In response to several requests from members, Mike has created gift certificates for some of our products. Several members wrote in saying that they wanted family and friends to give them manager Tools gifts (wow!) this holiday season, but there was no way for them to do so.

Now there is.

To the left, in our “Products” section, you’ll see a link: Manager Tools Gifts. Clicking on that link will take you to a page that gives anyone the option to buy one of 4 gift certificates, with amounts in parentheses:

- The Manager Tools Interviewing Series - ($150.00)
- Manager Tools Annual Premium Subscription - ($165.00)
- $25 Gift Toward Any Non-Recurring Product - ($25.00)
- $50 Gift Purchase Toward Any Non-Recurring Product - ($50)

Purchasers will get a coupon code, and sharing that coupon code with the gift recipient will allow the recipient to enter it during checkout when purchasing a non-recurring product, reducing the price by the amount of the certificate.

Please do note that you can’t yet apply these gift certificates/coupons to recurring products, such as the monthly Premium Content Subscription. That’s much harder behind the scenes; we’re working on it.

Hope this makes many of your holidays happier!

This cast describes the first of our recommendations about calendar management.

We spend a lot of time talking to executive clients about how they spend their time, and how they manage their priorities through their calendars. Several times over the past couple of years we’ve talked about how when we start coaching an executive, we ask for two things immediately: an accounting of what they consider their priorities, and a print out of their calendar.

They almost NEVER match, except with CEOs and COOs.

If you’re a thinking manager, you’re not asking, “why?” but rather, “what can I do to avoid that?”

There are a few simple rules that get most effective executives (thank you Mr. Drucker) started off well, and they start with thinking a week at a time.

This cast reveals the most important concept a laid off manager must know: Finances Rule. it is the first in a series designed to help both prepare for and navigate through a layoff.

Most of us fear being laid off. It’s a good fear to have, frankly - being laid off is a difficult passage for anyone. The fear of being re-employed, the fear of loss of status, the loss of income, risk to one’s family. All good reasons to be scared.

And yet, those who have been laid off express very different emotions than those of us who have not. When those who have been laid off are asked about it, it becomes clear why. It’s not JUST that they’ve, “been through it once and I made it.” It’s what they THEN say: “I’m ready this time.”

And that’s why you’re scared: you’re not ready.

This cast tells you how to start getting ready. And, our entire series about layoffs will be geared to helping everyone get prepared, and helping those that DO get laid off make it through successfully.

Mike and I hear a lot from folks about how we should be marketing more, and it’s often couched as, “this stuff is great, why don’t more people know about you…you should market better!” Usually our answer is, “no, we don’t market, we just produce really good product, and rely on word of mouth, which everyone says is the best advertising you can buy.”

Frankly, we know we’re falling down here. We’re looking at our priorities, and we do think we have them right, but we have stuff not getting done. So, we worry that there are managers out there who might benefit from our content, and we’re not working hard enough to reach them. (Trust me, we’re working hard enough in general, but just not on marketing.)

And then it hit us: why not just give the word of mouth a megaphone?

Here, then, is our first installment of an email note from a member about their experience with the Interviewing Tool. (We also want to market free stuff, too - we’re not just trying to sell Interviewing Tools with this post). If you care to share, please write us a note (showAT…), and tell us if we can use your name or not. Please share in the spirit of letting OTHERS know why you’re a fan, a member or premium content subscriber.

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Dear Mike / Mark

I just wanted to let you guys know that I just landed a VP job at a company that was at the very top of my short list of career companies. I landed the job as an outside candidate in an environment where they prefer to recruit from the inside. It was also a very hotly contested job.

Without question the interviewing podcasts and content you provided made the absolute difference. I followed probably 85% of what you outlined. Had I not followed this advice I would not have had the level of confidence to perform the way I did throughout the interview process. I was so well prepared I was able to be at ease and operate at another level.

So thank you. I trust you guys know that you are making a difference – all my direct reports listen to your content, and all my new reports will in the future.

Also, I am one of the people that had to cancel out of your very first conference and you refunded my money – even though you didn’t have to. You are a class act.

Many thanks and may Manager Tools continue to thrive.

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We do this for you all. It’s a privilege to serve.

This cast describes the second part in our series how to think about being persuasive in a presentation.

As many of you know, we recently announced our first European Effective Manager Conference, January 29-30 at the Sheraton Amsterdam Schiphol.

Typically, we do a brief podcast with a brief review of the conference when we announce the conference … and this time is no different, although a bit late! However, our lateness comes with a benefit … we’re extending the early registration period by two weeks (ending on November 16).

So here’s a brief discussion about our upcoming Amsterdam Effective Manager Conference!

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

This cast describes how to think about being persuasive in a presentation.

One of the most maligned arts in professional life today is persuasion. The classic case of persuasion falling out of favor is how often professional sales people are viewed as golfers with big expense accounts. Or, perhaps even more perniciously, why is it that all of the sales roles in technology firms are called “Business Development”? Sales is associated with persuasion, and that taint keeps far too many managers from embracing the real value of persuasion.

But we all know that we have to do it, right? Admit it: you know that you’re going to be called upon to persuade others. Just because you wish you could just MAKE people do what you want, or that they would “just see it my way!” doesn’t change the fact that every manager is expected to be persuasive.

Here’s how to begin to think about it.