5min book review #23

Ken Blanchard, William Oncken Jr., Hal Burrows: One Minute Manager Meets the Monkey

Fluff Ratio

50%

Value for money

3/10

Year, Price, Pages, Cover design

2011, HarperCollins; EUR 9,50; 160 pages (The content itself 127 pages; The rest — Book dedication; Symbols, Content, Foreword, Foreword to 90’ edition, Praisings, About the authors, Services available, Social networking); Paperback

The paper quality is poor, but the overall reading experience isn’t too bad. Please buy the electronic version if possible.

5 sentences about the book

You can approach this book by either re-telling the content (like this) or sharing your reading experience. In 5min columns, I share my reading experience. I should try to be objective and put this book into historical context. It was first published 35 years ago, and many aspects I dislike — such as the outdated writing style — could be reactions to business writing trends of that time.

I dislike the writing style where the author explains the core message using infantile and childish storytelling and metaphors. It feels like the author underestimates my reading skills and doesn’t treat me as an equal.

I don’t buy business books because of poor storytelling. I don’t expect to be entertained. As a reader, you have to get through the fluff in the first half to find any value.

The true essence of the book emerges on page 75, where the author introduces Oncken’s Rules for Monkey Management for the first time. Despite the publisher’s decision to use an unattractive format and paper quality, they note that the book was printed using 100% renewable electricity and certified paper to promote responsible forest management. However, a more significant service to both — the environment and the reader — would be to omit the first 74 pages, thus cutting straight to the core content.

During the reading, I constantly reminded myself to stay focused, but my inner grumpy critic kept surfacing with heretical thoughts like these:

• I can’t stand being treated like an idiot, especially when the content, which could be a simple blog post, is unnecessarily expanded into a book.
• I felt a constant distaste, realizing that by buying it, I had placed myself within someone else’s business model.

I didn’t make a good choice buying this book. After Anthony Ulwick’s Jobs to be Done: Theory to Practice, this is my second disappointment in a row (though Ulwick’s book remains the worst experience this year!).

What did I learn?

The author(s) provide a 4-step process (rules) for line managers on handling their team’s problems (monkeys). This is summarized on page 109 and constitutes 90% of the book’s essence:

• Rule 1: Describe the Money. The dialog must not end until appropriate ‘next moves’ have been identified and specified.
• Rule 2. Assign the Monkey. All monkeys shall be owned and handled at the lowest organisational level consistent with their welfare.
• Rule 3. Insure the Monkey. Every monkey leaving your presence on the back of one of your people must be covered by one of two insurance policies:
• Recommend, then Act
• Act, then Advise
• Rule 4. Check on the Monkey. Proper follow-up means healthier monkeys. Every monkey should have a checkup appointment.

These steps could be excellent guidelines for less experienced line managers and valuable advice for experienced managers who have developed bad habits.

However, using this method automatically — as a “silver bullet” — every time, especially as a push-back when your people ask for help, can make you appear as a useless line manager who doesn’t care about people’s problems and isn’t willing to provide support when it’s really needed.

What was missing?

• Write a blog post, not a book. You may not earn as much money, but you’ll gain respect and credibility
• Cut to the chase, please
• No stories, no infantile metaphors — treat your reader as an adult partner

Favorite quote

“Reliving that situation made me realize how easily we needlessly pick up other people’s monkeys in all arenas of life. In the process, we neglect our own monkeys and make other people dependent upon us and deprive them of opportunities to learn to solve their own problems”. 57