One Minute Manager - A Simple Philosophy of People Management

The One Minute Manager is one of my all time favorite books by Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson that presents the complex topic of people management in a very simplified way. The tiltle One Minute Manager may give an impression that it is about rushing to finish everything quickly, but far from it, the book uses a simple story to teach three secrets of efficient management. It is a useful reading not only for people who have a manager's job but for everyone as we all need to manage something during our day-to-day work. This is a story of a young man searching for the perfect managing and leading skills. He comes across a one minute manager, who is a respected leader, highly spoken of by his employees. The man shares his three secrets that are the key to his success. 

One Minute Goals 

The first secret is One Minute Goals. This involves a meeting of the manager and the team member where goals are agreed on, written down in a brief statement, and occasionally reviewed to ensure that productivity is occurring. This whole process takes a "minute", which truly means it is a quick meeting, however it is not limited to just sixty seconds. The one minute goal setting ensures that the team member his responsibilities clearly. This is important as confusion about role leads to inefficiency and discouragement. 

One Minute Praise 

The second secret is one minute praise. This involves being open with people about their performance. When you catch someone doing something right, you praise them immediately, telling them specifically what they did correctly. Pause to allow them to "feel" how good you feel regarding their importance to the organization, and finish by shaking hands. 

One Minute Reprimand 

The third secret is the one minute reprimand. Being honest with those around you involves reprimanding when a wrong has occurred. The first step is to reprimand immediately and specifically. This is the same as the second secret, and it holds an important aspect of the first secret: it enables an understanding of responsibilities and how to complete them correctly. Following the reprimand, shake hands and remind the person that he or she is important and it was simply their performance that you did not like. The one minute reprimand consists of the reprimand and the reassurance, both being equally important. If you leave the latter out, you will not be liked by those around you and they will attribute mistakes to them being worth less, which is far from the truth. 

The book also puts emphasis that we should consciously try and 'catch' people doing good things, and not play a supervisor who is always looking for faults. 

These are fairly simple steps to follow, that can help you manage more efficiently. I would like to be a perfect One Minute Manager, but my experience is that I tend to forget these simple principles in many situations. Reading from this book every once in a while helps to remind me about the principles and keeps me on track. 

Tips & Tricks for Positive Thinking

If you have been reading this blog, you know that positive thinking is really good for you and it can have a significant impact on your life. But, it is easier said than done. Thinking positive may not come naturally to everyone. There are situations when you can not bring up positive thoughts at will. To get that positive change in your life, it is important to make it a conscious effort. Here are a few practical tips on the small steps that help you move in the direction:

• Whenever you find yourself getting negative thoughts, STOP them. Start thinking of a happy event or memory that will cheer you up.
• Make positive statements. Instead of thinking or saying, "I can't do it" or "This is impossible", state positive affirmations like - "I will give it my best shot" or "I have so many things to be grateful about." This sends out positive vibes.
• If you are feeling unwell and you tell yourself that you are going to be down with flu, chances are that it will come true! Your mind is more powerful than you think. So, stop thinking that you are going to fall sick. Experts have found that even Placebo effect can cure patients. A placebo is an experimental pill that contains no medicine given to patients in medical experiments. It has been found that patients taking it still report improvement, just due to the belief that they have taken medicine.
• Down in the dumps or feeling low due to an illness? Visualisation is a great technique that will actually help you feel better. So, imagine yourself healthy and happy. When you visualise your thoughts, they send positive signals to your brain making you feel better.
• Positive emotions like humor, friendship, and love are known to supercharge your health. Experts have always asserted that laughter is great for health. And life is full of humour only if you stop and experience it. Watch funny movies or TV shows. Try reading books and share jokes with people. You should also meet people who make you laugh. Laughter increases happiness, reduces pain, and heals you.
• Catch up with friends. Surround yourself with genuine friends whose company is relaxing for you.
• Help someone in need, and it will have a miraculous effect on your own feelings.
• When you spend time in prayer and spiritual exercise, you attract positive vibrations to your side. Having faith goes a long way in making you a positive thinker. Prayer and meditation are good ways to connect to your spiritual side.

क्या है सुख? कैसे इसे हासिल करें ?

 

क्या है सुख?

बुखार नहीं है, सर्दी खांसी नहीं है,

मुंह में स्वाद भी है, खुशबू भी ले सकते है

यही तो है सुख !

पिछले कई महीनो से चल रहे अभूतपूर्व कोरोना महामारी के प्रकोप ने हमें अचानक यह अहसास दिला दिया है कि वास्तव में जीवन में ऐसे कितने ही छोटे छोटे सुख भरे हुए हैं - परन्तु हम उन्हें नकार कर सिर्फ यही देखते रहते हैं कि हमारे जीवन में क्या कमी है - या कौन सी इच्छा पूरी होनी बाकी है | खुश रहना हमारे अपने हाथ में है, यदि हम अपने मन से नकारात्मक विचार निकाल दें | ज़रा नीचे लिखे सुझावों पर विचार कीजिये - शायद ये मददगार हो सकें |

सबसे पहले सोच बदलें 

• जीवन में सभी चीजें अस्थायी हैं। यदि सब कुछ ठीक ठाक चल रहा है, तो इसका आनंद लेना सीखिए |
• यदि कुछ गलत घट भी रहा है, तो चिंता मत कीजिये, यह वक़्त जल्द ही गुज़र जाएगा |
• चिंता कभी न करें क्यूंकि चिता कल की मुसीबतों को दूर नहीं करती, पर वह आज की शांति जरूर छीन लेती है।
• ज़रा सोचिये - कार की विंडशील्ड इतनी बड़ी और रियर व्यू मिरर इतना छोटा क्यों होता है? क्योंकि आगे बढ़ने के लिए हमेशा सामने देखना ज़रूरी है | इसी तरह हमाराअतीत कभी हमारे वर्तमान से ज्यादा महत्वपूर्ण नहीं होता। सामने देखिये और आगे बढिए। 

आपकी पहुँच ऊपर तक है, उसका प्रयोग करें 

• अगर आपको अपनी क्षमताओं में विश्वास है तो परमेश्वर भी आपकी समस्याओं को हल करता है। कठिन समय में उनसे मदद लेने में न हिचकें |
• अक्सर जब हम उम्मीद खो बैठते हैं और लगता है कि अब अंत आ पहुंचा - उस समय ईश्वर ऊपर से मुस्कराता है और कहता है, आराम से डियर, कोई अंत नहीं, यह सिर्फ एक मोड़ है ! 
• परन्तु याद रखें कि प्रार्थना को सिर्फ स्टेपनी की तरह मुसीबत के समय ही प्रयोग न करें | इसको जीवन का स्टीयरिंग व्हील बनायें, जो जिंदगी के सफ़र में आपको सही दिशा में ले जाए |
• कभी कभी दूसरो के लिए भी प्रार्थना करें क्यूंकि जब आप दूसरों के लिए प्रार्थना करते हैं तो भगवान आपकी सुनता है और उनकी मदद करता है । 

अच्छे दोस्तों को न भूलें 

• आपके दोस्तों का साथ कई बार आपको कठिन से कठिन परिस्थिति से जूझने का हौसला देता है |
• जब कभी आपकी समस्या का अचानक समाधान हो जाता है तो याद रखें कि उस समय आप के लिए भी शायद कोई मित्र प्रार्थना कर रहा हो | 
• परन्तु एक सच्ची और अच्छी दोस्ती को विकसित करना आसान नहीं है - सच्ची दोस्ती एक किताब की तरह है, जिसे लिखने में कई साल खर्च हो जाते हैं लेकिन इसे जलाने में कुछ ही सेकंड लगता है |  
• नए दोस्त मिल जाने पर पुराने दोस्तों को न भूलें | पुराने दोस्त सोने की तरह होते हैं और नए मित्र हीरे जैसे | यदि आपको एक हीरा मिल जाए तो, सोने को नहीं भूलें, क्योंकि हीरे की पकड़ बनाने के लिए हमेशा सोने के बेस की जरूरत होती है |