Manager Tools "Basics"

Questions and Answers on One-on-Ones

Administrator — Sun, 10 Jul 2005 22:59:48 +0000

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:

I did one, and it was extremely awkward. How long will it take to get used to them?
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?
My folks didn’t like me taking notes. What do I do?
I don’t like taking notes - can I just chat with them?
How do I follow up on old items?
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?
How can I reduce my folks coming to me between O3s with stuff that is best covered in the O3?
What if someone doesn’t show?
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?

The Single Most Effective Management Tool (Part 2)

Administrator — Mon, 4 Jul 2005 04:33:43 +0000

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.

The Single Most Effective Management Tool (Part 1)

Administrator — Mon, 4 Jul 2005 04:33:25 +0000

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

Improve Your Feedback

Michael Auzenne — Fri, 17 Feb 2006 16:00:02 +0000

It’s been quite a while since we talked about feedback. We think one of the reasons for that is that there’s some negativity to it. What we mean by that is that one on ones are an easy winner. It’s about your team member, they want more time with you, a half hour with you every week seems too good to be true. And, if you’ve stuck to it, you’ve noticed improvements in areas that go beyond just employee relationships. Maybe they’re kind of hard on your schedule INITIALLY, but they’re perceived positively.

Not so much with feedback. I bet when we even SAID feedback, some of you cringed. Even though we encourage AFFIRMING as well as adjusting feedback, for some reason managers have a somewhat negative reaction to the feedback model.

And we think we know why: because adjusting feedback introduces conflict, or tension. Let’s not argue the merits of the value that sandpaper delivers to fine woodwork here today. Rather, we have an additional level of learning for you to use when you deliver feedback. Or put differently, we have an add-on to this tool which will make you more willing to use it, and will make the tool even MORE effective. (Though those of you who use it will find that hard to believe.)

During the show, we make reference to the DiSC Behavioral Model. You’ll find a useful summary of the DiSC model here. You may even want to print it out and have nearby while you listen to the show.

If you are interested in learning in detail about YOUR profile, you may purchase the online version of the DiSC Profile here.

Feedback - Revisited!

Administrator — Mon, 10 Oct 2005 12:01:00 +0000

We've gotten a great many questions, comments, and kudos for our show in July on the Feedback Model. Many listeners are discovering the power of feedback, of taking it out of the realm of the rare and into the stream of the every day. Not to sound repetitive, but most managers see feedback as akin to holding their breath - waiting as long as possible, and then creating a lot of sound and often fury. The Feedback Model tells us to see feedback like breathing - so regular as to become unnoticed. Many of you have written asking questions about how to counter some of the typical responses to the feedback you give. "What do I do or say when they tell me they'll 'think about it'? What if they SAY they'll make the change, only to continue in their ineffective behavior patterns? As you might imagine, we've dealt with these issues before, and this show talks about the approach to take, and once again, gives you SPECIFIC things to say and why they work. We do a brief review of the feedback model at the front of the cast, but still encourage you to give a listen to our original cast, in the July Archives

Giving Effective Feedback

Administrator — Mon, 18 Jul 2005 23:43:09 +0000

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.

Coaching Revisited - Part 2

Administrator — Mon, 5 Dec 2005 04:22:51 +0000

Today, we cover the second of two shows on "Coaching Revisited". If you haven’t listened to last week’s show, we encourage you to do so. This one picks right up where we left off last week.

Coaching Revisited - Part 1

Michael Auzenne — Tue, 29 Nov 2005 02:41:32 +0000

Ever since our podcast on the Manager Tools Development Model, we’ve continued to receive a number of questions on a key component of the coaching model. In particular, folks are having a difficult time on coaching employees on some of the "softer" skills. So for the next two shows, we’re revisiting our friend, the coaching model. In addition to getting into an example of a soft-skill coaching challenge, we also talk a bit about what we mean by "behavior" what is it exactly (of course, we have a model for that as well), and how do we use it within the coaching model.

Remember: In addition to our normal feedback email address, you can now leave audio feedback for us on our new voice mailbox. You can reach us at (206) 202-7376. Please note on your message if you don’t want us to use your audio feedback "on air"!

More on Coaching

Administrator — Mon, 5 Sep 2005 14:06:51 +0000

Mark recently blogged with our first ever management koan, "What Would An Effective Manager Do?". It was clearly a big hit - we got 45 responses within 2-3 days. Clearly, many of you wanted to know what the answer is, and that’s great - the burning desire to get better is at the heart of all good managers. Maybe we should say "many of US" wanted to know, since even Mike posted a comment wondering about the answer! (Mark thinks that was just him being nice to everyone, putting everyone out of the misery of waiting.)

So, this is a first for us, a show driven completely by a blog post and its response. In fact, we had to juggle a lot to slide it into the lineup, and it’s certainly unusual for us to record a show and put it right up on the site.

And what’s the show about? Well, don’t you want to know what an effective manager would do? We’re going to learn the right way of thinking on this issue, and then we’re going to review every unique blog comment and provide insight as to what works and what doesn’t.

The Art of Coaching

Michael Auzenne — Mon, 29 Aug 2005 05:26:48 +0000

Today we discuss the fine art of Coaching. Most managers probably think they do a fine job coaching their teams, but guess what? You probably have several misconceptions about coaching that prevent you from getting the absolute best out of your team. Today, we discuss coaching at length and present a coaching model that you can start using today to improve your coaching abilities. It’s both easier and takes less time than you think.

To improve your understanding of the Coaching Model we discuss on the podcast, download and print the Manager Tools Coaching Card prior to listening to the podcast.

The Juggling Koan

mauzenne — Sun, 14 Jan 2007 15:01:19 +0000

The Art of Delegation

Administrator — Mon, 22 Aug 2005 13:45:27 +0000

Today, Mark and I discuss the topic of Delegation. There probably isn’t a management book out there that doesn’t talk about the importance of delegation. However, very seldom does the author get into the type of detail we’ll discuss today. Today, we cover the "how to" ... how to determine what and to whom to delegate and specifically what specific steps to take when delegating to an individual.

After you’ve listened to the podcast, be sure to review our steps to effective delegation by downloading and reading the Effective Delegation Worksheet.

In addition, both Mark and I would really appreciate it if you would go to the website and register. Not too far in the future, we’ll be introducing some content specifically for registered users ... kind of a way to reward those most interested in learning about how to be a more effective leader. I don’t think you’ll want to miss it, so take 30 seconds and register now.

Effective Meetings - There’s More!

Michael Auzenne — Tue, 16 Aug 2005 14:39:17 +0000

Today we wrap-up our conversation on effective meetings, as well as answer some listener questions on meetings, one-on-ones, and feedback.

Effective Meetings - Part Two

Michael Auzenne — Mon, 8 Aug 2005 15:21:21 +0000

Today we cover the second in our series on effective meetings.

A detailed outline of this week’s and last week’s podcast is located here. Also, be sure to check out the Meeting Agenda Template. We think you’ll find the template useful in improving the effectiveness of your meetings.

Effective Meetings - Get Out of Jail!

Michael Auzenne — Mon, 1 Aug 2005 14:14:36 +0000

How to do you feel about most of the meetings you attend? Are they productive, or generally considered a waste of time? Do you attend too many meetings? How do others value the meetings you run? If you are like most managers we know, your experience in running and participating in meetings is less than ideal.

Today’s show is the first of 2 or 3 shows to focus on running effective meetings. If you follow the guidelines we present here, your meeting will be much more effective, you’ll have less of them, and your individual and organizational performance will soar. And, it’s not hard!

A detailed outline of the podcast is located here. In addition, we’ve also provided you a Meeting Agenda Template that implements the guidelines we’ve discussed on today’s show.

Solution to a Stalled Technical Career

Administrator — Mon, 27 Jun 2005 00:42:16 +0000

Mike and Mark discuss a friend’s stalled technical career. What’s the secret to reinvigorating his career?