however, you must be certain of the facts
beforehand. Just like the one-minute praising, you should explain how it impacts everything and
how it makes you feel. Thereafter, you should pause to let it soak in. Then finish by reminding
the individual that to err is human and that you still trust them. You must also remember that
once the re-direct is over, it is over.

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The book then goes on to explain why each of the three secrets work. The one-minute
manager explains that one minute goals work because it informs the employees what they should
aim for or what they are trying to accomplish. By doing so there is more satisfaction in
completing the task or doing the job since a feeling of achievement has been earned.
Additionally, setting up one-minute goals is effective since it allows the person to understand
how well they have done and how to be more productive at their job.
When it comes to one-minute praisings, the book tells us that it is effective to praise
people who are learning in the beginning. This is because people who are already great
performers do not need the praising since they already know they are doing a great job. By
praising people along the way you set up small goals to achieve and by doing so you raise an
employee’s esteem and confidence. This point is more important than anything else, since by
doing so you create happier, more productive employees. Additionally, praisings are more
effective than disciplining someone when they have done something wrong because they will
become less productive in fear of repercussion. The main point is to ensure that the praising is
genuine. You should always give a sincere praising; otherwise they will start to lose value.
The final secret, the one-minute redirect, works because you catch undesired behavior
early on while attempting to stop the behavior from occurring frequently. Rather than waiting for
some point in the future to bring it up (i.e. a performance review), the facts about the situation
are still fresh in each person’s mind to avoid any communication errors. Also, you must deal
with the problem without bringing up any other problems as to not destroy the person’s self-
esteem or confidence, which as stated earlier is a big part of the one-minute praising. Keep in
mind that as a one-minute manager you should do a quick praise after the re-direct to ensure that
the person you are talking to leaves with as little negative feedback as possible. Make sure that

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they understand you are upset with their behavior, but not them as a person; otherwise you may
foster disdain within the employee.
In my opinion, I think the one-minute manager is a wonderful read. If I had my own
business I would ask all of my managers to read the book to help the company grow better by
making sure all employees feel like part of the team. The one-minute goals are something I have
never seen a manger perfectly replicate at work, but I have worked in jobs where my manager(s)
have told me concisely what was to be done. By doing so, I was able to accurately judge how
well I was working and I felt more accomplished by measuring my performance to what the
manger expected of me. I have used this to an extent on some of the cashiers I supervise even if
it is something as simple as, “I’d like for you to get as many as the returns put away as possible
in an hour.” By stating the goal like this the cashier can measure their progress to what I have
expected of them and can feel great about the work they have done.
The one-minute praisings I have seen multiple times throughout my jobs and I think it is
a wonderful tool to utilize. My front end manager has come up to me many times informing me
what I have done well. Occasionally, she’ll even give me a reward like buying me a candy bar or
giving me a star (although she does praise me either way). A little thing like praise goes a long
distance since I feel more appreciated as an employee. I have done the same to cashiers,
complimenting them whenever I catch them doing something right and making sure they know I
appreciate them.
Finally, the one-minute redirects are another thing I have seen at work before. Once
again, I will use my front end manager who has pulled me aside many times and told me that I
have done something incorrectly, but then informs me that I still did a great job. To bring up a
specific example, I was doing a WIC transaction and the customer had two separate checks. I

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made sure the ID matched on the check with her ID, that the dates were valid, the items she had
were correct, and ensuring that if there was a limit on the check it did not exceed that amount.
The problem arose when I attempted to use both WIC checks in the same transaction. I was
unaware at the time that only one check could be used per transaction. I had to call my manager
to the front to guide me in reconciling the mistake. When we finished, she explained to me in a
nonthreatening way what I did wrong and made it clear to not perform the same mistake in the
future. She then went on to tell me how I did a great job with everything else, i.e. picking out an
appropriate type of bread that would work since the bread she had gotten was denied as a WIC
approved item. My esteem and confidence were left unharmed, and after the conversation I did
not harbor any negative feelings.
In conclusion, I think the one-minute manager is a great philosophy to have not just as a
manager, but as a regular person too. I think it is applicable to everyday situations whether you
are at work or school and I think it makes you more likable as a person. I think if everyone read,
understood, and practiced what the book says we would have more positive relationships in the
world. It is a must read for not just managers, but for people everywhere in all lifestyles.