I did not post in August but it's time to be boring again.

I've been on the road a fair amount of the time over the last 3 months but no trip has been more anticipated than the one I'm currently on. I'm in San Antonio for the 2nd Manager Tools Conference.

If you haven't got aspirations to do better at your life or your career (why the heck are you reading this?), then Manager Tools from Mark Horstman and Michael Auzenne has not shown up on your radar screen. If you are interested in leadership, teamwork and individual initiative that can lead to stronger collective collaboration then get on over to what is surely a revolution in management. It's a virtual re-discovery of the basics for a new generation of office bound boot-strappers.

For M & M there are no secrets. Okay, so that's not sexy but basics build businesses and I'm down with these guys for the sheer vitality and impact of their teaching approach. At this Conference we're going to talk about things like actually communicating -- in meaningful ways -- with co-workers, providing useful feedback and developing coaching techniques that are non-manipulative, realistic and effective.

Between in-office work committments and my travel schedule I had to choose between either spending 20 hours in a room listening to Horstman this autumn or darting off to another back-slapping Podcast and Portable Media Expo. My money's with Horstman.

Here's the thing. The most successful podcast I know is not getting multiple millions from VC wannabes, running obnoxious pre-roll ads or extolling the virtures of Gotomeeting or Godaddy. It's not pre-packaged with a "How to be successful in podcasting" book and it doesn't come with a maze of multi-level marketing hype. It's not out to sell at all costs and it gives away most of its product. It focuses on topics and techniques; not "content". It is intent on listener satisfaction and it's customers help the business owners come up with ways to develop revenue. Oh; and they know management backwards and forwards.

Stay tuned.