Ken Blanchard's little One Minute Manager books define a genre.

Neither riveting reading nor high-stakes illumination, they simply get a message across effectively to the management reader who is not too concerned with aesthetics. Even the illustrations are garden-variety basic.

Yet these books have sold millions and they work.

The One Minute Manager Balances Work and Life presents the usual contrived encounter between the One Minute Manager and another of the usual subjects, this time the Professor. Somewhat off the beaten path, this time it is the One Minute Manager Himself who is desperately in need. Since we last saw him contentedly setting the organization world right, he has foolishly transformed himself into an overweight, out-of-breath victim of his own success.

Bad One Minute Manager!

This gives him the chance to narrate his own turn-around process, a conversion that I must admit I find rather inspiring.

Along the way one is treated to the usual locked doors when he tries to slip away from responsibility for the situation. This habit of assigning personal responsibility is perhaps one of the keys to the success of this series.

If you need to balance work and life, pick up one of these little books on the cheap.

I'm guessing the book was retitled to what is now to attract more readers. However, the content doesn't match the title. This is all about the importance of staying fit and being healthy. If that's what you're looking for, this book is for you. But if you're looking to balance work/life, there are better books to purchase.

This book was originally published under the title "The One Minute Manager Gets Fit." An even better title would have been "The One Minute Manager Takes Care of Himself." The entire volume emphasizes the importance of taking of oneself so that effectiveness in all other areas of life will be at a maximum.

There are four components presented here to insure a fit, healthy life: autonomy, connectedness, perspective and tone. Autonomy pertains to getting control of one's personal schedule so that there is enough time for self-care. Connectedness refers to having a strong, interpersonal support network to keep on track with proper fitness, nutrition, etc. Perspective pertains to how well one views his own life. Tone refers to the actual physical condition and health of a person's body, mind and emotions.

This title should be at the top of the list for "One Minute" fans. The format is the same as all the other books in the series and the principles are life-changing. For some persons, this book may even be life-saving!

For a change, the One Minute Manager is a student in this book. Despite his professional success and fame, he realizes that he has neglected his own physical well being over the years. Then comes a professor who teaches him to put physical fitness first.

There is a simple questionnaire (The Professor's dozen) that the one minute manager needs to answer. It applies to all of us. Depending on the score on this, one may decide the true state of ones "Tone", the word that is used to describe the physical well being of the individual. The four parameters (or moderators that prevent stress) responsible for sustained success in work and life are:

1. Autonomy : The availability of many choices that give good control in life
2. Connectedness : Strong positive relationship at home, at work and in the community
3. Perspective: The direction, purpose and passion about what one is doing.
4. Tone: The feeling about the body, energy level, physical well being and appearance.

In a remarkable way, the clear connection between Tone as the enabler for the other three moderators is brought out in this book. The illustrations that support the concepts are excellent.

Organizations spend billions of dollars in health care and suffer productivity loss due to the lack of physical well being of their employees. Employees on the other hand are sacrificing their health in the process of achieving career advancement. "In early life, people give up their health to gain wealth. Then, later in life they give up some wealth to regain health."

This book is for HR managers and employees at all levels to help achieve substantial gains for the Organization; through employee well being that needs serious attention; as much as we do for career planning.

This book was originally published in 1986 as "The One Minute Manager Gets Fit" and is well worth every minute you take to read it! It is written in the classic "one minute manager" style and shows you exactly how you can balance your life by adjusting your lifestyle. I enjoyed the easy to read layout and found it to be a quick, yet revolutionary, read. I picked it up on a lark and I'm glad I did. It's never to late (or too early) to start becoming healthy. Highly recommended for anyone who wants to get their life in order, but thinks they are too busy to dedicate the time to start.