Customer Reviews

The 4th Secret of the One Minute Manager: A Powerful Way to Make Things Better

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book was previously published as The One Minute Apology. I didn't read it under that title. I guess it didn't appeal to me to make apologies fast.

But with this new title, I immediately picked up the book. After all, the three lessons of the One Minute Manager have been very helpful to a generation of managers (one minute goals, one minute praisings, one minute reprimands).

If you as a manager never make mistakes, those three tools will be enough. But of course, we all make lots of mistakes. Too many people assume that forgiveness is automatically granted to those with power.

But all that's happening in many cases is that people are saying "yes" to your face and shaking their heads behind your back. If this goes on long enough, you have a problem. You won't know what's going on, and you'll make bigger and bigger mistakes. Pretty soon, your credibility will be so bad that only firing you can resolve the problem.

What's the alternative? Apologize in a way that re-creates trust. This book is an excellent primer on how to do that.

Why should we need such a primer? Well, I don't remember ever having a boss who ever apologized about anything. So we don't have many role models. And it's not enough just to say you are sorry. You also have to correct the causes of the mistake and re-establish trust.

I thought that the book was pretty good on the need to look at all three elements. The parable does seem a little Pollyannaish.

But when I was a mere lad, the CEO of my company got into trouble because of bad company performance and had his job on the line. He asked me to spend Christmas writing him a note on what he could do differently as preparation for a key board meeting (as occurs in this fable). I gave him lots of business ideas, but I didn't know enough to address these ideas on re-establishing trust. I wish I had. This is essential information that most managers never learn. That's too bad.

Read and apply this book. You need it more than you realize.

This book couldn't have come at a better time. I had a client who was stuck in defensiveness. She blamed everyone. She didn't take responsibility. She didn't see where she was part (a big part) of the problem. And she didn't know how close the company's owner & CEO were to letting her go because of her behaviors. While technically competent at her job, she alienated people because she always had to win. She was able to see herself through this book...and she's on the road to rebuilding trust with her team. We all know people like that. And we may have a bit of that in ourselves. I know I applied some of the lessons to myself. A short read that packs a powerful message!

This is a retitle of Blanchard's "The One-Minute Apology". Great stuff! I dropped it a star because it was NOT obvious enough to me that it was the same book under a different title. Shame on me for not noticing, but shame on Ken for repackaging previously published stuff.

THIS BOOK IS BEING USED IN MANY GLOBAL ORGANIZATIONS BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE DISCOVERING THAT IT'S AN INVALUABLE TOOL FOR CUSTOMER RELATIONS, BUT THE ADDED VALUE IS THAT AFTER READING PEOPLE BEGIN TO TREAT THEIR TEAM MEMBERS MINDFULLY, COMMUNICATION AND TRUST BECOMES SACRED AND PEOPLE BEGIN TO APPRECIATE EACH OTHER. THAT LEVEL OF THINKING AND BEHAVIOR DOESN'T STOP AT WORK--IT GOES HOME TOO. HOW GREAT IT IS WHEN YOU CAN TURN THE PLACE YOU WORK AND YOUR HOME INTO THE TWO PLACES YOU WANT TO BE AND LOOK FORWARD TO GOING TO!

The price was very attractive and the ordering process went smoothly. The book was delivered quickly and was in very good condition. I am impressed with this transaction and satisfied with the product.