Manager Tools - podcast cover

Manager Tools

Manager Tools•www.manager-tools.com
Business
Management
Careers
Tired of management theory? Want to learn specific skills to help improve your management performance? Then Manager Tools is the podcast for you! Manager Tools is a weekly business podcast focused on helping professionals become more effective managers and leaders. Each week, we discuss specific actions for professionals to take to achieve their desired management and career objectives. Manager Tools won Best Business Podcast Award in 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2012 as well as the People's Choice Award in 2008. Find more at http://www.manager-tools.com/
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Episodes

Presenting Failures - Chapter 1 - Front Of The Room Behaviors

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.

May 11, 2026

Job Requirements - Beware The Ratchet!

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.

Apr 27, 2026

Network Building - The St. Jude Rule

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.

Apr 13, 2026

Building Peer Relationships - Part 2

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.

Apr 06, 2026

Building Peer Relationships - Part 1

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.

Mar 30, 2026

Top Ten Hiring Mistakes - #7 - Being Swayed

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.

Mar 23, 2026

The Difference Between Line And Staff Leadership

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.

Mar 16, 2026

Three Current Modern Management Scams - Part 2

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.

Mar 09, 2026

Three Current Modern Management Scams - Part 1

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.

Mar 02, 2026

Why Does HR Make It So Hard To Fire People? - Part 2

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.

Feb 23, 2026

Why Does HR Make It So Hard To Fire People? - Part 1

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.

Feb 16, 2026

How To Be A Positive Interviewer - Part 2

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.

Feb 09, 2026

How To Be A Positive Interviewer - Part 1

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.

Feb 02, 2026

Top 10 Hiring Mistakes - #8 - Unprepared - Part 2

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.

Jan 26, 2026

Management Is An Organizational System

This episode debunks the common misconception of personal 'managerial style,' arguing that management is the most crucial organizational system, binding all others. It uses real-world examples to illustrate how individuals must conform to company systems (like badging or software) and extends this principle to management behaviors. The hosts emphasize that managers are obligated to manage within established systems, using their role power to ensure alignment and maximize overall organizational effectiveness.

Jan 12, 2026

Development Plans Are Dumb (Hall of Fame Guidance)

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!

Jan 05, 2026

My Boss Doesn't Support Company Guidance

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.

Dec 08, 2025

The Executive's Two Responsibilities (MT)

Executives and managers both have two core responsibilities that inform all else that they do. But the two key responsibilities are different between managers and executives. Managers manage; executives lead.

Nov 17, 2025
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