Manager Tools Development Challenge 2006

Hi guys, I am getting some good tips

Hi guys,
I am getting some good tips and reinforcement from you podcasts, overall a good concept. Please try to work on decreasing your wordiness and banter and vocal stumbling/stuttering. It seems like you often are just filling space - in between well organized and voiced statements. Your casts run 20-70 minutes which is a lot of time for good managers to devote, if this is trimmed to 10-30 minutes it is much more palateble. You can accomplish this easily by eliminating white noise.
Try listening to your own casts and timing/identifying stumbles/pauses/lost time. You could also script your thoughts/presentations better and setting a timer on your topic. It appears to be basic speaking principles that are being ignored - imagine you are standing before a rapt audience, talk to us that way (or at least real people in a room). I hear that you are both sitting at a desk and throwing things back and forth - that has some benefit, but is not coming off very efficiently.
Glad to discuss with you, hope it helps. Randy 802 - 373 - 724

Hi Randy, Thanks for the comments

Hi Randy,

Thanks for the comments and feedback. Obviously you have high standards and we have a ways to go! ;-) I'm pretty certain the "stumbling/stuttering" is directed to me ... it must be pretty clear to the casual listener that I'm not a pro at this. Although I promise I'll keep trying, I'm not certain that I'm going to make a whole lot of progress there! Mark is just so smart, he makes me nervous ... it's HIS fault! :-)

We'll give some thought to making things more concise. The informal nature (banter) of the podcast is what makes it fun for us. I'm pretty certain this doesn't appeal to everyone, but for our own sanity we've got to keep it informal and fun.

Good comment on the duration. Although our last one was certainly long (over an hour!), our average podcast is 39 minutes. We believe, as you do, that this is a bit long. We have a goal of getting it down to 30 minutes, but I doubt we'll ever get it down to 10 minutes.

Again, I really appreciate the feedback ... you've given us something to consider. Thanks!

regards,
Mike

Randy- We appreciate our listeners

Randy-

We appreciate our listeners who give us feedback. Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts!

Mike thinks it's MY fault for HIS stumbling, while I think it's HIS fault for causing mine. His questions sometimes get me excited and I'm off on a tangent.

We'll continue trying to make it better.

Mark

Randy, I understand why you feel the

Randy, I understand why you feel the way you do about the podcast. I must disagree with you, though. I think the informality and banter is what makes the Manager-Tools podcast entertaining and "real" as opposed to a clinical and efficient recitation of the strategies and tactics.

Mark, the off-topic tangets are often as interesting and informative as the intended discussion.

Keep up the great work, guys!

Larry- Thanks for the additional

Larry-

Thanks for the additional feedback. We're always trying to make our audience more effective. We think if you like it, you'll keep coming back.

We'll keep trying!

Mark

I've enjoyed your 'casts for the last

I've enjoyed your 'casts for the last few months - one suggestion: try to include a summary of the key messages or content at the end. For instance, for the 'big 6' development challenges it would be good if you could list them succinctly before wrapping up. For people like me who listen while exercising or driving its easy to lose the key message.

Agreed with fourbitsworth - I believe

Agreed with fourbitsworth - I believe the tangents add richness to the discussion, and really place the topics in the real world. Likewise, I think that Randy is right in wanting the presentation to be efficient, but I, for one, would prefer you err on including an a tangent vs. not.

Wayne- THANK YOU for the feedback.

Wayne-

THANK YOU for the feedback. GREAT POINT! We will definitely start doing that. I think there may be some times when we'll struggle with a too-high abstraction to keep it short, but we'll figure something out.

Bottom line, we like it when others do that for us, and we haven't done it well thus far.

Thanks again - it's a privilege to serve you.

Mark

Jscnople- Thanks for the additional

Jscnople-

Thanks for the additional feedback on this issue. The whole efficiency versus richness struggle is one Mike and I talk about a lot.

We'll keep trying - it's a privilege to serve you.

Mark

I also would like to weigh in on this

I also would like to weigh in on this issue...

Personally, I find the informal nature of this podcast make it easier for me to listen to. A scripted and sterile dialoge is harder to follow than a natural conversation. As for the tangents - keep it up - I have to agree with Jsnople that more often than not this helps to put the topic into perspective.

Keep up the great work, and thank you!

Justin

Absolutely great ! I was wondering

Absolutely great ! I was wondering about something to really start this new year and your six points are what I was looking for. Strange to say but I have alerady decided to improve my financial understanding and so already attended one training from my company. So you can declare that one of your listener has implemented your suggestions. Not bad considering that we are just in the middle of January.
Regarding your wording I confirm that I prefer to have more natural dialogue (remeber I am using your discussions also to keep fresh my english) to catch also idioms (it is not rocket science is one of my favourite) so please keep on.
Just consider that many listeners are not mother tongue and sometimes it is not really easy to follow your acceleration (especially while driving to home in the evening).
Thanks again for your work
Fabrizio

Justin- Thanks for the feedback!

Justin-

Thanks for the feedback! We're getting the sense from online posts and separate emails that the style and format of the show as it is now is resonating with lots of users. The informality and tangents seem to be here to stay!

It's a privilege to serve you.

Mark

Fabrizio- Thank you for the

Fabrizio-

Thank you for the feedback! First of all, great to hear that you are already investing in your management development. We're getting ready to talk about financial competence, so look for that cast in the near term.

Also - sorry I talk so fast, and use so many slang phrases. We will do our best to be careful about that for our international listeners. Hopefully I'll catch myself and translate!

Thanks for being a loyal listener!

Mark

I also feel that the informal bantering

I also feel that the informal bantering keeps me interested - it is more of a conversation that a formal presentation. I can get those anywhere! I also agree with Wayne - A summary at the end of the key takeaways is great. For example, when you called out to have someone "sign up" for doing one of Michael's three items, I had to rewind the podcast to see what they were!

NPatrick- Thanks for the feedback!

NPatrick-

Thanks for the feedback! We're glad you like the format and that it helps your listening and retention. We are going to work on summations in some way that's helpful to our major points.

It's a privilege to serve you.

Mark

[...] About two weeks ago (I said I was

[...] About two weeks ago (I said I was catching up!), they released a podcast with a slightly different type of content - a set of potential challenges for managers to undertake over the next year. As I was listening to it, I was making notes, and I took those notes as a mindmap, as I am wont to do. Looking at it afterwards, I decided that I wanted to keep it for reference (as opposed to the practice of taking notes to help keep my attention focussed), so I spent ten minutes with MindManager, and the results of that are below. [...]

About your reccomendation to read "The

About your reccomendation to read "The World is Flat" by Thomas Friedman -
For those who did not rush to get this book, I enclose here a URL of a speech by Friedman on his book.

Realy facinating. Like your podcasts are ...
Go and listen.

Keep up pointing us to useful contents out there.

Thank You.

Alon

http://www.thinkglobal2005.org/podcast/Think_Global-Thomas_Friedman.mp3

Alon- I'm downloading it now! To

Alon-

I'm downloading it now! To give everyone some sense of the power of this book, consider that it was published in 2005, and Tom Friedman has already agreed to do a significatnly revised second edition in 2006! This is a breath-taking recognitrion of the book's importance and selling power by the publishers and the author.

I will read the second edition cover to cover, and I encourage everyone else to do so as well.

Glad we're helping you; it's a privilege to serve you.

Mark

The material in these podcasts are

The material in these podcasts are great, thanks for making them available to everyone. I also enjoy the informal nature of the podcasts and I find that the informal discussions often illustrate how you continue to use these techniques in your current businesses, which for me is as valuable as knowing what the technique is.

One question. You mentioned that you were considering using a MBA research assistant from India in the spirit of Thomas Friedman's book. Do you have any advice on how to go about looking for a firm and how to find ones that specialize in different topics and services other than a random Google search?

Thanks,

Scott

Just a quick note to say I have

Just a quick note to say I have recently implemented the weekly O3s - just before the 6 challenges edition (after catching up on the early podcasts) - so got one already in the bag ! - Have only had one full round of meetings but already getting great feedback from the team - one even commented that they had been discussing between them 'who was the new boss' - I have also been able to coach the team on their own O3's and how important they should be to them also. Looking forward to next team meeting and making a few changes.......many thanks for all the great insights and specific tips - now working on opening my boss's eyes!

Scott- Sorry this took so long!

Scott-

Sorry this took so long! Sure - go to http://www.b2kcorp.com/, which is the site for B2K, the company that Friedman talked about. Fascinating and effective stuff.

Mark

Fiveway4- Thanks for the kind

Fiveway4-

Thanks for the kind words and glad you're enjoying the show!

Don't worry so much about your boss just yet. Let your example(s) do the talking. It's hard for many folks to learn from below... but when the student is ready, the teacher will appear. Let him set his own pace for doing this stuff. If he's good he'll figure it out, if not, you telling him to do is liking trying to teach a pig to sing - it's unlikely to be effective, and it irritates the pig.

It's a privilege to serve you,

Mark

[...] I’m almost there - maybe 80%,

[...] I’m almost there - maybe 80%, maybe 90%, in doing a one-pager. I’ve thrown away a couple of drafts, and I’m still working on it. I think I’ll make that my personal addition to your Development Challenge - to create a one-page resume that I’m comfortable with, this year. (I’ve got the rest of this year before I’ll need it externally (long story…), so it’s a good personal goal). [...]

Hi Mark and Mike, last week I was able

Hi Mark and Mike,
last week I was able to respect a commitment made with myself about development actions suggested by your podcast: I attended a training course on soft skills and guess what ? I had a lot of confirmations that your suggestions are really valuable and that with your coaching I am one step beyond compared to other people. How many words and time spent to say what you are able to condensate in 30 or 40 minutes....
Just to close I have just finished to read the book that you recommended "Getting things done" and I found it a must do and I strongly suggest to the bloggers to have a look at it.
Thanks
Bilbo

Bilbo- Well done you! Glad we are

Bilbo-

Well done you! Glad we are helping, AND that you are developing yourself in other ways as well.

It's our privilege to serve you.

Mark

Hi Mike and Mark, Overall a

Hi Mike and Mark,

Overall a phenomenally usefull product you are delivering here.
In this cast you specifically mentioned two recomended books, but only by title. Also, unfortuantyly they are not on your book list page, and they have names that match many different books. Can you clarify the ISBN, Author, or publisher of the two books:
"Finanace for non-financial managers", and "How to read a financial report".
Thanks,

P.S. to the guy who thinks you talk to slowly, try listening to the cast at a higher speed , many MP3 players, and even Windows Media Player (WMP) allow you to do so. I do this and find it very effective.
P.P.S: In fact, I think the show intro sounds much cooler (snappy and upbeat) when played at a faster rate (that is slightly slower than the WMP "Fast")

Mike- The authors are Gene Siciliano

Mike-

The authors are Gene Siciliano and John Tracy, respectively.

Glad you're getting value from our work.

Mark

Mark, Do you have any more feedback on

Mark,
Do you have any more feedback on your experiences with
http://www.b2kcorp.com/

In the podcast, you were considering using them.
Here you have said "Fascinating and effective stuff".

Are you still using them? Were the results what you expecetd. Was it value for money?

Looking forward to seeing you in Australia in Nov 2009,

ANISE

Anise- We did not go forward on

Anise-

We did not go forward on that. I believe in the concept, but the needs they could meet were not ones we were looking for at the time.

We have talked about in the future, and haven't ruled it out.

Mark

First time I got to this podcast. Great

First time I got to this podcast. Great Stuff. You should republish this one every year under a new name. This is great for this time of year!

Also, did you guys ever hire someone to do research in India?

That's so cool that you were considering this.