This cast describes how big to size a team when forming it.

We get asked all the time, what's the ideal size for a team to be? The simple answer is that there's no ideal size – it depends on a lot of factors. But, we realize that when we get asked, someone's probably got to form a team to accomplish something, and so our answer, though right, isn't initially helpful. The question probably ought to be, "how big should I make this team I'm forming ..."

If you've got to form a team, and are wondering how to do it, this cast starts our answer by giving guidance about how big it should be.

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This cast describes a technique for measuring your team and/or organization's ability to recognize talent.

Many managers mistakenly fail to connect the process of hiring with the later successes and failures of the organization. When someone doesn't work out, particularly if it's 3-5 years after they were hired, very few managers think that the problem started when they were being interviewed. But the fact is, just like our elected leaders in a democracy, we get the people we deserve. If we hired them, we MUST have wanted them?

More and more, companies are using psychological and behavioral tests as pre-employment screening devices. They supplement their interviewing processes in order to ensure less false-positives.This is wise, in our judgment, based on what we see of interviewing. Too many companies don't screen rigorously enough, and have started enlisting more cerebral and/or technical techniques to be certain of new hires.

Even if you haven't experienced one yet, it's becoming more and more likely.

What does this mean for you?

Interviewing candidates for your organization is one of the most important things managers do. And yet, somehow, it's one of those things that doesn't seem to get taught anywhere. What this means is very few managers know how, or at least, they just do it "their way". That's not a very effective approach for an organization to have regarding the key talent screening process that it has, but the data are overwhelming: Your interviews stink! Most managers simply don't have a good way to always ensure that they are conducting an effective interview. Some managers routinely create false positives with shallow questions, little probing, and a lack of understanding about the role. Other managers routinely create false negatives...and usually, for the very same reasons on the surface. Conducting Effective Interviews is too big a topic to cover all at once..unless you wanted a 30 hour cast! So, in this cast, we'll talk about the steps effective managers take to get ready for an interview.
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This cast explains a simple way to make a job offer to a candidate.

If you're a manager, you've got people working for you. If you have people working for you, you're going to either lose some, or your team is going to grow. That creates an opening, which, if you're lucky, you'll get to fill. And that means interviewing, and hiring someone.

While we think it's funny (and sad) that so many managers don't like the hiring process, it seems silly to punish ourselves by not knowing how to do it.

This cast shares our most important principle in The Manager Tools Effective Hiring Process: Set the Bar HIGH.

We believe that the biggest invisible organizational personnel failing is hiring poorly. It's that simple: the vast majority of companies do a terrible job - compared to what they COULD DO EASILY - in hiring the right people.

This podcast is the first in a series of recurring casts - it could easily amount to ten over the next couple of years - about employee retention. The best managers we know do a great job of retention. As a matter of fact, because it goes to the future potential of the organization, retention is one of Mark's favorite delineators of management talent. Strategy gets done more effectively in places where retention is good.

In this cast, we're going to talk about bare bones basics. This is the stuff that any manager can do...

First, Break All the Rules by Marcus Buckingham, Curt Coffman