Manager Tools

Our Hall Of Fame guidance on capturing interview results in a fast and simple meeting.

Part 2 of our guidance on small project management deliverables basics.

Part 1 of our guidance on small project management deliverables basics.

Part 2 of our guidance for managers and directs expressing concern that Manager Tools' Trinity guidance is formulaic, and not authentic. Here's how to think through those concerns, and/or address them from a colleague.

Part 1 of our guidance for managers and directs expressing concern that Manager Tools' Trinity guidance is formulaic, and not authentic. Here's how to think through those concerns, and/or address them from a colleague.

The data on how race and gender affect behaviors and outcomes for the Manager Tools trinity.

Part 2 of our guidance on reducing interviewee stress. Adding more stress to a candidate reduces the effectiveness of your interview process. Don't do it.

Our Hall of Fame guidance on how to think more creatively about annual planning goals.

Our Hall Of Fame guidance on how to start setting annual goals, and why we do not like "SMART" goals.

Part 1 of our guidance on reducing interviewee stress. Adding more stress to a candidate reduces the effectiveness of your interview process. Don't do it.

Part 2 of our Hall Of Fame guidance on how to teach directs how to interview candidates for hiring.

Part 1 of our Hall Of Fame guidance on how to teach directs how to interview candidates for hiring.

Our Hall of Fame guidance on delivering a performance review.

This week, we're re-releasing one of our Hall of Fame casts on how to prepare performance reviews.

Our Hall Of Fame guidance on the secret to reinvigorating a stalled technical career.

There are some rarely forgivable interviewing mistakes that justify ruling a candidate out even when there are good reasons to hire them. Lack of preparation is one of them.

Mark and Mike talk about what happened at the Manager Tools 2019 inaugural M Conference.

Part 2 of our examples of how to respond to different kinds of pushback to feedback.

Our Hall Of Fame guidance on effective and ineffective ways to notify a candidate you’ve interviewed that you won’t be offering them.

Part 1 of our examples of how to respond to different kinds of pushback to feedback.

An interview with Mark Horstman about his new book, The Effective Hiring Manager.

Using consensus as a decision making tool is a bad idea for managers.

Feedback is about behavior. It's not a personal attack.

New team members need guidance about your key issues early on. This is a continuation of our series about messages that shouldn't wait.

Part 3 of our guidance on what leaders do to take their meetings to the next level.

Part 2 of our guidance on what leaders do to take their meetings to the next level.

Part 1 of our guidance on what leaders do to take their meetings to the next level.

Give your team advance knowledge of emergent changes with a Warning Order.

Part 2 of our guidance on what to do if you're forbidden from doing One On Ones.

Part 1 of our guidance on what to do if you're forbidden from doing One On Ones.

Part 2 of our Hall of Fame guidance on how to make a job offer to a candidate.

The M Conference is our new in-person development opportunity, looking to your future in management.

Part 1 of our Hall of Fame guidance on how to make a job offer to a candidate.

Part 2 of our 14th anniversary review of mistakes.

Part 1 of our 14th anniversary review of mistakes.

Part 4 of our guidance on what to do when directs ask how they can get promoted. Rather than get frustrated, give them a professional answer.

Part 3 of our guidance on what to do when directs ask how they can get promoted. Rather than get frustrated, give them a professional answer.

Part 2 of our guidance on what to do when directs ask how they can get promoted. Rather than get frustrated, give them a professional answer.

Part 1 of our guidance on what to do when directs ask how they can get promoted. Rather than get frustrated, give them a professional answer.

Part 2 of our guidance on why one to one interviews aren't as risky as so many fear.

Part 1 of our guidance on why one to one interviews aren't as risky as so many fear.

Part 4 of our compendium of guidance on email.

Part 3 of our compendium of guidance on email.

Part 2 of our compendium of guidance on email.

Part 1 of our compendium of guidance on email.

Sometimes a new boss asks for "candor." In general, caution is warranted initially.

Sometimes a new boss asks for "candor." In general, caution is warranted initially.

Two of the most common mistakes managers make with One-On-Ones is not following up on topics of conversations and not following through on their commitment to do them at all.

When someone new joins your team, we recommend you communicate early about your key priorities. One of those must be communication.

Our Hall of Fame guidance on how to share shortcomings in evaluations like reviews and interviews.