Ken Blanchard | Patricia Zigarmi
1 Clear and simple book on situational leadership
I am a fan of the One Minute Manager series, having read "The One Minute Manager" and the "The One Minute Manager Meets the Monkey." This book tells the story of an "entrepreneur" who seeks advice from the One Minute Manager. In the process, it covers the basics of situational leadership in a concise, easy to read style. The text covers the four basic leadership styles -- directing, coaching, supporting, and delegating. It also discusses matching a leadership style appropriate for various development levels. Like the other One Manager Manager books, I see myself re-reading and referencing this text. Highly recommended.
2 Treat Right!
Always a great fan of Ken Blanchard, I find this book with its Teaching Techniques to the Leaders who need to understand the basic style of 'Treat Right' to its employees and not walk blind to the belief 'Everyone should be treated Equally'. One Minute Manager hit the stands but this book has additional skills to increasing Effectiveness through situational leadership.The authors focus on enhanced motivation to individual employees and apply better management skills to get the most desired results from them. To begin with 'Goal Setting' brings in a commitment for accompliment and make the individual understand their duties to reach target goals. Written in a conversational manner, easy to read and understand, the book makes manager bring out the best by 'Be competitive and commited' motto. Like a stand-by Guide to Leaders, the contents help Leaders to derive best performance. How to delegate, support and direct them is the key factor that nevertheless motivates for better fruitful results. Apart from this book, I also recommend 'First Break All the Rules'. A good Pick for any Leader and to be used as quick reference and must to be on office-bookshelf. Nice Guide.
3 Getting the basics right
Even though it is a quick read this book still is a very worth while read for managers and assistant managers alike. It is not a book about intricate system building or a new innovative style. It is all about doing basic management the right way. About how to get your mind set for looking at people as potential heroes in stead of hawking after peoples failures, while also being honest with them. And yes! It does work. People are happier and they become more productive. If you are caught in the trap of focusing on weakness and failure, this book could change your world around - and make you a much better and more productive manager. If you are already tuned in on trying to get the best out of your people, this book can offer you some easy steps to how to stay on the right track. I have the audio book and play it every day on my way to/ from work (together with "First - break all the rules"). Not that I cannot remember the simple and easy to follow steps that are suggested - but to make sure that I never - ever - slip over to the dark side. The book may seem common-sense to some. However, in my view trying to focus on the basics, just makes the book better. Maybe one small caution - do not expect to be able to mange your team literally "one minute" at the time. There are other important (and time consuming) aspects of managing than the ones covered here. But one-minute-managing may be just what you need to free up some of your time for those other tasks.
4 Optimize your leadership skills
This book shows you how to becoming a situational leader by:
1. Crystallizing goals that are clear to both the manager and the people involved.
2. Participating together to examine "competence" and "commitment" to accomplish those goals.
3. Contracting with each employee about the tasks at hand and jointly agreeing which leadership style will likely be most effective. This is Optimal Thinking, the mental software needed to optimize performance.
4. Following through to provide the agreed-upon leadership style until feedback suggests another option.
The book provides a realistic roadmap for diagnosing each employee's status in relation to important goals.
This book provides a practical roadmap for the leader. Read it and read Optimal Thinking: How to Be Your Best Self to learn how to optimize your thinking, be your best, bring out the best in others and create the best results. This is a 10-star combination!
5 Utter Garbage! A Disaster Waiting to Happen
This is, in my not so humble opinion, the worst business book since "Leadership Secrets of Attilla the Hun". It's overly simplistic and it's a recipe for disaster. You can *not* be effective in business if you treat the people who work for you this way. What is even sadder is that there are actually companies that train all their managers with this "model". I read it and wept.
I heartily recommend Michael Hall's "Games Business Experts Play". It's listed here with a 1 - 3 week shipping delay. Amazon[.com], if you folks read these reviews, stock up on GBEP...
6 Leadership and One Minute Manager - Good Read!
I prefer this book to the One Minute Manger because it has the same basic concepts but deals with situational leadership, which is what most managers truly face. 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 (just as in the original One Minute Manager).
1. Starting with goals that are clear to both the manager and the people who will help accomplish them. 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.
2. The manager should work with his/her people to diagnose their "competence" and "commitment" to accomplish those goals.
3. Decide what management style is most appropriate for the individual
4. Following through and provide reprimands or praisings based on that adopted style. 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.
As always, I was quite stunned to find the content extremely useful and extremely simplistic. For those seeking to find additional leadership books I recommend How to Become CEO by Jeffrey Fox and two books by John Maxwell, Power of Leadership and The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader.
7 The Best of the "One Minute Manager" Series
Don't let the title or the number of pages fool you. This small volume packs substance. Situational management was not a fad. As recently as 1999, Peter Drucker (in his book "Management Challengers for the 21st Century") emphasized that despite the apparent hunger for learning "the one best way to manage, one such method does not exist." Producing desirable results is the goal of management; how to manage varies tremendously according to differences in situations.
This book goes well beyond espousing the idea of "different strokes for different folks." Becoming a situational leader involves:
1. Starting with goals that are clear to both the manager and the people who will help accomplish them.
2. Working with her people to diagnose their "competence" and "commitment" to accomplish those goals. Diagnosis preceds effective management methods.
3. Contracting with each person on each of the tasks and jointly deciding which leadership style will likely be most effective.
4. Following through to provide the agreed-upon leadership style until either (i) enough progress or (ii) lack of suitable progress warrants a change in leadership style.
The book presents a practical model for diagnosing each person's level of development with regard to achieving each major goal.
One other note: Despite its "leadership" title, the book addresses one-on-one supervision methods. If you're looking for a book that addresses how to create and sustain a "vision" that will drive your organization forward, this is not that book. It is, however, the most practical presentation of situational management that I've read.
8 Practical Leadership Style
Leadership is the key trait of any manager to handle the business of managing. Lots of theories were proposed and lot of literature has been produced on leadership styles. Here is a refreshing and down to earth proposal of situational leadership. It is a synthesis of major leadership styles already proposed. Use right leadership style with right people - different strokes to different people is the key proposal of this book. This book also proposes evolutionary nature of people at work and thus change of leadership style with the same person at different situations and evolutionary levels. The proposal of not treating unequals as equals for any reason is very sound and practical and thus makes this theory adoptable in any situation. Written in simple but very clear style, this book is a must read for everybody - whether in the business of managing or not because it can be adopted to any basic human interaction for getting right responses. It is of great help anyway for those people who are in the business of managing.
9 Excellent! It's like "Management in a snapshot"
Everbody allways agree on the lack of people management skills received in any college/executive education. In fact, managing people is like being a father.. nobody tells you how, you have to learn by experience.. But, with this book, you really get the point straight about managing people and being a real leader. I really recommend its reading and its inmediate application.
10 This book is a MUST for new Managers... and for old ones
This is a step by step journey from Management to Situational Leadership. You will read it again and again as you move forward in your career and face new challenges with new teams, new direct reports and new bosses. This is also an excellent present for some one that is facing a management position for the first time.
11 This book has great motivational quotes
This book is written by a new York Times #1 Bestselling auhtor, Ken Blanchard, and has many motivating and catchy quotes! This book is derived from his situational leadership concepts with the help of two other authors that have worked with Ken for over twenty years. It is a quick read(105 pgs.) and can be read in about 45min. It is written in first person and this creates a valuable learning perspective. Managers can take these concepts into the workforce without any effort at all. If you like motivational quotes this book is for you!
12 An easy way to learn about leadership!
Leadership and the one minute manager: Increasing effectiveness through situational leadership (1985) cuts to the heart of leadership without mincing words. It is clear, meaningful and concise in explaining how situational leadership is necessary. The one-sentence blurbs and charts aid in easier understanding. Although I found the book to be set in a cheesy environment, the story is interesting and does a good job articulating that many different leadership styles are effective. I discovered that a good leader should be flexible enough to lead different people in different ways, continually wanting the best for each of them. This book tells us that leadership is more than simply managing others, but it is about working alongside and encouraging them to be good leaders as well.
13 The only way to lead AND manage!
The authors posed the material in a strange, story-like manner, but the message was clearly evident. Situational leadership and its use in management was defined explicitly with the help of common examples in a business environment. Being unaware of this style of leadership has influenced me to now practice situational leadership both with work and my personal life. I recommend any manager read this. The authors simplistically explained the keys to eventually help one lead individuals to success in any situation.
14 Great book for any leader or manager
This is an excellent book on situational leadership. It outlines what would seem to be a simple process to becoming a situational leader. The examples given are relevant and the book was very easy to read. The most valuable concept I learned from the book was the concept of "different strokes for the same folks," meaning that you can use different leadership styles with the same person depending on the task at hand. The only thing I didn't really care for about this book was the way in which it was written. The whole book consists of conversations between "the entrepreneur," the "one minute manager," and the subordinates of the one minute manager. It was kind of cheesy at some times, but it got the point across loud and clear.
15 Great book on situational leadership
This is an excellent book on situational leadership. It outlines what would seem to be a simple process to becoming a situational leader. The examples given are relevant and the book was very easy to read. The most valuable concept I learned from the book was the concept of "different strokes for the same folks," meaning that you can use different leadership styles with the same person depending on the task at hand. The only thing I didn't really care for about this book was the way in which it was written. The whole book consists of conversations between "the entrepreneur," the "one minute manager," and the subordinates of the one minute manager. It was kind of cheesy at some times, but it got the point across loud and clear.
16 The Effective Way to Lead and Manage
The authors posed the material in a strange, story-like structure, but the message was clearly evident. Situational leadership and its use in management was defined explicitly with the help of common examples in a business environment. Being unaware of this style of leadership has influenced me to now practice situational leadership both at work and in my personal life. I recommend any manager read this. The authors simplistically explained the keys to eventually help one manage and lead individuals to success in any situation!
17 Everithing ok if you are the top manager!!! But...
How can I go on my Leadership following your guide line, if my Boss is not a One minute Manager's thinker? I'm a Director of Operations and the peopole I use to manage, love the One minute manager style and believe that is possible to build high performances. Thanks for your time. Best regards. Roberto Proietti
18 A must read for any manager!!!
It was an easy read. It covered comprehensive principles which can be applied immediately. It's a must for any manager who is looking to improve their working environment.
19 Read from the Master of Situational Leadership
Dr. Ken Blanchard is indeed the master of Situational Leadership. He and Hershey were the great inventors of Situational Leadership I. They had something great going then. Now, Situational Leadership II is fully on the scene and it is catching on everywhere. From major corporations to the Lady Volunteers of Tennessee, everyone is successfully using Situational Leadership to manage their people. This book tells you how to do it the right way. When situational leadership is done correctly, your people will love you for it. You can also use situational leadership at home with your wife and kids. If you are a manager, you MUST have this book. You can't effectively manage or lead without it. Remember, when you undersupervise you frustrate yourself. When you oversupervise, you frustrate others. Situational leadership is simply providing for subordinate what they cannot provide for themselves. Dr. Blanchard's book will tell you how to do it! As U.S. Air Force instructor, I have taught this theory using this book to over 450 managers per year. All of them have praised this book and Blanchard/Hershey's theory.
20 A Must Read for Workplace Coaches
One of the most difficult things for a coach to do when coaching a self-directive work team is know what leadership style needs to be in each particular leadership. I am a 25 year old coach of self-directive and have found the teachings in Situational Leadership to be invaluable. Once I know the readiness level of my work team, then I can easily adapt a leadership style which will keep harmony in my work team. Combining situational leadership with role & goal clarity, a focus on task and member satisfaction, and developing an act/advise matrix for decisions and coaching a self-directive work team becomes that much easier. Thank you for giving me another tool for my leadership toolbox.
