The One Minute Manager Part 2

"Essentially very little, although he does spend a fair amount of time with me at the beginning of a new task or responsibility."

"Yes, I know about One Minute Goal Setting," interrupted the young man.

"Actually I wasn't thinking so much about One Minute Goal Setting. I was referring to One Minute Praisings."

"One Minute Praisings?" echoed the young man. "Are they the second secret to becoming a One Minute Manager?"

"Yes, they are," Levy revealed. "In fact, when I first started to work here, the One Minute Manager made it very clear to me what he was going to do."

"What was that?" the visitor asked.

"He said that he knew that it would be a lot easier for me to do well, if I got crystal-clear feedback from him on how I was doing.

"He said he wanted me to succeed. He wanted me to be a big help to the organization, and to enjoy my work.

"He told me that he would try, therefore, to let me know in no uncertain terms when I was doing well, and when I was doing poorly.

"And then he cautioned me that it might not be very comfortable at first for either of us."

"Why?" the visitor asked.

"Because, as he pointed out to me then, most managers don't manage that way and people aren't used to it. Then he a.s.sured me that such feedback would be a big help to me."

"Can you give me an example of what you are talking about?" the young man requested.

"Sure," Levy complied. "Shortly after I started to work, I noticed that, after my manager had done One Minute Goal Setting with me, he would stay in close contact."

"What do you mean by 'close contact'?" asked the young man.

"There were two ways that he did it," explained Levy. "First of all, he observed my activities very closely. He never seemed to be very far away. Secondly, he made me keep detailed records of my progress which he insisted I send to him."

"That's interesting," said the young man. "Why does he do that?"

"At first I thought he was spying and didn't trust me. That is, until I found out from some of the other people who report to him what he was really doing."

"What was that?" the young man wanted to know.

"He was trying to catch me doing something right," Levy said.

"Catch you doing something right?" echoed the young man.

"Yes," responded Levy. "We have a motto around here that says:

Help People Reach Their Full Potential Catch Them Doing Something Right.

Levy continued, "In most organizations the managers spend most of their time catching people doing what?" he asked the young man.

The young man smiled and said knowingly, "Doing something wrong."

"Right!" said Levy, "Here we put the accent on the positive. We catch people doing something right."

The young man made a few notes in his notebook and then asked, "What happens, Mr. Levy, when the One Minute Manager catches you doing something right?"

"That's when he gives you a One Minute Praising," Levy said with some delight.

"What does that mean?" the young man wanted to know.

"Well, when he has seen that you have done something right, he comes over and makes contact with you. That often includes putting his hand on your shoulder or briefly touching you in a friendly way."

"Doesn't that bother you," the young man wondered, "when he touches you?"

"No!" Levy insisted. "On the contrary, it helps. I know he really cares about me and he wants me to prosper. As he says, The more consistently successful your people are, the higher you rise in the organization.'

"When he makes contact, it's brief, but it lets me know once again that we're really on the same side.

"Anyway, after that," Levy continued, "he looks you straight in the eye and tells you precisely what you did right. Then he shares with you how good he feels about what you did."

"I don't think I've ever heard of a manager doing that," the young man broke in. "That must make you feel pretty good."

"It certainly does," Levy confirmed, "for several reasons. First of all, I get a praising as soon as I've done something right." He smiled and leaned towards his visitor. Then he laughed and said, "I don't have to wait for an annual performance review, if you know what I mean." Both men smiled.

"Second, since he specifies exactly what I did right, I know he's sincere and familiar with what I am doing. Third, he is consistent."

"Consistent?" echoed the young man, wanting to know more.

"Yes," insisted Levy. "He will praise me if I am performing well and deserve it even if things are not going well for him elsewhere. I know he may be annoyed about other things. But he responds to where I am, not just to where he is at the time. And I really appreciate that."

"Doesn't all this praising have to take up a lot of the manager's time?" the young man asked.

"Not really," said Levy. "Remember you don't have to praise someone for very long for them to know you noticed and you care. It usually takes less than a minute."

"And that's why it's called a One Minute Praising," the visitor said, as he wrote down what he was learning.

"Right," Levy said.

"Is he always trying to catch you doing something right?" the young man asked.

"No, of course not," Levy answered. "Just when you first start work here or when you begin a new project or responsibility, then he does. After you get to know the ropes, he doesn't seem to be around much."

"Why?" the young man wondered.

"Because you and he have other ways of knowing when your job performance is 'praiseworthy.' You both can review the data in the information system-the sales figures, expenditures, production schedules, and so on. And then," Levy added, "after awhile you begin to catch yourself doing things right and you start praising yourself. Also, you're always wondering when he might praise you again and that seems to keep you going even when he's not around. It's uncanny. I've never worked so hard at a job in my life."

"That's really interesting," commented the young man. "So One Minute Praising is a secret to becoming a One Minute Manager."

"It is, indeed," Levy said with a gleam in his eye. He enjoyed watching someone learn the secrets of One Minute Management.

As the visitor looked at his notes, he quickly reviewed what he had learned about the One Minute Praising.

One Minute Praisings: Summary

The One Minute Praising works well when you: 1. Tell people up front that you are going to let them know how they are doing.

2. Praise people immediately.

3. Tell people what they did right-be specific.

4. Tell people how good you feel about what they did right, and how it helps the organization and the other people who work there.

5. Stop for a moment of silence to let them "feel" how good you feel.

6. Encourage them to do more of the same.

7. Shake hands or touch people in a way that makes it clear that you support their success in the organization.

"What's the third secret?" the young man asked anxiously.

Levy laughed at the visitor's enthusiasm, rose from his chair and said, "Why don't you ask Ms. Brown? I understand you're planning to talk to her, too."

"Yes, I am," admitted the young man. "Well, thanks so much for your time."

"That's OK," insisted Levy. "Time is one thing I have plenty of-you see I'm a One Minute Manager myself now."

The visitor smiled. He'd heard that somewhere before.

He wanted to reflect on what he was learning. He left the building and took a walk among the trees nearby. He was struck again by the simplicity and common sense of what he had heard. "How can you argue with the effectiveness of catching people doing something right," the young man thought, "especially after they know what they are to do and what good performance looks like.

"But do One Minute Praisings really work?" he wondered. "Does all this One Minute Management stuff really get results-bottom-line results?"

As he walked along his curiosity about results increased. So he returned to the One Minute Manager's secretary and asked Ms. Metcalfe to reschedule his appointment with Ms. Brown for some time the next morning.

"Tomorrow morning is fine," the secretary said as she hung up the phone. "Ms. Brown said to tell you to come any time except Wednesday morning."

Then she called downtown and made the new appointment he requested. He was to see Ms. Gomez, an official in the headquarters office. "They have information there about all the different plants and locations in the total company," Ms. Metcalfe said in a very knowing way. "I'm sure you'll find whatever you're looking for." He thanked her and left.

The Appraisal

AFTER lunch the young man went downtown. He met with Ms. Gomez, a competent looking woman in her early 40's. Getting down to business, the young man asked, "Could you please tell me what is the most efficient and effective of all your operations in the country? I want to compare it with the so-called 'One Minute Manager's.' "

A moment later, he laughed, as he heard Ms. Gomez say, "Well, you won't have to look very far, because it is the One Minute Manager's. He's quite a guy, isn't he? His operation is the most efficient and effective of all of our plants."

"That's unbelievable," said the young man. "Does he have the best equipment?'.'

"No," said Ms. Gomez. "In fact, he's got some of the oldest."

"Well, there's got to be something wrong out there," said the young man, still puzzled by the old man's management style. "Tell me, does he lose a lot of his people? Does he have a lot of turnover?"

"Come to think of it," Ms. Gomez said, "he does have a lot of turnover."

"Aha," the young man said, thinking he was on to something.

"What happens to those folks when they leave the One Minute Manager?" the young man wanted to know.

"We give them their own operation," Ms. Gomez quickly responded. "After two years with him, they say, 'Who needs a manager?' He's our best trainer of people. Whenever we have an opening and need a good manager, we call him. He always has somebody who is ready."

Amazed, the young man thanked Ms. Gomez for her time-but this time he got a different response.

"I was glad I could fit you in today," she said. "The rest of my week is really jammed. I wish I knew what the One Minute Manager's secrets were. I've been meaning to go over there and see him, but I just haven't had time."

Smiling, the young man said, "I'll give you those secrets as a gift when I find them out myself. Just like he's giving them to me."

"That would be a precious present," Ms. Gomez said with a smile. She looked around her cluttered office and said, "I could use whatever help I can get."

The young man left Ms. Gomez's office and walked out onto the street, shaking his head. The One Minute Manager was absolutely fascinating to him.

That night the young man had a very restless sleep. He found himself excited about the next day-about learning the third secret to becoming a One Minute Manager.

The Third Secret: One Minute Reprimands

THE next morning he arrived at Ms. Brown's office at the stroke of nine. A very smartly dressed woman in her late 50's greeted him. He got the usual, "He's quite a guy, isn't he?" routine, but by now the young man was getting to the point where he could sincerely say, "Yes, he is!"

"Did he tell you about being a One Minute Manager?" asked Ms. Brown.

"That's all I've been hearing about," the young man said laughing. "It's not true, is it?" he asked, still wondering if he'd get a different answer.