Manager Tools

Top Ten Hiring Mistakes - Mistake #10 - Being Surprised - Part 2

10 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Part 2 of our guidance on number ten of the top ten hiring mistakes: Being Surprised.

Top Ten Hiring Mistakes - Mistake #10 - Being Surprised

03 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Part 1 of our guidance on number ten of the top ten hiring mistakes: Being Surprised.

The Myth of the Feedback Myth - Part 3

27 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Part 3 of our guidance on performance communication between bosses and directs that has come under attack in the past couple of years. Some say perfor...

The Myth of the Feedback Myth - Part 2

20 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Part 2 of our guidance on performance communication between bosses and directs that has come under attack in the past couple of years. Some say perfor...

The Myth of the Feedback Myth - Part 1

13 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Part 1 of our guidance on performance communication between bosses and directs that has come under attack in the past couple of years. Some say perfor...

Interviewing on Zoom

06 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Lots of Interviews are being conducted via Zoom. Here's how.

The 15th Anniversary Show

29 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

On our 15th Anniversary show, we review some brief history of Manager Tools, and talk about our new license promotion honoring our initial offering.

Internal Talent Markets - Chapter 1 - Free Agency

22 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Internal Talent Markets should be nearly frictionless. That starts with how each manager communicates the internal to our directs.

Presenting In Zoom - Part 2

15 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Part 2 of our guidance about how to present or train on Zoom.

Presenting In Zoom - Part 1

08 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Part 1 of our guidance about how to present or train on Zoom.

Flavor Of The Month Pushback - Part 2

01 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Part 2 of our guidance on flavor of the month pushback.

Flavor Of The Month Pushback - Part 1

25 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Part 1 of our guidance on flavor of the month pushback.

Don't Do Skip Level One On Ones

18 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

A lot of managers want to do One On Ones with their directs' directs, also known as skips. This is a bad idea.

COVID: No Dropping Dimes - Part 2

12 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Part 2 of our guidance recommending NOT announcing a colleague’s failure without a courtesy notification.

COVID: No Dropping Dimes - Part 1

11 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Part 1 of our guidance recommending NOT announcing a colleague’s failure without a courtesy notification.

COVID: How To Be Ready For A Hiring Market Upturn - Part 2

04 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Part 2 of our guidance on how to prepare for the coming hiring market upturn.

COVID: How To Be Ready For A Hiring Market Upturn - Part 1

03 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Part 1 of our guidance on how to prepare for the coming hiring market upturn.

COVID: Smart Interviewing In A Downturn

02 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This cast describes how to interview effectively during a downturn, particularly for difficult to fill positions.

COVID: Bench Development in a Downturn

01 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

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

COVID: Asking Your Network For An Opportunity

30 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This cast helps you word your request to your network for help with looking for a new opportunity.

COVID: Handling Exit Interviews

29 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This cast explains how to handle exit interviews.

COVID: Systematic Career Documentation - Part 2

28 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Part 2 of our guidance on how to create and use a Career Management Document as a key part of your career management system.

COVID: Systematic Career Documentation - Part 1

27 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

COVID: Systematic Career Documentation - Part 1

COVID: Effective Layoff Announcement Response

26 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This cast explains how to respond to the announcement of impending layoffs at your firm.

COVID: Layoff Signs And What To Do About Them - Part 2

25 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Part 2 of our guidance on the signs to look out for that indicate layoffs are coming.

COVID: Layoff Signs And What To Do About Them - Part 1

24 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Part 1 of our guidance on the signs to look out for that indicate layoffs are coming.

COVID: An Especially Important Relationship In A Downturn

23 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This cast explains how to improve an especially important relationship during economic downturns: your boss's peers.

COVID: The Downturn Rite of Passage

22 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This cast describes the reasons why leaving your company or industry in a downturn CAN be a bad idea, and recommends options to consider in those situ...

COVID: Fighting The Downturn Silence

20 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

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

COVID: Compassionate Layoffs?

06 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

A rerelease of our guidance on how to conduct layoffs efficiently, with candor and compassion, which addresses problems related to headcount and budge...

Manager Tools Internal Pandemic Response - Part 3

01 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Part 3 of our guidance related to how we at Manager Tools addressed the COVID pandemic, and the coming dangerous economic aftermath.

Manager Tools Internal Pandemic Response - Part 2

31 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Part 2 of our guidance related to how we at Manager Tools addressed the COVID pandemic, and the coming dangerous economic aftermath.

Manager Tools Internal Pandemic Response - Part 1

30 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Part 1 of our guidance related to how we at Manager Tools addressed the COVID pandemic, and the coming dangerous economic aftermath.

Pandemic Guidance Continued

23 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We continue our guidance about managing in the time of COVID-19.

Managing During a Pandemic - The COVID-19 Cast - Part 2

17 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Part 2 of our guidance on managing during a pandemic, such as COVID-19 (Coronavirus), or a similar international crisis.

Managing During a Pandemic - The COVID-19 Cast - Part 1

16 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Part 1 of our guidance on managing during a pandemic, such as COVID-19 (Coronavirus), or a similar international crisis.

Coronavirus Guidance - The Steel Cage Death Match Meeting - Part 2

13 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

A rerelease of part 2 of our guidance on preparing for a staffing decision meeting, which addresses problems related to headcount and budget reduction...

Coronavirus Guidance - The Steel Cage Death Match Meeting - Part 1

12 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

A rerelease of part 1 of our guidance on preparing for a staffing decision meeting, which addresses problems related to headcount and budget reduction...

Coronavirus Guidance - Race, Don't Chase - Part 2

11 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

A rerelease of part 2 of our guidance on budget management in a downturn, which addresses problems related to headcount and budget reductions that you...

Coronavirus Guidance - Race, Don't Chase - Part 1

10 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Coronavirus Guidance - Race, Don't Chase - Part 1

Coronavirus Guidance - Working Remotely - Chapter 3 - Contribution To The Team

09 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

A rerelease of of our guidance on contributing to the team when working remotely, which addresses problems related to working from home and managing r...

Coronavirus Guidance - Working Remotely - Chapter 1 - Get Results

08 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

A rerelease of of our guidance on getting results when working remotely, which addresses problems related to working from home and managing remote emp...

Coronavirus Guidance - Distant Manager Basics - For Directs - Part 2

07 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

A rerelease of part 2 of our guidance on how to work with a remotely located manager, which addresses problems related to working from home and managi...

Coronavirus Guidance - Distant Manager Basics - For Directs - Part 1

06 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

A rerelease of part 1 of our guidance on how to work with a remotely located manager, which addresses problems related to working from home and managi...

Coronavirus Guidance - Distant Manager Basics - Part 2

05 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

A rerelease of part 2 of our guidance on managing distant team members, which addresses problems related to working from home and managing remote empl...

Coronavirus Guidance - Distant Manager Basics - Part 1

04 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

A rerelease of part 1 of our guidance on managing distant team members, which addresses problems related to working from home and managing remote empl...

Coronavirus Guidance - Phone One on Ones

03 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

A rerelease of our guidance on phone One on Ones, which addresses problems related to working from home and managing remote employees that you may now...

Work-Life Balance: The Yellow Peanut M&M Analogy

02 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The common wisdom about work-family balance is wrong. We're asking the wrong question.

Training Is Not The Answer

24 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Training is the go-to answer for skill development. But training isn't really what you want.

The Interview Results Capture Meeting - HOF 2020

17 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

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

Rules of Small Project Management - Chapter 1 - Deliverables Basics - Part 2

10 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

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

Rules of Small Project Management - Chapter 1 - Deliverables Basics - Part 1

03 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

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

Authenticity And The Manager Tools Trinity - Part 2

27 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Authenticity And The Manager Tools Trinity - Part 1

20 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Manager Tools and Race and Gender

13 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

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

The Effective Hiring Manager Missing Chapters - Reducing Interviewee Stress - Part 2

06 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Assumptive Goal Setting - HOF 2019

30 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

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

How to Set Annual Goals - HOF 2019

23 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

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

The Effective Hiring Manager Missing Chapters - Reducing Interviewee Stress - Part 1

16 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Simple Interviewer Training - Part 2 - HOF 2019

09 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

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

Simple Interviewer Training - Part 1 - HOF 2019

02 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

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

Delivering The Performance Review - HOF 2019

25 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Our Hall of Fame guidance on delivering a performance review.

Preparing Performance Reviews - HOF 2019

18 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

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

Solution to a Stalled Technical Career - HOF 2019

11 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

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

The Effective Hiring Manager Missing Chapters - Reasons To Say No #1 - Unprepared

04 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

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

M Conference Learnings and Highlights

28 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

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

Negative Feedback Pushback Examples - Part 2

21 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

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

How To Turn Down a Job Candidate - HOF 2019

14 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

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

Negative Feedback Pushback Examples - Part 1

07 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

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

Introducing The Effective Hiring Manager Book

30 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

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

Don't Use Consensus

23 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

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

Feedback Is Not A Personal Attack

16 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

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

First Meeting New Direct Series: Support The Team

09 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

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

Meeting Leadership - 6 Rules - Part 3

02 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

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

Meeting Leadership - 6 Rules - Part 2

26 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

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

Meeting Leadership - 6 Rules - Part 1

19 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

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

Use A Warning Order

12 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

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

Soft One On Ones - Part 2

05 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

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

Soft One On Ones - Part 1

29 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

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

How to Make a Job Offer - Part 2 - HOF 2019

22 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

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

The M Conference

15 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

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

How to Make a Job Offer - Part 1 - HOF 2019

08 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

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

Mistakes We've Made - Part 2

01 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Part 2 of our 14th anniversary review of mistakes.

Mistakes We've Made - Part 1

24 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Part 1 of our 14th anniversary review of mistakes.

How Do I Respond To "How Do I Get Promoted?" - Part 4

17 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

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.

How Do I Respond To "How Do I Get Promoted?" - Part 3

10 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

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.

How Do I Respond To "How Do I Get Promoted?" - Part 2

03 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

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.

How Do I Respond To "How Do I Get Promoted?" - Part 1

27 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

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.

One To One Interviews Are Safe - Part 2

20 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

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

One To One Interviews Are Safe - Part 1

13 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

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

Email Compendium - Part 4

06 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Part 4 of our compendium of guidance on email.

Email Compendium - Part 3

29 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Part 3 of our compendium of guidance on email.

Email Compendium - Part 2

22 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Part 2 of our compendium of guidance on email.

Email Compendium - Part 1

15 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Part 1 of our compendium of guidance on email.

When A Boss Asks For Candor - Part 2

08 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

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

When A Boss Asks For Candor - Part 1

01 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

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

Common One-On-One Mistakes - Chapter 2 - Not Following Through

25 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

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 commi...

First Meeting With A New Direct Series - Overcommunicate

18 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

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

You Did Not Demonstrate - HOF 2019

11 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

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

Role Power Revisited - You Speak For The CEO - Part 2

04 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Part 2 of our guidance where we don't recommend you use Role Power very often. But when you do, it's good to know it's more powerful than you realize.