Manager-Tools podcast

Following on from last week's post on @Google videocasts at YouTube as a source of training materials (with a bit of inspiration thrown in for free), here is another installment on free online progessional learning resources; www.manager-tools.com.

Manager tools is a weekly podcast, accompanied with handouts and additional resources to practice.

Now, in the same way that I don't like the title "The effective executive" (see post), I don't like the name "manager-tools". Many of the podcasts provided at this site (and there are several hundred!) are of value to anybody working in a professional environment and the name detracts from this and puts many people off.

What I like about manager-tools is that it is conversational in tone (the two co-presenters are always very well prepared, but do the podcasts in a 1-2-1 informal kind of manner) and this makes it easy to take in.

And what I really like about manager-tools is that they focus on providing actionable behaviour-driven advice. They try to answer the how as well as the what (and to a lesser extent the why) of being effective.

Over the last year or so the number of really interesting podcasts from manager-tools has significantly decreased, but this does not detract from the core casts that they produced. In particular I would recommend the following sets (easily found at www.manager-tools.com):

• The original series on "The effective meeting protocol (EMP)" - nothing you haven't heard before, but nicely packaged and let's face it, practically every meeting we attend is ineffective in some way (and I say that in the knowledge that I am as poor as the next person on this front).
• The introductory set on "The management trinity" - their basic framework (1-2-1s, feedback, coaching and delegation), this resonates with me and fits in very well with my own organisation's approach to performance management.
• The DISC series - five podcasts focusing on the use of behavioural stereotyping to improve personal communications.

The website itself is a disappointment, so don't let that put you off the actual podcasts! And one final note of caution; manager-tools is in the best tradition of US professionalism and the presenters have a background with the US-military. Don't let their style prevent you from hearing the interesting messages they have!