If you’ve been around Manager Tools for some time, you might have noticed a trend. Every other question on the forum is answered with feedback, one on ones, delegation, coaching or DiSC. It’s the same at the conferences. People ask convoluted questions and the answer is simple: one element of the trinity.

Mark and Mike are often heard to say management is unsexy, unexciting and repetitive. If, as a manager, you really got these five basics, you’d be head and shoulders above your peers. (We know that’s true, we get emails to tell us so).

Over time we clutter our lives with extra activities, our computers with extra programs and our closets with extra clothes. Going back to basics is a useful, productive exercise which can restart momentum. In the same way, going back to concentrate on the basics of one on ones, feedback, coaching and delegation (at whichever stage you are in the rollout) can kick-start your productivity and relationships.

So who’s going to commit to a restart?

An article in November's Success Magazine states that the average US household now has more televisions than people. Neilson's Three Screen report says that American's watch 141 hours of television a month. (And before anyone not in the US starts to feel smug, the UK is the same and Europe not far behind).

The Success article continues: "Even five hours of education programming is still five hours not spent doing other things like reading, socializing, cleaning, working, studying, being outdoors or exercising". This is the point.

You may spend far less than the average 141 hours watching TV, but when did a reality TV programme or a soap change your life? Any of the other activities the article mentions (well, except for cleaning perhaps) has the potential for making significant changes for the better in your life. TV doesn't. Turn it off more often!

I've read a lot of articles recently about the increasingly 'web 2.0' methods companies are using in the period between candidates accepting offers and their first day. Onboarding microsites which allow candidates to find out about the company, set up a profile, and see video and other content are becoming more common.

However, whilst some reseach shows candidates like the sites a lot (up to 95% engagement in one survey), we see a danger. Hiring managers could assume that all the work has been done for them. In fact, this isn't much of a change - I've met many hiring managers who think that onboarding is HR's job and abdicate all responsibility.

If you want an employee who is quickly productive and useful to your team, you can't abdicate responsibility to any part of his development, especially onboarding. His whole early experience is colored by the one person he knows - the person who interviewed him. Like many things, onboarding is straightforward but requires some effort and a focus on results and relationships - neither of which are developed through a web 2.0 interface.

This week's Recruiter magazine has a case study about the actions one agency took to fill a contract in the Falkland Islands. Giving there are only 3000 people on the Islands, they had to find someone who had the right capabilities and was willing to move from the UK to the South Atlantic temporarily. Amazingly, they had someone on their books who had both the right experience, and who had had 'visit the Falkland Islands' on her life's list! The most interesting part of this article, however, is the 'Lessons Learned', aimed at the agency. However, if you reverse the advice, it's as applicable to candidates as it is agencies.

Build Relationships - Keep in touch with your temps and take an interest in them. Knowing the candidate's love of travel helped them identify her as potentially right for this role. If you have a desire to travel, to work in a particular company or industry, let your contacts know. They can't help if they don't know.

A Lucky Challenge - This agency just happened to have the right person on their books. Luck is sometimes a big part of the development of your career. Putting yourself out there - meeting people, being part of associations, volunteering for projects and activities - helps you be more lucky.

Word of Mouth - Talk about hard to fill placements, the person you're talking to might just know the special candidate. Talk to your contacts about your next move - even if you think they can't help, they might know someone who can.

http://www.recruiter.co.uk/south-atlantic-mission/1004511.article

If you've been following us on Twitter, you know that we're close to rolling out the Manager Tools iPhone app.  It's been submitted to the App Store ... hopefully (fingers crossed), we'll get approval soon.

Until then, check out our summary of the Manager Tools iPhone App.

On a recent cast, Mark gave the credit for the book "1L" to John Grisham, a popular lawyer/author, which was incorrect. He was chagrined to be reminded that the book was written by Scott Turow, an even better author/lawyer.

Mark regrets the error.

One of the recruitment newsletters I read contained a review of a recent HR Directors Business Summit this week. The reviewer noted: "... with the prevalence of BlackBerry’s [sic] etc. it is increasingly tricky to network. What was happening was that as soon as a seminar/talk finished the HRDs would scuttle out and rather than grabbing a coffee and wandering around, they would switch their device on and check/send emails".

We see this at our conferences too - as soon as there is a break, people disappear into corners to make calls and check email. Of course, sometimes it can't be helped, there is a fire at home that requires our attention and those calls have to be made and emails sent.

A number of people have said to me, however, "I wish I hadn't brought this", meaning their smartphone, "It's distracting me". The aim of any conference is to learn, and we don't learn as well if our mind is half at home. And, we don't network effectively when we're hunched over our smartphone.

Be brave. Leave your stand-in with the conference organizer's details. If there really is a fire, they can send someone to get you. If not, you'll learn more effectively, and have time to meet new people. Which was the whole idea, right?

In a recent Career Tools cast (http://www.manager-tools.com/2010/01/how-transfer-between-states-industr...) we told you that the way to move between states, industries or specialisms was to take small steps, looking first at opportunities within your current organization, and that working your network was even more important than in a 'normal' transition.

A recent hiring trends report from Careerxroads.com shows one of the reasons why this strategy is likely to be successful. 51% of hires in 2009 within their surveyed companies were filled by internal applicants. That number, of course, is inflated in 2009 by the effects of the economic downturn, but it shows that if there are capable internal candidates, hiring managers will take them. There is a common misconception amongst candidates that external candidates are favored. Wise hiring managers know that the ramp-up time of internal candidates is far shorter than for external candidates, and that their existing internal relationships have a value which needs to be taken into account when selecting a new employee. Obviously, the recession increased the wisdom of hiring managers.

The second interesting point in this report (at least as it pertains to the cast - there are many interesting points), is that 26% of external hires are made as a result of referrals. Recruiting departments know that referrals often have a higher quality of hire, and are cost effective when weighed against advertised positions. Referrals often take priority over other hiring sources within the recruitment system. That's why it's important for you to have a network and to use it when in transition. Whilst referrals aren't always the single biggest source of hire, recruiting departments are always trying to make them the single biggest source due to their benefits.

Finally, the report predicts 29% in growth in hiring in 2010. That's good news for everyone.

http://www.careerxroads.com/news/SourcesOfHire10.pdf

We're always looking to find ways of getting more of our content to you more quickly. That's why we started a second podcast. For our registered members, we also produce a newsletter with more content and links to events and popular items on the website. (If you are a registered member and you haven't been receiving the newsletter, check the settings in your profile. It's possible you've deselected that option).

And now, we're able to give you a link to all our back issues. It's a deliberate policy that we keep as much of our content as possible timeless in order that it will be of maximum use to you. We're expecting therefore, that the newsletter archive will build into as valuable a back catalogue as our podcasts already are. We believe that whether you find them the day after publication or five years later they will have value to you.

All the issues can be found here: http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs001/1101184883773/archive/110309258.... We're sure you'll appreciate the convenience of having all the back issues in one place!

My usual coffee haunt is within walking distance of my house. Today, I felt like branching out and went to a Starbucks in the next town over. Downstairs, like my usual place, is full of mothers meeting up with their babies. Upstairs, I was surprised to find five or six people hunched over laptops, quietly working. My usual place rarely has the library like atmosphere there is up here.

It made me think about the times I've worked in big organizations, beavering away at my usual tasks, and never looking up. Elsewhere, decisions are being made about new and old products, about keeping and dismissing staff, about emerging and dying markets. Those decisions are often telegraphed: changes in the amount of information, in expenses policies, in new managers and managers not replaced.

The problem is that we're at our usual place, doing our usual thing and not looking for the signs. That's why it's important to read the intranet and the company newspaper, to read the trade and business press, to have colleagues and associates in other buildings and other divisions. Without them, we assume that everywhere is like where we are. And, as this Starbucks proves, not everywhere is like your usual place.