For our 6th podcast, and in light of some questions we’ve received, we thought it would be helpful for our subscribers to know a little more about Manager Tools. We already have several hundred subscribers in just 3 weeks of operation, so thought many of you would want to know from whom you’re getting these recommendations.

The fact is, we don’t see ourselves as “podcasters”. We love the medium, don’t get us wrong, but as Mike says during this ‘cast, we may be the only folks who have yet to talk about the equipment they’re using to do the casting. We’re business professionals, and we care about leadership and management. That’s why we do this.

In this cast, we talk about our backgrounds a little, and how the concept for Manager Tools was born, and how it progressed. We have seen great and terrible managers, and sadly, far too many of the latter. We want to use this medium, and the web more broadly as well, to “democratize management training”. We want to help you become a better manager. Listen in, and let us know what you think ( at show@manager-tools.com).

In this week’s podcast, Mike and Mark share a technique managers can use to give feedback to their team members. Feedback is the most frequently-used tool of effective managers. What is feedback? Feedback shows someone the impact of their behavior, allowing them to change ineffective actions or continue doing things that help the team achieve its goals.

The dirty little secret of most managers is that while they are DESPERATE to get feedback from their bosses, they then visit that same sin on their own team. Every time Mark asks groups of executives and managers if they’d like more guidance and response from their boss, everyone raises their hand. On the other hand, every group also believes that their team is hearing everything the team needs from them. Of course, it’s not true.

Another example of how little feedback is intentionally given is how managers defend themselves when we challenge them. “You don’t give enough feedback,” we suggest, and the common response is “I give detailed annual reviews,” or, better but still trivial, “I do quarterly reviews”. This is a great amount of feedback/guidance if you’re willing to wait 90 days or a whole year to change/improve anybody’s performance.

We believe the reason this is so is a combination of fear of conflict, and lack of skill. Basically, you probably see things all the time that you don’t like or would like to improve in some way. We think a lot of your fear is retention related: “Well, what I have to share is not that big, and if I say something, he might get mad and quit, and gee, he may not be great but he does more work than an open position would…”

The other reason is most managers don’t know how - this show will teach you.

In today’s show we continue our conversation on one-on-ones. In addition to a brief review (very brief — not a substitute for listening to the previous two shows!), we review a number of questions and finer points:

1. I did one, and it was extremely awkward. How long will it take to get used to them?
2. In the first one, some of my folks were scared - why?
   In my first one, they didn’t seem too open to share personal info - what can I do about that?
3. My folks didn’t like me taking notes. What do I do?
4. I don’t like taking notes - can I just chat with them?
5. How do I follow up on old items?
6. What do I do if someone keeps reporting that they haven’t done something? I’ve got a forum to talk to them, but what do I say?
7. How can I reduce my folks coming to me between O3s with stuff that is best covered in the O3?
8. What if someone doesn’t show?
9. What if my team is spread across the entire continent, or one of my folks is travelling that week … Can I do these over the phone? And if so, what should I do differently?

Mark and Mike continue their discussion on the single most effective management tool available today - the weekly one-on-one.

In the podcast, we refer to both a written summary of the key points for conducting one-on-ones, as well as a form useful for documenting your one-on-ones.

Mark and Mike discuss the single most effective management tool - the one-on-one.