The Second Secret: One Minute Praisings

The young man continues his conversations with the One Minute Manager’s team and discovers the second secret: One Minute Praisings. If One Minute Goals provide clarity about what to do, One Minute Praisings provide the fuel that keeps people moving in the right direction. This technique is built on a radical idea — that the best way to develop people is to catch them doing something right.

The Traditional Approach: Catching People Doing Something Wrong

In most organizations, managers spend the majority of their time looking for mistakes. The default management style is what the authors call “leave alone — zap.” Managers leave people alone when things are going well (no feedback) and then zap them when something goes wrong (negative feedback). The result is predictable: people learn to do just enough to avoid getting zapped, and they never reach their full potential.

“In most organizations, if you don’t hear anything from your boss, it means you’re doing a good job. That’s like playing golf at night — you know you hit the ball, but you never see where it lands.” — Ken Blanchard & Spencer Johnson

The Problem with “No News Is Good News”

• Silence is not feedback — it is neglect
• People need to know when they are on the right track
• Without positive reinforcement, even good performers lose motivation
• The “leave alone — zap” pattern trains people to hide mistakes rather than learn from them
• Fear of being caught doing something wrong stifles risk-taking and innovation

How One Minute Praisings Work

The One Minute Manager reverses the traditional pattern. Instead of looking for what is wrong, he actively looks for what is right. When he catches someone doing something right — or approximately right — he praises them immediately, specifically, and sincerely.

The One Minute Praising Process

1. Tell people up front that you will be giving them feedback on how they are doing
2. Catch people doing something right — or approximately right at first
3. Praise them immediately — do not save it for later
4. Be specific about what they did right — vague praise (“good job”) is weak
5. Tell them how their good work makes you feel — and how it helps the organization
6. Pause for a moment — let the praise sink in so they can feel how good you feel
7. Encourage them to keep it up — reinforce that you have confidence in them
8. Shake hands or touch them in a way that makes it clear you support their success

Why Specificity Matters

• “Good job” is forgettable. “The way you handled that customer complaint by listening first and then offering a solution was excellent” is memorable.
• Specific praise teaches people exactly what to repeat
• It shows that the manager is paying attention, which itself is motivating
• Vague praise can feel hollow or manipulative; specific praise feels genuine
• The person learns not just that they did well, but what they did well

The Science of Positive Reinforcement

One Minute Praisings are grounded in behavioral science. The most effective way to shape behavior is not punishment but positive reinforcement delivered close to the behavior. When praise comes immediately after the right action, the brain connects the behavior to the positive feeling, making it more likely to be repeated.

Training and Development

The One Minute Manager uses a powerful metaphor: think about how you train a child to walk. You do not wait until the child walks perfectly and then praise them. You praise every small step in the right direction — a wobble, a lurch, a stumble forward. If you waited for perfection before giving praise, the child would never learn to walk. They would give up. Yet this is exactly what most managers do with their people — they wait for perfect performance before acknowledging progress.

The same principle applies in the workplace. When someone is learning a new skill, catch them doing something approximately right and praise the progress. As they develop, raise the bar. This approach builds confidence and competence simultaneously.

“Help people reach their full potential. Catch them doing something right.” — The One Minute Manager

Praising and Self-Esteem

One Minute Praisings work on a deeper level than simple behavior modification. They build self-esteem. When a person is praised specifically for something they did well, they begin to see themselves as someone who does things well. This internal shift is far more powerful than any external incentive because it changes how the person approaches their work from the inside out.

The Virtuous Cycle

• Step 1: Manager catches someone doing something right and praises them specifically
• Step 2: The person feels good about themselves and their contribution
• Step 3: Feeling good, they are more motivated and more confident
• Step 4: Increased motivation and confidence lead to better performance
• Step 5: Better performance provides more opportunities for praising
• The cycle repeats and accelerates

Common Objections to Praising

• “I don’t have time.” A praising takes less than one minute. You have time.
• “They’ll get a big head.” Specific, honest praise builds confidence, not arrogance.
• “They should just do their job.” And you should just manage — praising is your job.
• “It feels awkward.” It feels awkward because you have not practiced it. Start today.
• “They’ll expect a raise.” People who feel valued often give more, not demand more.

Practice: Delivering Your First One Minute Praising

1. Choose one person you work with who has done something well recently
2. Go to them within the next 24 hours — do not wait
3. Tell them specifically what they did right: “When you [specific action], it was excellent because [specific reason]”
4. Tell them how it made you feel: “It made me feel confident in our team’s ability to deliver”
5. Pause for a moment — let them absorb the praise
6. Encourage them: “Keep doing great work like that”
7. Notice how it changes their energy — and yours

Reflection

When was the last time someone praised you specifically for something you did well? How did it make you feel? Now think about your own team or colleagues. How often do you catch people doing something right versus catching them doing something wrong? What would shift if you reversed that ratio this week?

Key Takeaways

• Most managers default to catching people doing something wrong — this kills motivation
• One Minute Praisings catch people doing something right and reinforce it immediately
• Praise must be specific — vague compliments do not teach or motivate
• Share how the person’s good work makes you feel — emotional connection makes praise stick
• Pause after praising so the person can absorb the positive feedback
• Praising builds a virtuous cycle: good feelings lead to good performance, which leads to more good feelings