t need for Leadership Is an Art in the same market-on the other--is that as a practical matter effective management strategies are elusive and far more difficult to achieve than the book authors themselves might admit.
The premise of One Minute Manager is that strong, effective business management and performance are a consequence of simple, direct, and honest explanation of what is expected by management of workers, together with regular follow-up and evaluation of performance, and a commitment on the part of management to both people and results (Blanchard and Johnson, 1981, p. 18). That is, the more a manager facilitates good feelings on the part of subordinates about themselves and their work (p. 19), the more likely the workers are to be productive and to produce high quality work. Blanchard and Johnson recommend "secrets" of good management, in the form of one-minute goals, one-minute praisings, and one-minute reprimands.
Blanchard and Johnson define the One Minute Manager as one "who gets good results without taking much time" (p. 23). What they describe are business-management strategies that focus on facilitating rather than defining the details or methods of the work of employees. Absolute clarity and honesty on the part of managers are a must in this regard, along with a commitment to setting goals in advance of doing the work required to achieve them. As Blanchard and Johnson put it, "most managers know what they want their people to do. They just don't bother to tell their people in a way they would understand. They assume they should know" (p. 66). Accordingly, one-minute goal setting involves making clear "what our responsibilities are and what we are being held accountable for" (p. 27).
There seems nothing remarkable in such a dictum, unless one considers that in many business organizations goals are neither clearly articulated nor clearly pursued. The result in many instances is that both management...