Career Tools

Today we cover the second in our 2-part series on mentoring. Also, June 26th represents the 1-year Anniversary of Manager Tools. We previously discussed having a special second part of today's podcast where we would discuss our thoughts about this last year, as well as discuss our plans for the coming year. Unfortunately, the "discussion" was an hour long! So, rather than bundle it with this podcast and create an incredibly large download, we will release an additional podcast in the next day or two with that discussion. Look for it in your podcast player of choice shortly!

Every week, we get questions about people's resumes on the discussion boards. Our resume casts are some of the most wanted of all our work. It's pretty obvious that more and more folks are tuned into their own careers, and how to manage them. That's a good thing, as we've said before, because no one else is managing it for you. And, because so few people manage their careers at all, it only takes a little to get a competitive advantage.

Today, we cover the second in a two-part series of podcasts on Time Management.

The first of two podcasts on Time management.

If you're a manager, don't think for a moment that someone else is managing your career. Those days are long gone. YOU are managing your career. What you do - not only in job skills, but also in what we call "Transition Skills" - will be the primary determinant of your career success. You're not going to have the richest, most rewarding series of roles and opportunities by allowing someone in HR to know enough about you to get you where you need to be. And succession planning won't save you either.

The hand shake is the most important professional greetings in the world today. There are many cultures in the world, and there are places to bow, and places to hug, and places where cheek-kissing is perfectly appropriate. The handshake, though is the preferred greeting for most of our audience.

Last week, we discussed the "Listening" side of communications. This week, we cover the other side, the "Responding" side. Of course, responding when you're in agreement is the easy part. However, how do you respond when you disagree or there is potential conflict? That, my friend, is what this week's podcast is about!

We talked recently about managerial communications, looking at the various ways you as a manager can deliver your message and the organization's messages to your team. There's more to talk about there, but we're going to tackle a different type of communication this time.

In this special podcast for our registered subscribers, we're going to share our first set of recommendations in self-development. We believe that you cannot consider yourself an effective, professional manager unless you engage in regular reading. To that end, we have a suite of recommended reading, both periodicals and books, and some suggestions on how to fit them into your schedule.

Your resume, regardless of the baggage associated with it, is probably your most critical career management document. While it's not something you ought to leave lying around on your desk for others to see, that doesn't mean you ought to treat it like something you dust off only when you really need it. It needs to be reviewed quarterly, believe it or not.

This week's podcast addresses a topic that many of you might be surprised about: your resume.

In this podcast we talk about how to make your technology work for you, and how you can spend less time on email while getting more done.

In this podcast we talk about how to make your technology work for you, and how you can spend less time on email while getting more done.

Got Email? Of course - what manager doesn't? We know managers who get 200 (or more!) emails every day. Email is a necessary evil in the corporate management world, and highly effective managers know how to get the most out of their email WITHOUT spending too much time on it. In our latest podcast, we talk about how to make your technology work for you, and how you can spend less time on email while getting more done.

Mike and Mark discuss a friend's stalled technical career. What's the secret to reinvigorating his career?