Manager Tools

This cast concludes our conversation on handling a direct who blames another direct for their failure to deliver a task on time.

This cast recommends how to handle a direct who blames another direct for their failure to deliver a task on time.

This cast recommends how managers handle requests for confidentiality from their directs.

In this cast, we conclude our conversation on the origins of the Management Trinity, focusing on Coaching and Delegation.

In this cast, we continue our conversation on the origins of the Management Trinity, focusing on One on Ones and Feedback.

This cast describes the origins of the Management Trinity: why we preach it, and how it came to be.

This cast concludes our conversation on how to run timely meetings.

This cast describes how to run timely meetings.

This cast describes how to start every One on One.

This cast concludes our discussion on a standard practice of administrative assistants helping managers prepare for business travel.

This cast describes a standard practice of administrative assistants helping managers prepare for business travel.

This cast prescribes asking your directs what their children's names are.

This cast describes a quick and dirty way to choose an interim replacement or number two for your role as manager.

This cast describes how give feedback to a project team member if you are a project manager.

This cast describes how big to size a team when forming it.

This cast recommends simple choices for what to delegate to our directs.

Part 3 of our updated guidance on the Manager Tools Coaching Model.

Part 2 of our updated guidance on the Manager Tools Coaching Model.

Part 1 of our updated guidance on the Manager Tools Coaching Model.

This cast describes how to combat the normal tendency of directs to communicate LESS during a downturn.

In this cast, we conclude our conversation on how to delegate and manage projects more effectively based on the DiSC profiles of your team members.

This cast describes how to delegate and manage projects more effectively based on the DiSC profiles of your team members.

In this cast, we conclude our conversation about beginning change efforts in any organization

This cast describes how to begin any effort to change an organization.

The conclusion of our discussion on Project Manager One on Ones.

This cast explains the basics of how to have One on Ones with project team members who do not report to you.

We've said it a hundred times, but we've never covered the basics of HOW to conduct a One on One on the phone. Clearly it works - Mark has shared that over half of the O3s he's done have been over the phone. Here's how.

This cast concludes our discussion on how to coach one of our directs on how to run our staff meeting which we have delegated to them.

This cast describes how to coach one of our directs on how to run our staff meeting which we have delegated to them.

This cast describes how to delegate running your staff meeting as part of succession planning.

This cast describes an executive priority management technique - One Less Thing - to free up your calendar.

This cast describes how to give negative feedback in an escalating way, over time, to improve performance.

What do we do when we've tried giving negative feedback but it doesn't seem to be working? We've given repeated instances of feedback, and yet we don't see a change in a direct's behavior? We give systemic feedback. And it's easy to give - it's just the four step standard feedback model with a change in focus. If you already know how to give standard feedback, systemic feedback is simple to implement...yet its simplicity belies its power. Really well delivered systemic feedback is exceptionally hard to ignore, and lays excellent groundwork for further efforts if the direct doesn't change his or her behavior.

This cast how to talk about layoffs when they are being considered. Many managers are torn when it comes to layoffs. Most of us know that when they happen, they're probably inevitable. We understand that layoffs are often a painful necessity (even though they're an admission of failure). We also know that the thought, rumor, or knowledge of layoffs is likely to create questions from our team. Just a rumor of a rumor will induce fear. So what are the rules about communicating about layoffs? What do we say when asked? How should we say it? Can we lie?

Most of us, when we have an angry and demeaning boss, tend to worry about ourselves first. We have to deal with most of the yelling, and most of the abuse. But if we have directs, we've got an additional responsibility. And our directs may be somewhat sheltered, but our boss can be REALLY threatening and fear‐inducing. We have a relationship of SOME sorts with this bad boss. But it's likely our directs ONLY see our boss at his or her worst. And, we almost always underestimate how much more fear our directs feel for their "skip‐boss" than we do. We've got to talk to our directs about this kind of boss, in a professional way, and we've got to have a consistent approach for dealing with the problems an angry and demeaning boss creates for our team. Here's how.

This cast describes how to decide between two good candidates in a hiring situation. We're NOT going to tell everyone who's trying to decide between two candidates whom they should pick. What we are going to do with this cast is tell you what factors are most effective in determining whom to hire, as well as walking you through a simple process for the decision.

This cast describes behaviors for managers to engage in to ensure that they deliver feedback ethically and professionally. Mark recently had an experience that was somewhat chilling for him. He was talking to a manager who wanted to show him how good he was at improving. This was a High D, forceful manager who described himself as "a recovering jerk". He was following the Manager Tools Feedback Model, but wasn't getting results? Why is that? Because he was violating the purpose of feedback, to encourage effective behavior. Feedback that meets the purpose of feedback must come from a positive place, from emotions of love and not fear, of respect and not intimidation. We have a series of recommendations for all of us to do before we give feedback, so that we all stay mindful of WHY we're giving feedback, and what its purpose is: to encourage effective behavior.

This cast describes why and how to run your meetings without laptops. For our original cast on the Effective Meetings Protocol, check out "Effective Meetings - Get Out of Jail!"

In this cast, we complete our 2-part series on the Starter Feedback Model, an EVEN SIMPLER method for delivering feedback.

This cast describes an EVEN SIMPLER method for delivering feedback to help those managers who are struggling to implement it.

This cast describes what to do when a manager has two candidates for a job that meet the standard, but you can only offer one candidate.

This cast discusses a way to build your recruiting "bench" during market downturns.

Part 4 of our series on Horstman's Law of Project Management.

Part 3 of our series on Horstman's Law of Project Management.

Part 2 of our series on Horstman's Law of Project Management.

In this cast we describe Horstman's Law of Project Management: Who Does What By When. We've talked and joked about it many times, and this cast will put to rest the details of Horstman's Law of Project Management (HLPM). Mark came up with it several years ago, to help a group of young managers get over their fear of working on fairly complex software development projects. It was actually born over a dinner at Mexican restaurant in Dallas! The concept is simple: all projects are simply tasks, done by people, within certain time frames. Despite all protestations to the contrary, no matter how complex the project, they all boil down to who is responsible for doing something, what they're responsible for, and when they have to have it done by. Complex tools can be helpful, but only on really large projects (and almost nobody looks at them anyway ;-) ). Keep it simple with HLPM. Here's how.

Part 3 of our updated guidance on how to gradually implement The Manager Tools Management Trinity (One on Ones, Feedback, Coaching, and Delegation). When managers try to implement all the tools all at once it can end in disaster. Most of us can only learn one new significant skill at a time. And that goes for our directs, too: they're learning along with us. This process for implementation will ensure success in your roll out.

Part 2 of our updated guidance on how to gradually implement The Manager Tools Management Trinity (One on Ones, Feedback, Coaching, and Delegation). When managers try to implement all the tools all at once it can end in disaster. Most of us can only learn one new significant skill at a time. And that goes for our directs, too: they're learning along with us. This process for implementation will ensure success in your roll out.

Part 1 of our updated guidance on how to gradually implement The Manager Tools Management Trinity (One on Ones, Feedback, Coaching, and Delegation). When managers try to implement all the tools all at once it can end in disaster. Most of us can only learn one new significant skill at a time. And that goes for our directs, too: they're learning along with us. This process for implementation will ensure success in your roll out.

Part 2 of our 2-part series on managing conflict when your directs are involved.