Manager Tools Basics – Details, episodes & analysis

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.

We've received 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.

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.

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

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

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.

Mark recently blogged with our first ever management koan, "What Would An Effective Manager Do?" In this cast, we share the answer.

Part 3 of our updated guidance on how to gradually implement The Manager Tools Management Trinity (One on Ones, Feedback, Coaching, and Delegation). When managers try to implement all the tools all at once it can end in disaster. Most of us can only learn one new significant skill at a time. And that goes for our directs, too: they're learning along with us. This process for implementation will ensure success in your roll out.

Part 2 of our updated guidance on how to gradually implement The Manager Tools Management Trinity (One on Ones, Feedback, Coaching, and Delegation). When managers try to implement all the tools all at once it can end in disaster. Most of us can only learn one new significant skill at a time. And that goes for our directs, too: they're learning along with us. This process for implementation will ensure success in your roll out.

Part 2 of our detailed guidance on how to conduct the most important "manager tool" we've ever known or seen: Manager Tools One On Ones. These meetings help managers build trust, the professional measurement that correlates better than any other with results and retention.