The One Minute Manager [Abridged, Audiobook] [Audio CD]

Kenneth Blanchard (Author), Spencer Johnson M.D. (Author, Reader)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 16, 2003

The original story of the runaway bestseller on tape--exclusively from Warner Audio. Busy executives and employees can dramatically improve their lives while commuting.


From the Cassette edition.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Ken Blanchard is chairman of the board of Blanchard Training and Development, Inc.  He is the co-author of The One Minute Manager and eleven other bestselling books.

From AudioFile

This compact edition of the authors' 1981 bestseller is an example of how great ideas can be made accessible in audio format. Going beyond the premise of managing in one-minute chunks, the broader lessons are the values that get expressed in those minutes--such as respecting people, providing emotional security for them, setting reasonable but challenging goals, and expecting them to develop excellent work habits. There's also the value of being concise in all communication, which confining one's input to one-minute chunks certainly facilitates. The lessons are both simple and profound, and are crafted and expressed with as much elegance as any management advice I've heard in the years since they first appeared. T.W. © AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: Random House Audio Assets; Abridged edition (September 16, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0739307673
• ISBN-13: 978-0739307670
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 5.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (240 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,710,062 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

240 of 245 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Short to Read, Big on Wisdom, February 18, 2008

By 

tannercpa - See all my reviews

This review is from: The One Minute Manager (Hardcover)

I really liked this book, but for the same reasons I liked it, some may hate it.

First of all, it's an easy read, and it gets its points across by telling a story. Other books, such as The Sixty-Second Motivator, have also used this format succesfully, but this style may not appeal to everyone. To me, it makes the book a lot less boring to read.

Secondly, the book is short. The vast majority of readers will easily be able to read this book in a day. It has bigger font, which I personally liked and thought it made it a joy to read. However here again, some may be turned off by that and consider it to be too "child-like."

Thirdly, the book takes solid mangagerial info and gives it to the reader handily in the form of three "secrets." I found the advice to be very practical and while some may consider it far too simple, it can help you a lot IF you actually apply the info- which I suspect most managers do not.

In conclusion, I recommend this short business classic to anyone looking for better ways to improve their managerial skills. I doubt most will be disappointed. Also liked Who Moved My Cheese? An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life by the same author.

68 of 73 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Role Modeling of Communications and Motivation, December 14, 1999

By 

Donald Mitchell "Jesus Loves You!" (Thanks for Providing My Reviews over 109,000 Helpful Votes Globally) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The One Minute Manager (Paperback)

When most people become a manager for the first time, they are more than a little unsure of themselves. Naturally, they often use speech and ways of doing things that they have seen others use. That's great if their role models are good, but can be terrible otherwise.

The One Minute Manager provides a positive role model for those who have not yet seen one, and good reinforcement for those who have not seen one lately.

If organizations try to operate on the assumption that only the manager has ideas worth acting on, then very little will be accomplished. The One Minute Manager provides a useful model for opening up and stimulating the minds of everyone in the organization to accomplish more.

Not only is this advice worth following from an effectiveness point of view, it will also make you feel better about yourself as a manager and as a person when you follow it. And you will certainly make those who report to you feel a lot better, as well.

I like the use of a parable to help each of us reexamine ourselves, because it makes the reader feel less defensive. But be sure to remember what you gut instincts would have been in the same situations the One Minute Manager describes. Otherwise, you may miss the point of how much your behavior needs to change.

This is one of a handful of books well worth rereading annually.

Unlike most business books, this one is short and easy to read. The academic language has been banished, and it is well written.

If you want to go beyond The One Minute Manager to get even better results, you will have to learn and use other beneficial habits as well. But you can have all the great ideas in the world, and if you annoy and stifle everyone around you, not much will happen. So think of this book as necessary for more success, but not sufficient in and of itself for getting the utmost benefits in working with others.

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Leadership and One Minute Manger is better, October 4, 2001

By 

Dan E. Ross "Dan Ross" (Frisco, Tx USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The One Minute Manager (Paperback)

There are three simple precepts, which the One Minute Manager establishes with his employees: One Minute Goal Setting, One Minute Praisings, and One Minute Reprimands. This makes the basics of the book very simple to understand. I was quite stunned to find the content extremely useful. Strangely the simplicity of the book is deceiving. This book is good for those that are looking for a quick read and who are either currently managing people or wanting to manage people.

Goal setting is all about making sure employees understand perfectly what their duties are, what is expected of them and that there are no surprises. The Praisings and Reprimands are simply managers acknowledging that the employees are doing there jobs or not and how to deal with the situation and how to convey it to the employee.

In my opinion the book is pretty good but I think everyone should read Leadership and the One Minute Manager rather than this book as Leadership is essential and it is what differentiates great companies from good ones. The key, like most books that are self-help, is to apply these principles each and every day. Catch yourself when you slip and find ways to incorporate them into your value system.