In this cast, we finish up our conversation on approaching compensation decisions during annual reviews. Listening to last week’s show first will help!

This cast describes a way to approach compensation decisions during annual reviews.

We’re in the last quarter of the calendar year, so effective managers are already thinking about performance reviews for their directs. (We don’t agree with delivering all reviews at the end of the calendar year, but we know it’s prevalent). When we delivered our podcasts on reviews, we didn’t discuss compensation, and this cast we cover it for the first time.

The fact is, the compensation decision is truly separate from the performance analysis that precedes the preparation of the review. Nevertheless, managers often have to deliver the results of both at the same time, so it’s prudent to be thinking about compensation in Q4.

If you don’t know the bucket theory of compensation, you’ll need to listen in.

This cast describes how to leave an effective voicemail.

If you’ve ever gotten a voicemail which sounded like, “[your name], this is [their name], call me,” you know why we’re doing this cast.

Phone manners have been steadily decreasing for decades. When boys used to call for Mark’s daughter Kate, they would slouch verbally through, “Is Kate there?” and Mark would answer, “Yes,” and hang up. He safely assumed that any person who asked that question was a boy, and not enough of a gentleman to be allowed to speak with her. (At first she rolled her eyes, but later she liked the hurdle that Mark’s demand created: those boys that never got it ended up being…well, boys.)

What about at work? The “Bob this is Joe call me” is only one example. It ranks right up there with “saw that you called, what’s up?” answered with, “did you, errrrr…listen to my voicemail?”

In this cast, we have recommendations for how to leave a voicemail. We think of this as the first cast on phone skills…out of several hundred to come.

All,

I apologize, but I made some terrible errors on the email that went out on the Amsterdam Conference.

First, the early registration period ends on November 2, not October 2. No, time travel is not required to get the early registration discount.

Second, the US dollar did not all of a sudden make dramatic gains against the euro. The early registration price is 1500 euros (again, until November 2), and the regular price is 1750 euros.

your (very) humble servant,
Mike

In this cast, we share what do effective managers do when a direct disagrees with the feedback you give them.

As much as many of the managers in our community love how much more effective our tools (particularly the Trinity) make them, it does seem that every once in a while, something goes awry in perfect-manager-land. A meeting still gets hijacked (even with a parking lot!), a struggling direct still fails (even with late stage coaching).

What do you do when a direct disagrees with your feedback? We think many newer managers – and particularly newer managers who are rookies with the feedback model – are stunned into a kind of affronted muteness. “What?!?”, you think. She must not understand that I have just delivered the sine qua non of development guidance, in a form palatable for all. How DARE she argue. I am … The MANAGER. This is… FEEDBACK. It is… SUPPOSED to work. Mike and Mark…SAID SO!

But it does happen, for a couple of reasons, and it’s really not a big deal.

And we have the answer for you in this, the The Shot Across The Bow show.

We are pleased to announce our first ever European Effective Manager Conference!

We’re thrilled with how our attendees felt about their experiences this year at conferences:

“It’s really simple: If you’re a manager, you need manager-tools, you need to hear Mark and Mike, and if you have the opportunity to EXPERIENCE Mark, Mike, & company, DON’T MISS IT.

This was hands-down the best training I’ve ever attended.”

Fran McTernan

The basics: It’s January 29-30, at the Sheraton Amsterdam Schiphol.

For more details, our agenda, and logistics, please go to the Effective Manager Conference page.

If you’re ready now, go to our conference registration page to register now.

We have limited space to 75 attendees (NOT 100!). We have presented in Europe before, and we know that our lack of fluency means more practice and more time on key subjects.

“This Manager Tools conference was the most effective two days of training that I have ever had. I have taken away so much from this conference above what I was getting out of the pod casts. In addition to presentations and practice, which were excellent, I got a lot out of the Q&A’s during the meals and the informal discussions after dinner and between breaks. It also makes all of the difference in the world to be at a training seminar with so many other people that actually want to be there.

I can’t wait until I get back to work to put some of what I learned to action. I am absolutely convinced that this will have a major positive impact on my team.”

So, for all our European members begging us for a conference: here it is. Your turn!

We hope to see you in January.

Mike and I have decided to extend our Premium Content Introductory Offer until the end of October.

We’re doing this because many members have asked us for an extension for various reasons, and we don’t want to exclude them arbitrarily. Also, we had said that we would remind everyone about the deadline, and we haven’t done that. We don’t want our lack of follow through to cause people to be disappointed about the offer being closed.

Our lack of follow through is due both to an explosion of corporate requests and to planning conference dates and venues for 2008. I will not spend 7 days at home in a row until after Thanksgiving, and Mike is traveling a great deal more.

We will communicate more this month regarding planning, products, and pricing. Thanks for your understanding!

In this cast, we describe how to be effective in everyday conversations.

We’ve spent a great deal of time on managerial communications, and for good reason. Managers rely on communication to achieve the very basic requirement of their role: aligning and inspiring others to achieve more than they could do on their own. As a former boss of mine was fond of saying, “you may be smarter than me, but you’re not smarter than WE.”

But, there are a lot of different kinds of communication. We’ve talked about meetings, and feedback, and coaching, and late stage coaching, and delivering reviews…and there are hundreds more.

Including plain old conversations.

Conversations are our most FREQUENTLY used verbal communication form, aren’t they? So why does everyone want to know the right way to do all those other managerial communications – like feedback: “do I REALLY have to say FEEDBACK?!?” - but nobody seems to ask about conversations?

In this cast, we’ll share the MOST VALUABLE CONVERSATIONAL COMMUNICATION TOOL you’ll ever learn (that your mom didn’t teach you).