The One Minute Manager Part 5

"The people leave that show mumbling to themselves, That's unbelievable. How do they teach that whale to do that?'

"Do you think they go out in the ocean in a boat," the manager asked, "and put a rope out over the water and yell, 'Up, up!' until a whale jumps out of the water over the rope? And then say, 'Hey, let's hire him. He's a real winner.' "

"No," laughed the young man, "but that really would be hiring a winner."

The two men enjoyed the laugh they shared.

"You're right," the manager said. "When they captured the whale, he knew nothing about jumping over ropes. So when they began to train him in the large pool, where do you think they started the rope?"

"At the bottom of the pool," answered the young man.

"Of course!" responded the manager. "Every time the whale swam over the rope-which was every time he swam past-he got fed. Soon, they raised the rope a little.

"If the whale swam under the rope, he didn't get fed during training. Whenever he swam over the rope, he got fed. So after a while the whale started swimming over the rope all of the time. Then they started raising the rope a little higher."

"Why do they raise the rope?" asked the young man.

"First," the manager began, "because they were clear on the goal: to have the whale jump high out of the water and over the rope.

"And second," the One Minute Manager pointed out, "it's not a very exciting show for a trainer to say, 'Folks, the whale did it again.' Everybody may be looking in the water but they can't see anything. Over a period of time they keep on raising the rope until they finally get it to the surface of the water. Now the great whale knows that in order to get fed, he has to jump partially out of the water and over the rope. As soon as that goal is reached, they can start raising the rope higher and higher out of the water."

"So that's how they do it," the young man said. "Well, I can understand now how using that method works with animals, but isn't it a bit much to use it with people?"

"No, it's very natural in fact," the manager said. "We all do essentially the same thing with the children we care for. How do you think you teach them to walk? Can you imagine standing a child up and saying 'Walk,' and when he falls down you pick him up and spank him and say, 'I told you to walk.' No, you stand the child up and the first day he wobbles a little bit, and you get all excited and say, 'He stood, he stood,' and you hug and kiss the child. The next day he stands for a moment and maybe wobbles a step and you are all over him with kisses and hugs.

"Finally the child, realizing that this is a pretty good deal, starts to wobble his legs more and more until he eventually walks.

"The same thing goes for teaching a child to speak. Suppose you wanted a child to say, 'Give me a gla.s.s of water, please.' If you waited until the child said the whole sentence before you gave her any water, the child would die of thirst. So you start off by saying 'Water, water.' All of a sudden one day the child says, 'Waller.' You jump all over the place, hug and kiss the child, get grandmother on the phone so the child can say 'Waller, waller.' That wasn't 'water,' but it was close.

"Now you don't want a kid going into a restaurant at the age of twenty-one asking for a gla.s.s of 'waller' so after a while you only accept the word 'water' and then you begin on 'please.'

"These examples ill.u.s.trate that the most important thing in training somebody to become a winner is to catch them doing something right-in the beginning approximately right and gradually moving them towards the desired behavior. With a winner you don't have to catch them doing things right very often, because good performers catch themselves doing things right and are able to be self-reinforcing."

"Is that why you observe new people a lot in the beginning," asked the young man, "or when your more experienced people are starting a new project?"

"Yes," the One Minute Manager said. "Most managers wait until their people do something exactly right before they praise them. As a result, many people never get to become high performers because their managers concentrate on catching them doing things wrong-that is, anything that falls short of the final desired performance. In our pigeon example, it would be like putting the pigeon in the box and not only waiting until he hits the lever to give him any food but putting some electric grills around the box to punish him periodically just to keep him motivated."

"That doesn't sound like it would be very effective," the young man suggested.

"Well, it isn't," agreed the One Minute Manager. "After getting punished for a while and not knowing what acceptable behavior is (that is, hitting the lever), the pigeon would go into the corner of the box and not move. To the pigeon it is a hostile environment and not worth taking any risks in.

"That is what we often do with new, inexperienced people. We welcome them aboard, take them around to meet everybody, and then we leave them alone. Not only do we not catch them doing anything approximately right, but periodically we zap them just to keep them moving. This is the most popular leadership style of all. We call it the 'leave alone-zap' style. You leave a person alone, expecting good performance from them, and when you don't get it, you zap them."

"What happens to these people?" asked the young man.

"If you've been in any organization, and I understand you've visited several," the manager said, "you know, because you've seen them. They do as little as possible.

"And that's what's wrong with most businesses today. Their people really do not produce-either quant.i.ty or quality.

"And much of the reason for this poor business performance is simply because the people are managed so poorly."

The young man put his notebook down. He thought about what he just heard. He was beginning to see One Minute Management for what it is-a practical business tool.

It was amazing to him how well something as simple as the One Minute Praising worked-whether it was inside or outside the business world.

"That reminds me of some friends of mine," the young man said. "They called me and said that they'd gotten a new dog. They asked me what I thought of their planned method of training the dog."

The manager was almost afraid to ask, "How were they going to do it?"

"They said if the dog had an accident on the rug, they were going to take the dog, shove his nose in it, pound him on the b.u.t.t with a newspaper and then throw the dog out this little window in the kitchen into the back yard-where the dog was supposed to do his job.

"Then, they asked me what I thought would happen with this method. I laughed because I knew what would happen. After about three days the dog would p.o.o.p on the floor and jump out the window. The dog didn't know what to do, but he knew he had better clear the area."

The manager roared his approval.

"That's a great story," he said. "You see, that's what punishment does when you use it with somebody who lacks confidence or is insecure because of lack of experience. If inexperienced people don't perform (that is, do what you want them to do), then rather than punish them we need to go back to One Minute Goal Setting and make sure they understand what is expected of them, and that they have seen what good performance looks like."

"Well, then, after you have done One Minute Goal Setting again," the young man asked, "do you try to catch them doing something approximately right again?"

"Precisely so," the One Minute Manager agreed. "You're always trying to create situations in the beginning where you can give a One Minute Praising." Then, looking the young man straight in the eyes, the manager said, "You are a very enthusiastic and receptive learner. That makes me feel good about sharing the secrets of One Minute Management with you." They both smiled. They knew a One Minute Praising when they heard one.

"I sure enjoy a praising more than a reprimand," the young man laughed.

"I think I understand now why One Minute Goals and One Minute Praisings work. They really do make good sense to me."

"Good," said the One Minute Manager.

"But I can't imagine why the One Minute Reprimand works," the young man wondered out loud.

"Let me tell you a few things about it," said the One Minute Manager.

Why One Minute Reprimands Work

"THERE are several reasons why the One Minute Reprimand works so well.

"To begin with," the manager explained, "the feedback in the One Minute Reprimand is immediate. That is, you get to the individual as soon as you observe the 'misbehavior' or your data information system tips you off. It is not appropriate to gunnysack or save up negative feelings about someone's poor performance.

"The fact that the feedback is so immediate is an important lesson in why the One Minute Reprimand works so well. Unless discipline occurs as close to the misbehavior as possible, it tends not to be as helpful in influencing future behavior. Most managers are 'gunnysack' discipliners. That is, they store up observations of poor behavior and then some day when performance review comes or they are angry in general because the 'sack is so full,' they charge in and 'dump everything on the table.' They tell people all the things they have done wrong for the last few weeks or months or more."

The young man breathed a deep sigh and said, "So true."

"And then," the One Minute Manager went on, "the manager and subordinate usually end up yelling at each other about the facts or simply keeping quiet and resenting each other. The person receiving the feedback doesn't really hear what he or she has done wrong. This is a version of the 'leave alone-zap' form of discipline that I've spoken about earlier."

"I remember it well," responded the young man. "That is certainly something I want to avoid."

"Absolutely," agreed the manager. "If managers would only intervene early, they could deal with one behavior at a time and the person receiving the discipline would not be overwhelmed. They could hear the feedback. That's why I think performance review is an ongoing process, not something you do only once a year."

"So, one reason that the One Minute Reprimand works is that the person receiving the reprimand can 'hear' the feedback, because when the manager deals with one behavior at a time, it seems more fair and clear," the young man summarized.

"Yes," the manager said. "And secondly, when I give a One Minute Reprimand, I never attack a person's worth or value as a person. Since their OK-ness as a person is not 'up for grabs,' they don't feel they have to defend themselves. I reprimand the behavior only. Thus, my feedback and their own reaction to it is about the specific behavior and not their feelings about themselves as human beings.

"So often, when disciplining people, managers persecute the individual. My purpose in a One Minute Reprimand is to eliminate the behavior and keep the person."

"So that's why you make the second half of the reprimand a praising," the young man said. "Their behavior is not OK. They are OK."

"Yes," agreed the One Minute Manager.

"Why wouldn't you give the praising first and then the reprimand?" suggested the young man.

"For some reason, it just doesn't work," insisted the manager. "Some people, now that I think of it, say that I am Nice 'n' Tough as a manager. But to be more accurate, I'm really Tough 'n' Nice."

"Tough 'n' Nice," echoed the young man.

"Yes," insisted the One Minute Manager. "This is an old philosophy that has worked well for literally thousands of years.

"There is, in fact, a story in ancient China that ill.u.s.trates this. Once upon a time, an emperor appointed a second in command. He called this prime minister in and, in effect, said to him, Why don't we divide up the tasks? Why don't you do all the punishing and I'll do all the rewarding? The prime minister said, Fine. I'll do all the punishing and you do all the rewarding."

"I think I'm going to like this story," the young man said.

"You will, you will," the One Minute Manager replied with a knowing smile.

"Now this emperor," the manager continued, "soon noticed that whenever he asked someone to do something, they might do it or they might not do it. However, when the prime minister spoke, people moved. So the emperor called the prime minister back in and said, Why don't we divide the tasks again? You have been doing all the punishing here for quite a while. Now let me do the punishing and you do the rewarding. So the prime minister and the emperor switched roles again.

"And, within a month the prime minister was emperor. The emperor had been a nice person, rewarding and being kind to everyone; then he started to punish people. People said, What's wrong with that old codger? and they threw him out on his ear. When they came to look for a replacement, they said, You know who's really starting to come around now-the prime minister. So, they put him right into office."

"Is that a true story?" the young man asked.

"Who cares?" said the One Minute Manager, laughing. "Seriously," he added, "I do know this. If you are first tough on the behavior, and then supportive of the person, it works."

"Do you have any modern-day examples of where the One Minute Reprimand has worked other than in management?" the young man asked the wise manager.

"Yes certainly," the manager said, "Let me mention two: one with severe adult behavior problems and another in disciplining children."

"What do you mean when you say 'severe adult behavior problems'?" the young man asked.

"I'm talking about alcoholics in particular," the manager answered. "About thirty years ago an observant clergyman discovered a technique which is now called 'crisis intervention.' He made the discovery when he was helping a physician's wife. She was in a Minnesota hospital in critical condition and slowly dying from cirrhosis of the liver. But she was still denying that she had a drinking problem. When all her family had gathered at her bedside, the clergyman asked each of them to describe specific drinking incidents they had observed. That's an important part of the One Minute Reprimand. Before giving a reprimand you have to see the behavior yourself-you can't depend on what someone else saw. You never give a reprimand based on 'hearsay.' "

"Interesting," the young man broke in.

"Let me finish. After the family described specific behaviors, the clergyman asked each of the family members to tell the woman how they felt about those incidents. Gathered closely around her, one by one they told her first what she did, and second, how they felt about it. They were angry, frustrated, embarra.s.sed. And then they told her how much they loved her, and they instinctively touched her and gently said how they wanted her to live and to enjoy life once again. That was why they were so angry with her."

"That sounds so simple," said the young man, "especially with something as complicated as a drinking problem. Did it work?"

"Amazingly so," the One Minute Manager insisted. "And now there are crisis intervention centers all over the country. It's not as simple as I've summarized it, of course. But these three basic ingredients-telling people what they did wrong; telling people how you feel about it; and reminding people that they are valuable and worthwhile-lead to significant improvements in people's behavior."

"That's nothing short of incredible," the young man said.

"I know it is," the manager agreed.

"You said you'd give me two examples of how other people successfully use methods like the One Minute Reprimand," the young man said.

"Yes, of course. In the early 1970's, a family psychiatrist in California also made the same amazing discovery with children. He had read a lot about bonding-the emotional ties people have to people. He knew what people needed. People need to be in contact with people who care about them-to be accepted as valuable just because they are people.

"The doctor also knew that people need to have a spade called a spade-to be pulled up short by people who care when they are not behaving well."

"How does that translate," the young man wanted to know, "into practical action?"

"Each parent is taught to physically touch their child by putting their hand on the child's shoulder, touching his arm, or if he is young actually sitting the child in their lap. Then the parent tells the child exactly what he did wrong and how the parent feels about it-and in no uncertain terms. (You can see that this is very like what the family members did for the sick woman.) Finally, the parent takes a deep breath, and allows for a few seconds of silence-so the child can feel whatever the parent is feeling. Then the parent tells the youngster how valuable and important the child is to the parent.

"You see, it is very important when you are managing people to remember that behavior and worth are not the same things. What is really worthwhile is the person managing their own behavior. This is as true of each of us as managers as it is of each of the people we are managing.

"In fact, if you know this," the manager said, as he pointed to one of his favorite plaques, "you will know the key to a really successful reprimand.

We Are Not Just Our Behavior We Are The Person Managing Our Behavior

"If you realize that you are managing people, and not just their recent behavior," the manager concluded, "you will do well."

"It sounds like there's a lot of caring and respect behind such a reprimand," the young man said.

"I'm glad you noticed that, young man. You will be successful with the One Minute Reprimand when you really care about the welfare of the person you are reprimanding."

"That reminds me," the young man injected, "Mr. Levy told me that you pat him on the shoulder, or shake hands, or in some other way make contact with him during a praising. And now I notice that the parents are encouraged to touch their children during the scolding. Is touching an important part of the One Minute Praisings and Reprimands?"

"Yes and no," the manager answered with a smile. "Yes, if you know the person well and are clearly interested in helping the person to succeed in his or her work. And no, if you or the other person has any doubts about that.

"Touch is a very powerful message," the manager pointed out. "People have strong feelings about being touched, and that needs to be respected. Would you, for instance, like someone whose motives you weren't sure of, to touch you during a praising or a reprimand?"

"No," the young man answered clearly. "I really wouldn't!"

"You see what I mean," the manager explained. "Touch is very honest. People know immediately when you touch them whether you care about them, or whether you are just trying to find a new way to manipulate them.

"There is a very simple rule about touching," the manager continued. "When you touch, don't take. Touch the people you manage only when you are giving them something-rea.s.surance, support, encouragement, whatever."

"So you should refrain from touching someone," the young man said, "until you know them and they know you are interested in their success-that you are clearly on their side. I can see that.

"But," the young man said hesitantly, "while the One Minute Praisings and the One Minute Reprimands look simple enough, aren't they really just powerful ways for you to get people to do what you want them to do? And isn't that manipulative?"