Explore every episode of the podcast Manager Tools

You're at capacity, and your boss walks in with one more big assignment. The instinct is to defend your plate, ask what can come off, or quietly hope nobody notices what slips. Each of those hands the problem back. This cast gives the short answer to The Juggling Koan.

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One of the stupid mistakes that almost all organizations have made over the past 50 years is separating performance from "behavior." The modern organizational language has "behavior" separate from performance. Which is dumb.

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One of the stupid mistakes that almost all organizations have made over the past 50 years is separating performance from "behavior." The modern organizational language has "behavior" separate from performance. Which is dumb.

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Feedback is about behavior. It's not a personal attack.

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One of the most frequently asked questions we get about feedback is why we recommend waiting to give feedback until after you have started One On Ones. It's a reasonable question. But the answer is simple: it's dangerous not to wait, and it works better to wait.

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One of the most frequently asked questions we get about feedback is why we recommend waiting to give feedback until after you have started One On Ones. It's a reasonable question. But the answer is simple: it's dangerous not to wait, and it works better to wait.

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When you become a manager, you start getting exposed to systems, processes, and principles that organizations rely on or understand to help them succeed. One of those hidden principles that too few managers and executives understand is the Principle of Sub-Optimization.

For individual managers and full leadership teams visit www.manager-tools.com/ecc. Register for an upcoming virtual Effective Manager Confeat manager-tools.com/emc

When you become a manager, you start getting exposed to systems, processes, and principles that organizations rely on or understand to help them succeed. One of those hidden principles that too few managers and executives understand is the Principle of Sub-Optimization.

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If your directs aren't managers, they may not know the core principles behind giving feedback. They won't know how to give peer feedback. But you can teach them.

Giving effective feedback is one of the hardest tasks for managers. Feedback isn't hard to understand. We know we need to give it. But too many of us don't understand feedback's first rule: it's about future behavior.

This cast describes how to prepare for meetings or presentations in order to ensure your message is persuasive and you get the support you're looking for from the audience.

This cast describes how to prepare for meetings or presentations in order to ensure your message is persuasive and you get the support you're looking for from the audience.

Coaching is the least-used of the Manager Tools Trinity's tools - One On Ones, Feedback, Delegation, and Coaching. That's too bad, because it only takes 5-10 minutes a week. One common use case we've heard from managers is helping a direct who has excellent job skills but struggles with relationships. Here's how to do that.

Coaching is the least-used of the Manager Tools Trinity's tools - One On Ones, Feedback, Delegation, and Coaching. That's too bad, because it only takes 5-10 minutes a week. One common use case we've heard from managers is helping a direct who has excellent job skills but struggles with relationships. Here's how to do that.

Don't believe the "news" that organizations are changing so fundamentally that the core standards of professionalism no longer apply. In fact, as the world becomes faster, the old rules of working together effectively and efficiently become even more important. The speed of AI only adds to this insistence. We start with teaching timeliness because a professional who isn't timely isn't a professional at all.

Don't believe the "news" that organizations are changing so fundamentally that the core standards of professionalism no longer apply. In fact, as the world becomes faster, the old rules of working together effectively and efficiently become even more important. The speed of AI only adds to this insistence. We start with teaching timeliness because a professional who isn't timely isn't a professional at all.

There's always a lot of talk by a lot of so-called experts about culture. That's because they define culture any way they want. That way they can say whatever they want. But some cultures are better than others, regardless of any definition those experts apply.

The vast majority of things that happen in your organization are good. Otherwise your company would go out of business. But most managers think their job (and it's a part they hate) is to give negative feedback. They have it backwards. The road to be able to give negative feedback and have it be effective is through positive feedback. And we're putting too high a bar on what behaviors deserve feedback.

The vast majority of things that happen in your organization are good. Otherwise your company would go out of business. But most managers think their job (and it's a part they hate) is to give negative feedback. They have it backwards. The road to be able to give negative feedback and have it be effective is through positive feedback. And we're putting too high a bar on what behaviors deserve feedback.

If you have a good network, with some of those in your network on your bench, you can shorten your hiring process and increase the chances of a successful hire.

There's an organizational tool, almost always used by Human Resources, called competencies. Even though it's a fairly popular model for thinking about professional development, it's a terrible system we don't recommend. But if you have to use competencies, here's how.

One of the most common presenting failures is being too rigid in one's preparation and delivery. If you're not well prepared, and therefore flexible, your rigidity can cause your message to not be persuasive.

Many professionals think that one way to keep their career moving upwards is to change companies. Unfortunately, this is a relatively rare occurrence.

Many professionals think that one way to keep their career moving upwards is to change companies. Unfortunately, this is a relatively rare occurrence.

The Manager Tools Interview Process recommends having your direct reports interview candidates who would become their peers. Here's how to teach your directs to be Effective Interviewers.

The Manager Tools Interview Process recommends having your direct reports interview candidates who would become their peers. Here's how to teach your directs to be Effective Interviewers.

Too many managers, and the majority of execs, too, are TERRIBLE at presenting. But getting good at presenting is just like getting good at managing. Since everyone else is so terrible, all you have to do not be terrible. And that means doing a lot of small, simple things the right way.

There is a 3-Body Problem in Classical Mechanics. That one cannot be solved. But hiring managers are also afflicted with *The Warm Body Problem.* But this one is easily solved.

You may not realize it, but your company makes it increasingly harder to find qualified candidates without intending to. How does it do that? With The Hiring Requirements Ratchet. Why does it do that? Because it can, and it has a short memory.

If your people say they don't know what's going on strategically, or operationally, **it's your fault.** You can fill that void with your own vision and communications.

Do you know what it's like to lose a job? Get fired? Get laid off? If you don't, that's good. But more people who go through it wish more people who haven't did a better job of helping. When it happens to you, it's easy to feel lonely and afraid. St. Jude - the Patron Saint of Lost Causes - tells us what to do for those going through those hard times.

When you're a manager, you're thinking of your team all the time. But remember you're a part of a team, too: your boss's team. You need to work on having good relationships with your peers so your boss can achieve her goals.

When you're a manager, you're thinking of your team all the time. But remember you're a part of a team, too: your boss's team. You need to work on having good relationships with your peers so your boss can achieve her goals.

One of the most common mistakes of managers when hiring - it made our Top 10 list! - is being swayed by their directs into hiring someone that they weren't that impressed by. They always regret, they often write to us. Here's how to not fall prey to one of the most common hiring mistakes.

Managers today are constantly besieged by requests and demands from above their level. But just because someone is "above" you in the org chart doesn't mean they can easily task you and your team. Here's how to make that a little easier.

This cast serves as a compendium of the biggest management scams of the 21st century. We have covered these topics extensively. But we know there are close to 2,000 podcasts so they might be hard to find.

This cast serves as a compendium of the biggest management scams of the 21st century. We have covered these topics extensively. But we know there are close to 2,000 podcasts so they might be hard to find.

For over half a century, managers have been complaining: "HR won't let me fire this guy." This myth - and yes it is a myth - is so common that experienced managers teach it to new managers, and it affects entire firms' performance management systems much for the worse. The reason so many managers can't fire people is not because they can't. It's because they don't want to do it the right way, and they want to blame HR.

For over half a century, managers have been complaining: "HR won't let me fire this guy." This myth - and yes it is a myth - is so common that experienced managers teach it to new managers, and it affects entire firms' performance management systems much for the worse. The reason so many managers can't fire people is not because they can't. It's because they don't want to do it the right way, and they want to blame HR.

Too many managers make the mistake of thinking they have to be a "tough" interviewer. They think that interviewing is adversarial. They think they need to apply pressure to see how candidates react. But in fact, positive interviewing is much more effective, both in terms of outcomes and in terms of offer acceptance rates.

Too many managers make the mistake of thinking they have to be a "tough" interviewer. They think that interviewing is adversarial. They think they need to apply pressure to see how candidates react. But in fact, positive interviewing is much more effective, both in terms of outcomes and in terms of offer acceptance rates.

If you want managing to be easier, learn to hire better. We've been saying it for two decades now. We normally put out positive guidance, about what to DO. In this series of casts, though, we address common misconceptions and mistakes most managers make when hiring. This guidance is about lack of preparation, which is an epidemic among managers. You can't be good at hiring if you're not good at preparation.

If you want managing to be easier, learn to hire

One of the most common things professionals say about managing is that they have a personal 'style.' But does that make sense? Is it reasonable to expect that with all the systems organizations employ, they should leave out how to manage others?

Development plans for directs are constantly talked about. You've read about them in the business news, especially for less experienced employees. They're recommended by HR. They don't work!

Our Hall of Fame guidance on how to think more creatively about annual planning goals.

Our Hall Of Fame guidance on how to start setting annual goals, and why we do not like "SMART" goals.

Many managers are worried about talking about personal topics in One On Ones. They shouldn't be - it doesn't happen that often... and it's a sign of trust, too.

A manager is always obligated to support the organization, even if he or she disagrees with what the organization is doing. But what happens when your boss doesn't do that? Here's what to do.

Our Hall of Fame guidance on delivering a performance review.