Manage to inspire others to manage.

Source: The One-Minute Manager by Kenneth H. Blanchard

I picked up this book as recommended by a friend thinking it was about how to manage time effectively. Well, it kind of is. It talks about how to manage others effectively so time is created for you from the efficient management. How? (Replace the words manager and employee with leader and member to apply this for leadership related situations)

First key idea -- Both the manager and the employee have to inherently care about the development of the employee. The manager agrees to give honest feedback (positive and negative) in no uncertain terms to the employee for the sake of development. Employee agrees to accept feedback.

One-Minute Goal Setting:

-- Write in less than 250 words on a piece of paper the goals. Both parties (Manager and employee) have to agree on the terms of the goals and what it means for the goals to be accomplished successfully. 

Advantages:

1. Clarity for both parties

2. A measuring tool

3. A clear representation of success

4. A ready reminder of goals

One-Minute Praising:

 -- Manager takes a minute to compliment and give immediate specific feedback to the employee. It is caring and helps both parties create a positive space that encourages progress. 

Advantages:

1. Positive feedback loop

2. Immediacy of this feedback helps employee stay on the right track

3. Consistent feedback from the manager helps build trust in the manager

4. Employee eventually becomes self-aware of his own positive actions and becomes constructive

One-Minute Reprimand:

-- Manager takes a minute to reprimand and give immediate specific feedback to the employee. The manager takes 30 seconds to express how they feel about the error made by employee, allows time for it to sink in and finally clarifies that they are upset at the erroneous behavior and not the employee themselves. 

Advantages:

1. Immediate feedback prevents repetition of this out-of-the-norm/erroneous behavior

2. Reaffirms to the employee his/her value to the company

3. This feedback loop doesn't allow negative feedback to be piled up for an year-end review that seldom leads to improvement.

Favorite example in the book:

Trainers that hope to teach a whale to jump through a hoop for a sea-world show do not go into the ocean hang a hoop in the air and wait for a whale to jump through so they can bring it in for the show. They catch a whale, bring it in and teach it through a positive feedback loop on how to achieve the final goal. The whale starts out by excelling at this task at the bottom of the pool until it can finally jump through the hoop outside of the water for the audience to see. 

As managers or leaders, we are seldom given individuals that already excel at their future goals. It is our job to train and lead them to their goals while recognizing that each individual has the potential to accomplish the set goals. The author says that in his experience this method has freed up time for him as a manager because there is clarity at every step for the employee and himself. The employee also begins to adopt these ways and becomes self-sufficient.