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? Right?

Somehow, though, this kind of analysis is never done. While it's probably not terribly helpful for those who leave the company after 20 years, there ought to be a way to evaluate managers' abilities to find and hire good, talented people ("talent") for the company.

And now there is: The Manager Tools Talent Scouting Average.

This cast explains how to capture interview results in a fast and simple meeting.

One of the things we have learned over the years is that bad hiring is easy, and good hiring is hard. It's easy to hire someone who isn't going to work out - just do one interview, don't dig for details, don't listen to the doubts you're feeling, don't interview for the soft skills.

Of course, this is what happens far too often...and then when there are culture or discipline problems, everyone starts talking about changing the culture, or doing exit interviews. But the answer lies in smarter -- and harder -- hiring.

In this cast, we share a simple way for a hiring manager to make a decision about a candidate. You'll probably hear a surprise or two, so listen in ... and you'll also hear Horstman's Law of Bad Hiring!

This cast is one in a series to be called How to Hire, which is part of our larger set of series on Managing Talent.

This cast describes how to give feedback about your employees' attire.

Mark once was asked to adjudicate a discussion between two managers (one new, one experienced). The issue? "Should a manager give feedback about the clothes an employee is wearing?"

Mark sided with the manager who said no, you shouldn't.

If you're surprised, listen in!

In this cast, we share the First Rule For New Managers: the most important recommendation for someone taking over a team.

We have been asked hundreds of times for guidance on what to do as a new manager, and we're finally ready to start rolling out this series of casts. This first cast will probably surprise some of our listeners, because it's pretty counterintuitive. On the other hand, we have alluded to it in a few casts before. It's just not what most people think it should be.

We'll tell you as well what most managers do...and why they're wrong.

The first in a series: The Manager Tools Guidelines For New Managers

This cast explains our rationale for why Delegation is the 4th Member of our Management Trinity.

Ah, the FOURTH member of the Trinity. We did this for two reasons - one, to make it easier to remember. Two, because you simply cannot grow an organization profitably without Delegation. You can grow the profitability of a company without new products, without new distribution - think Tiffany's, or coal mines. But not without delegation. (Delegation is ESPECIALLY important if you don't have new products or distribution, and we don't recommend either!)

Effective Managers know how to consciously and effectively delegate. Good delegation leads to more growth at less cost. How can we call ourselves professional managers unless we do something that we KNOW leads to profitable growth?