Self Leadership and The One Minute Manager
Was it somehow under the influence of the book “Who Moved My Cheese,” which (slightly) restored my hope that wisdom for personal development can be found in smaller packaging (in terms of the number of pages in a book), that somehow fate put in my hands the little book “Self Leadership and The One Minute Manager” (if by “fate” we mean my clumsiness that led to me knocking the book off the shelf and having its edge fall on my bare foot… by the way, although the little book is smaller in size, the hard covers contributed to me, with a dignified “uhmmm…” cursing all Yorkshire terriers).
Although, thanks to reading experience and intuition I’ve gained in recent years, I’ve developed an increasingly better sense for quality books falling into my hands, it seems that I’ve started this strange year of 2022 really well with my choice of books (or to use an old Slavic expression, winning streak).
Although the book “Self Leadership and The One Minute Manager” could easily, off the bat, be classified as a “business” book, this title hides a couple of good details that allow you to apply this book to your personal development in approaching problem-solving and (especially) learning new skills.
What’s it about?
Steve is young, ambitious, cautious and talented… and he managed to seriously screw up his first presentation of an advertising campaign for a large bank, which was attended by the bank’s president himself, whose comment was that the presentation was “garbage.”
Of course, like everyone, Steve immediately fell into depression. He has a conversation scheduled with his boss Rhonda in about a week. Steve knows that Rhonda has great confidence in him, but he’s also aware that he screwed up the situation so badly that Rhonda will have to return early from a business trip to have an urgent conversation with him. Steve is aware he’ll probably lose his job.
And so he got in his car and started driving, and arrived in an unknown part of town. He thought coffee would do him good so he sat down in an unfamiliar café and ordered coffee. A few minutes later, Steve ended up riddled with bullets, because he sat in an area where gangs often had shootouts.
What’s the point of the book “Self Leadership and The One Minute Manager”?
If at all possible, always research the locations you visit.
The end. Book rating: 5.
Ok, fine, it didn’t happen like that…
Steve really did sit down in a café and there he met Cayla and they started talking and talking… and then that evening they ended up in bed. It turned out that Cayla is the director of the biggest marketing agency in town and, since she was thrilled with the sex, she hired Steve as an assistant.
What’s the point of the book “Self Leadership and The One Minute Manager”?
If you’re good in bed, you don’t need to worry about your career.
The end. Book rating: 5.
Alright, alright, I’ll get serious…
Steve really did sit down in a café and met Cayla, who introduced herself as a “magician” and who began to gradually reveal to him the secrets of wise business operations, through a couple of tasks and business maxims.
Although initially skeptical, Steve gradually completed Cayla’s unusual tasks and along the way thought about Cayla’s advice, and began noticing details he hadn’t paid attention to before, starting from his approach to work, to how he perceives his colleagues, as well as strategies for solving problems.
An interesting thing about the book “Self Leadership and The One Minute Manager” is that, although published more than 15 years ago, like the little book “Who Moved My Cheese,” it shows some values and attitudes that, although times have changed, are now perhaps even more current and applicable than before.
One of them is rejecting the victim role and focusing on acquiring new skills and improving existing ones.
Also, we can really never be one hundred percent sure what colleagues and clients think about us… in fact, they often don’t think about us at all, and if they do think, it doesn’t always have to be with a negative connotation.
If we had to extract one sentence that summarizes “Self Leadership and The One Minute Manager,” it would probably be this one:
Self leaders challenge (1) assumed constraints, (2) activate their points of power, and (3) are proactive about getting what they need to succeed.
That’s what Steve will learn in time for his conversation with boss Rhonda and successfully turn his situation around.
The book will make an effort to show you through a practical example the model of “situational leadership.”
You’ll learn a very simple but effective method/map to recognize where you are at your development level, from analyzing two simple elements, which are:
- Level of commitment
- Level of competence
… which in their combination form levels from D1 to D4. Maybe what I wrote seems confusing at first glance, but believe me, when you read Cayla’s explanation, it’ll be clear to you how incredibly practical and efficient the concept is, which will be equally significant to you regardless of whether you’re employed in a company, an independent entrepreneur, or a manager in some company leading a large number of employees.
The three most powerful words that will enable you to get what you need for success are I NEED.
All in all, “Self Leadership and The One Minute Manager” is an instructive little book on the topic of leading people that’s worth having in your library.
It’s very important to have a goal in life, because as the sentence in the book says:
A person who has no goal is used by a person who has one.
And this is a lesson people (often) learn too late.
And you, dear reader, what type of manager are you? 🙂
Ken Blanchard website
Book price: Vulkan | Delfi
Ratings (and purchase) on foreign sites: Goodreads | Amazon | Bookdepository | Audible | LibraryThing | Waterstones
