The New One Minute Manager

Write Down Your Goals: Start by jotting down your main objectives. Break these down into smaller, achievable tasks that can be easily reviewed. This makes your goals more tangible and manageable.

Review Your Goals Daily: Spend a minute each day reviewing your goals. This keeps them fresh in your mind and helps you stay focused on what needs to be accomplished.

Adjust Goals as Needed: Be flexible. If you find that a goal is no longer relevant or too challenging, adjust it. The key is to keep your goals realistic and achievable.

Celebrate Small Wins: Acknowledge when you complete a task or make significant progress towards a goal. This will keep you motivated and focused on the bigger picture.

If your main objective is to improve your physical health, one of your One Minute Goals could be to exercise for 30 minutes a day. Each day, you quickly review this goal to remind yourself of its importance and check it off once completed.

For a project manager aiming to deliver a project on time, a One Minute Goal might be to have a 5-minute daily stand-up with the team to ensure everyone is aligned and on track. This brief meeting serves as a daily review of the goal to keep the project moving forward efficiently.

Catch Them in the Act: Make it a habit to look for your team members doing something right. This could be anything from completing a task ahead of schedule, showing great teamwork, or even just a positive attitude towards work.

Immediate Praise: Don’t wait for a formal review to acknowledge good work. As soon as you notice a job well done, take a minute to praise the individual. Be specific about what they did well and how it contributes to the team’s goals.

Public Recognition: Whenever appropriate, praise your team members in front of their peers. This not only boosts the morale of the individual but can also motivate others to strive for similar recognition.

Encourage Growth: Use the opportunity to encourage further growth. After praising the specific action or result, suggest ways they can build on this success or take on new challenges.

During a team meeting, you notice one of your team members, Alex, offering constructive feedback and support to a newer colleague. Right after the meeting, you approach Alex, commend them for their teamwork and positive attitude, and express how valuable this is for fostering a supportive team environment.

You receive a report from Sarah, a team member, that is not only well-prepared but also submitted ahead of the deadline. You send an email thanking her for her diligence and efficiency, copying in the team to highlight her exemplary work. You also mention looking forward to seeing her apply the same dedication to upcoming projects.

Start with a Positive Note: Before diving into what went wrong, begin your feedback session by acknowledging something the person did well. This sets a constructive tone and makes the recipient more receptive to feedback.

Be Specific About the Behavior: Clearly describe the specific behavior that needs improvement. Avoid vague statements and focus on actions, not personality traits, to ensure the feedback is objective and actionable.

Offer Solutions or Suggestions: Don't just point out what's wrong; provide guidance on how to improve. Offer practical suggestions or steps the person can take to correct the behavior or achieve the desired outcome.

Follow Up: Schedule a follow-up meeting or check-in to discuss progress. This shows your commitment to the person's development and provides an opportunity to offer further support or adjust the approach if needed.

Imagine a team member misses a deadline for a project. Instead of waiting for a quarterly review, you immediately schedule a brief meeting. You start by praising their previous timely submissions and dedication. Then, you clearly state the missed deadline and its impact on the team. Together, you explore reasons for the delay and agree on strategies to avoid future issues, such as better time management or more regular check-ins.

A customer service representative responds to a customer's query in a way that doesn't align with your company's values of empathy and support. Shortly after the incident, you sit down with the representative. You commend their overall performance and dedication to customer satisfaction. Next, you pinpoint the specific interaction, explaining how it could have been handled differently. You role-play a few responses that align more closely with company values and agree to revisit the topic in a few weeks to assess improvement.

Set Clear Personal Goals: Start by identifying what you want to achieve in your role. Make these goals specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART). Write them down and review them regularly.

Self-Monitor Your Progress: Keep a daily or weekly journal of your tasks and accomplishments. Note areas where you excelled and areas needing improvement. This self-reflection will help you stay on track and identify where you need to adjust your efforts.

Seek Feedback Proactively: Don’t wait for feedback; ask for it. Approach your manager or peers and ask how you can improve or where you can contribute more. This shows initiative and helps you grow.

Take Initiative: When you see an opportunity to solve a problem or improve a process, take the lead. Develop a plan and present it to your team or manager. Taking initiative demonstrates leadership and commitment.

Learn Continuously: Invest in your personal and professional development. Attend workshops, webinars, or courses that enhance your skills. This commitment to learning shows you’re proactive about leading yourself.

A software developer sets a personal goal to improve their coding efficiency. They decide to learn a new programming language within the next three months. They break down this goal into weekly learning targets, monitor their progress through coding projects, and seek feedback from more experienced colleagues on their code.

A marketing specialist aims to increase their contribution to their team's projects. They set a goal to lead a campaign from conception to execution within the next six months. They outline the steps needed, track their progress weekly, and regularly ask for input from team members to ensure the campaign is on track and aligns with the team’s objectives.

Practice the Pause: Before responding in conversations, take a brief moment to process what the other person has said. This shows you value their input and are considering it thoughtfully.

Reflect and Clarify: After someone has finished speaking, paraphrase their main points back to them to ensure you've understood correctly. Say something like, 'So, what I'm hearing is...' This not only demonstrates active listening but also helps avoid misunderstandings.

Ask Open-Ended Questions: Encourage deeper discussion by asking questions that can't be answered with a simple 'yes' or 'no.' For example, 'What led you to this conclusion?' or 'How do you see this impacting our project?'

Give Nonverbal Feedback: Nodding, maintaining eye contact, and leaning forward slightly are all nonverbal cues that show you are engaged and interested in the conversation.

During a team meeting, a manager listens to a proposal for a new project. Instead of immediately giving feedback, the manager first summarizes the key points raised by the team member, showing understanding and respect for their idea. The manager then asks open-ended questions to explore the proposal in more depth, fostering a collaborative discussion.

In a one-on-one meeting, an employee expresses concerns about workload. The manager actively listens, reflecting the employee's concerns to ensure accurate understanding, and then asks what support the employee feels would help manage the workload better. This approach not only validates the employee's feelings but also engages them in finding a solution together.