In the early 1980s, Kenneth Blanchard, Ph.D. and Spencer Johnson, M.D. sat down to write a book on management called The One Minute Manager. It immediately became a huge hit and a near immediate bestseller.

Thirteen million copies later, its still considered one of the best books ever written in the field of management…and for that matter, sales management…or is it?

“Once there was a bright young man who was looking for an effective manager…”

If you’re one of the few who has not read it, The One Minute Manager boils down to three secrets to efficient and productive management – all easily applicable to the field of sales management. Like its name says, the book focuses on the importance of doing specific “one minute” tasks essential for motivating, leading and encouraging people to top performance.

Many have written about these concepts being far too “simple” or “plain” …or that they don’t easily translate into the world of sales management today.

Rubbish!

The One Minute Manager is STILL one of the greatest books ever written and a personal favorite of Sales Management Mastery.

Is it basic, yes.

Is it simple, very.

However, its like teaching someone to hit a baseball (which I’m now doing with my 7-year old son)…if you don’t do the basic stuff (keep your eye on the ball, hold the bat with two hands, watch the ball hit the bat, etc), I don’t care who you are…you will never hit home runs, let alone make contact.

The One Minute Manager brings sales management back to the basics as well.

So what makes the one minute manager so special?

• The first secret is the one minute goals:

This means setting up a meeting between the sales manager – you – and his or her employees, to make sure the goals are clear for both parties and how the sales manager and employees intend to achieve them. “One minute” means this is going to be a quick meeting. The aim is to confirm both short-term and long-term goals, as well as how each employee must to contribute to achieve those goals.

• The second is the one minute praising:

The one minute manager doesn’t hold back praise when talking to his or her people about their good performance. This is something we are all AWFUL at doing. It’s the real key to motivation, performance and excellent leadership. He does it simply: he praises them immediately and tells them exactly what they did right that deserved praising. Simple, basic, but hugely effective.

• The third and last secret is the one minute reprimand:

Honesty by praising is one thing, and honesty by reprimanding is another. The one minute manager doesn’t hesitate to reprimand immediately, pointing out specifically what went wrong so the employee has a clearer picture of what and what not to do next time around. This is then followed by reassurance to help the employee get back on track.

Is it far too simple to boil down management to basically three steps?

Whether you’re a CEO of a Fortune 500 company, a professional sales manager for twenty years or just last week got your first job in management, picking up a copy of The One Minute Manager is worth your while.

The point is this, we all forget the basics. Books like this reinforce the most essential elements which are the essential skills necessary for top sales management and opt leadership.

What do you think? Is The One Minute Manager a dusty old chestnut ready for the trash heap or a highly relevant learning device that should get its own iPhone app? Let us know what you think and leave a comment below this post.

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