I’ll start this review with my usual disclaimer that I am not a fan of self-help books and usually avoid them. I picked this one up as my manager recommended it and finally read it. The New One Minute Manager, as the name suggests, is a short guidebook to managers on how they can manage people and help them and the organization grow together. While the original One Minute Manager came a couple of decades ago, this book has been adapted to today’s more flat organizational style compared to the top-down hierarchical structures businesses followed in previous decades.

Instead of being a preachy and direct rulebook of what one should or shouldn’t do, this book takes a conversational route, with the protagonist being a young man joining a new organization who’s eager to meet the “New One Minute Manager” and learn why he’s so good and well respected by his organization as well as his colleagues. The book walks us through three “secrets” to effective management - One Minute Goals, One Minute Praises, and One Minute Re-Directs. Each of these takes, as you guessed it, just a minute to act on but significantly affects the well-being, productivity, and growth of the individuals and the organization as a whole.

As someone who has transitioned into a managerial role for close to a year now, I felt encouraged that I was already practicing some of the tips mentioned in the book. I found other perspectives helpful while also feeling skeptical of whether some things would work. There are enough resources and people with experience on the internet and in organizations today who can provide much better mentoring on being an effective manager. Still, it works as an introductory book for someone starting out and needing guidance.

Also published here.