This cast recommends building relationships internally at your organization when you attend training events.

We're always getting asked about how to grow one's professional network, as busy as everyone is. It's a great question, because we do know how busy everyone is. The answer is really pretty simple – we've got to start combining the growth and strengthening of our networks with other activities we engage in. We get the sense that everyone thinks that somehow that we're supposed to work, and then separately go to some "networking event" where our networks will all get together and build themselves. It's certainly true that the fact that there are such things that bill themselves as "networking events" – often sponsored by chambers of commerce – makes it easy to think that that's how networks are built. That's probably most true for those of us who don't go to them! And just for the record – we hate the darn things, and wish they'd go away. We went to one . . . it was creepy.

But anyway, here's a simple way to add to your network building tools:

1. The Busy Networker's Principle: Build Your Network By Introducing Yourself
2. At Company Training, Meet 3 Associates
3. Follow Up and Stay in Touch
4. The Mother Ship Rule: Meet 5 Associates

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In today's cast, we conclude our conversation on Myspace and social networks. As always, if you're new to Manager Tools and haven't listened to the first part, you may wish to go back and listen to that first.

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This cast gives guidance for managers' use of Social Networking Sites like MySpace and FaceBook.

If you're one of our younger listeners, members, or premium subscribers, with less than 5 years in the workforce, chances are you have a MySpace or a FaceBook page. You stay in touch with friends, let people know what you're doing, share photos, put yourself out there.

And you may have trouble, too.

OR, you're a manager with one of those people working for you.

And you may have trouble too.

Learn how to get out of trouble in this cast.

In a previous cast, we talked about how many managers don't understand the importance of taking recruiters' calls, and walked through step by step (hey, this is Manager Tools) how to handle those calls. What to say, and what to learn, and how to proceed.

But there's another side to the recruiting relationship, isn't there? What if you want to contact a recruiter, without waiting for them to call you?

Today we cover part 2 of our series on mergers and acquisitions. Hopefully, with this podcast, the idea of a merger or acquisition will be just a tad less scary. Put some of the ideas we discuss to work today and you'll benefit handsomely even if there isn't a merger on your horizon!

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Whether you're at a small or big company, the competitiveness of the commercial world and the demands for growth make your firm either prey or predator. If a company can't grow organically - by growing sales of its own products - often leadership looks to be acquired or acquire another firm.

But what does that mean for a manager? What is our role in helping two organizations come together? How do you navigate the stressful, water-cooler-talk-filled, flurry-of-emails world of a merger or an acquisition?

Today's show is the third and final part of our series on resigning. If you have to resign, distinguish yourself my resigning professionally. With the completion of this series, you now know how!

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Today, we follow-up with part 2 of our 3-part series on Resigning. Usually not a lot of fun contemplating, and certainly no more fun executing. However, IF you have to do it, there IS a professional way to resign. You CAN leave your job and feel good about HOW you did it, AND leave a great impression on the way out. Now, how often does that happen in your workplace today?

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Today's show is an interesting one ... At least once in your career, and perhaps as many as five times, you're going to have to resign from a position. And this is another one of those tasks or responsibilities that no one talks about, no one knows how to do, and therefore many do it poorly.

It's not hard to do well, and in this series of casts, we make it a simple step by step process. If you're thinking that you already know how, consider that we recommend you need SIX WEEKS to do it well.

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Today we cover the second in our 2-part series on mentoring. As a reminder, our 7 simple guidelines for mentoring are:

1. Whom Should I Ask?
2. How Long Should It Last?
3. You Make the Ask
4. How Does It Work?
5. You Run It
6. The First Meeting is Critical - Script It
7. Be Ready For Feedback

Also, June 26th represents the 1-year Anniversary of Manager Tools.