ONCE there was a bright young man who was looking for a special kind of manager who could lead and manage in todayâs changing world.
He wanted to find one who encouraged people to balance their work and their life, so that each became more meaningful and enjoyable.
He wanted to work for one and he wanted to become one.
His search had taken him over many years to the far corners of the world.
He had been in small towns and in the capitals of powerful nations.
He had spoken with many managers who were trying to deal with a rapidly changing world: executives and entrepreneurs, government administrators and military personnel, university presidents and foundation directors; with managers of shops and stores, of restaurants, banks, and hotels; with men and womenâyoung and old.
He had gone into every kind of office, large and small, luxurious and sparse, with windows and without.
He was beginning to see the full spectrum of how people manage people.
But he wasnât always pleased with what he saw.
He had seen many âtoughâ managers whose organizations seemed to win while the people working there lost.
Some thought they were good managers. Many thought otherwise.
As the young man sat in each of these âtoughâ peopleâs offices, he asked, âWhat kind of a manager would you say you are?â
Their answers varied only slightly.
âIâm a bottom-line managerâI keep on top of the situation,â he was told. âHard-nosed.â âRealistic.â âProfit-minded.â
They said they had always managed that way and saw no reason to change.
He heard the pride in their voices and their interest in results.
The young man also met many âniceâ managers whose people seemed to win while their organizations lost.
Some of the people who reported to them thought they were good managers.
Those to whom they reported had their doubts.
As the young man sat and listened to these âniceâ people answer the same question, he heard:
âIâm a participative manager.â âSupportive.â âConsiderate.â âHumanistic.â
They also said they had always managed that way and saw no reason to change.
He heard the pride in their voices and their interest in people.
But he was disturbed.
It was as though most managers in the world were still managing the way they had always done and were primarily interested either in results or in people.
Managers who were interested in results often seemed to be labeled âautocratic,â while the ones interested in people were often labeled âdemocratic.â
The young man thought each of these typesâthe âtoughâ autocrat and the âniceâ democratâwas only partially effective. Itâs like being half a manager, he thought.
He returned home tired and discouraged.
He might have given up his search long ago, but he had one great advantage. He knew exactly what he was looking for.
In these changing times, he thought, the most effective managers manage themselves and the people they work with so that both the people and the organization profit from their presence.
The young man had looked everywhere for an effective manager but had found only a few. The few he did find would not share their secrets with him. He began to think maybe he would never find what he was looking for.
Then he began hearing marvelous stories about a special manager who lived, surprisingly, in a nearby town. He heard that people liked to work for this man and that they produced great results together.
He also heard that when people applied the managerâs principles to their personal lives, they got great results as well.
He wondered if the stories were really true and, if so, whether this person would be willing to share his secrets with him.
Curious, he phoned the assistant to this special manager to see if he might get an appointment. To his surprise, the assistant put him through to the manager immediately.
The young man asked when he might be able to meet with him, and the manager said, âAnytime this week is fine, except Wednesday morning. You pick the time.â
The young man was puzzled. What kind of manager had that kind of time available? But he was fascinated as well, and went to see him.
The New One Minute Manager
WHEN the young man arrived at the Managerâs office, he found him looking out the window. The Manager turned and invited him to sit down. âWhat can I do for you?â
âIâve heard great things about you and would like to know more about the way you manage.â
âWell, weâre using our proven methods in several new ways to deal with all the changes that are happening, but we can get to that later. Letâs begin with the basics.
âWe used to be a top-down managed company, which worked in its time. But today that structure is too slow. It doesnât inspire people and it stifles innovation. Customers demand quicker service and better products, so we need everyone to contribute their talent. The brainpower isnât only in the executive officeâit can be found throughout the organization.
âSince speed is a currency of success now, leading with collaboration is far more effective than the old command-and-control system.â
âHow do you lead with collaboration?â
âI meet with our team once a week on Wednesday morningsâthatâs why I couldnât meet with you then. At those meetings I listen as our group reviews and analyzes what they achieved the previous week, the problems they had, what remains to be accomplished, and their plans and strategies to get those things done.â
âAre the decisions made at those meetings binding on both you and your team?â
âYes, they are. The purpose of the meeting is for people to participate in making key decisions about what theyâre going to do next.â
âThen youâre a participative manager, arenât you?â asked the young man.
âNot really. I believe in facilitating, but not in participating in making other peopleâs decisions.â
âThen what is the purpose of your meetings?â
âDidnât I just tell you that?â
The young man felt uncomfortable and wished he hadnât made that mistake.
The Manager paused and took a breath. âWeâre here to get results. By drawing on the talents of everyone, weâre a lot more productive.â
âOh, so youâre more results-oriented than people-oriented.â
The Manager got to his feet and began to walk about. âTo succeed sooner, managers must be both results-oriented and people-oriented.
âHow on earth can we get results if itâs not through people? So I care about people and results, because they go hand in hand.
âTake a look at this.â The Manager pointed to his computer. âI keep this as my screen saver to remind me of a practical truth.â
*
People Who Feel
Good About
Themselves
Produce
Good Results.
*
As the young man looked at the screen, the Manager said, âThink about yourself. When do you work best? Is it when you feel good about yourself? Or when you donât?â
The young man nodded as he began to see the obvious. âI get more done when Iâm feeling good about myself.â
âOf course you do, and so does everyone else.â
âSo,â the visitor said, âhelping people feel good about themselves is a key to productivity.â
âYes. However, rememberâproductivity is more than just the quantity of work done. It is also the quality.â He walked over to the window and said, âLook at this.â
When the young man reached the window, the Manager pointed to a restaurant below. âDo you see how many customers that restaurant has?â
The young man saw people lined up outside the restaurant door. âMust be a good location for a restaurant,â he observed.
The Manager asked, âIf thatâs true, why arenât people lined up in front of the other restaurant two doors away? Why do people want to eat at the first restaurant and not at the second?â
The young man replied, âBecause the food and service are better?â
âYes. Itâs pretty simple. Without giving people a quality product and the service they wan...