The One Minute Manager

The Appraisal 
AFTER lunch the young man went downtown. He met with Ms. Gomez, a competent 
looking woman in her early 40’s. Getting down to business, the young man asked, 
“Could you please tell me what is the most efficient and effective of all your operations 
in the country? I want to compare it with the so-called ‘One Minute Manager’s.’ ” 
A moment later, he laughed, as he heard Ms. Gomez say, “Well, you won’t have to 
look very far, because it is the One Minute Manager’s. He’s quite a guy, isn’t he? His 
operation is the most efficient and effective of all of our plants.” 
“That’s unbelievable,” said the young man. “Does he have the best equipment?’.’ 
“No,” said Ms. Gomez. “In fact, he’s got some of the oldest.” 
“Well, there’s got to be something wrong out there,” said the young man, still puzzled 
by the old man’s management style. “Tell me, does he lose a lot of his people? Does he 
have a lot of turnover?” 
“Come to think of it,” Ms. Gomez said, “he does have a lot of turnover.” 
“Aha,” the young man said, thinking he was on to something. 
“What happens to those folks when they leave the One Minute Manager?” the young 
man wanted to know. 
“We give them their own operation,” Ms. Gomez quickly responded. “After two years 
with him, they say, ‘Who needs a manager?’ He’s our best trainer of people. Whenever 
we have an opening and need a good manager, we call him. He always has somebody 
who is ready.” 
Amazed, the young man thanked Ms. Gomez for her time—but this time he got a 
different response. 
“I was glad I could fit you in today,” she said. “The rest of my week is really jammed. 
I wish I knew what the One Minute Manager’s secrets were. I’ve been meaning to go 
over there and see him, but I just haven’t had time.” 
Smiling, the young man said, “I’ll give you those secrets as a gift when I find them out 
myself. Just like he’s giving them to me.” 
“That would be a precious present,” Ms. Gomez said with a smile. She looked around 
her cluttered office and said, “I could use whatever help I can get.” 
The young man left Ms. Gomez’s office and walked out onto the street, shaking his 
head. The One Minute Manager was absolutely fascinating to him. 
That night the young man had a very restless sleep. He found himself excited about 
the next day—about learning the third secret to becoming a One Minute Manager. 

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Kenneth Blanchard & Spenser Johnson – THE ONE MINUTE MANAGER 
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