Free Resources & Tools for Managers
Practical, free tools for managers: templates, question lists and frameworks you can use in your next 1:1 or team meeting. Every tool here comes from The Leader's Toolkit, a deck of 52 cards built from years of leading international teams of 65+ people. No theory for its own sake, no sign-up.
Where to start: work through the Leader System below in order. Each question points you to the category of tools to use next. If you have a specific problem, start with a Blueprint. Tools marked Free are available now; the rest are in the full Toolkit, and we add new free tools every week.
Why these tools exist
Most managers learn the hard way, through trial, error and a few painful conversations. Leadership is rarely taught well, and most advice is too abstract to use on Monday morning. These tools come from real operating experience, not theory: hiring dozens of people, scaling teams in fast-moving environments, and navigating the messy, human side of management.
Practical frameworks, tested in real teams, designed so you can use them immediately.
Most-used free tools
The Leader System: all 52 tools
Ask each question in order. Where the honest answer is "no" or "not sure", use the tools in that category.
Blueprints
Step-by-step guides to the biggest management challenges.
- Dealing with an Underperformer
- Delegating Tasks
- Getting to Know Your Team
- Empowering Your Team
- Building trust in your teamFree
- Key Trait Audit
1. Foundation
Are the fundamentals of a functioning team in place?
- Roles and Responsibilities
- Incentives
- Competency Framework
- Values and Culture
2. Understand
Do you deeply understand your team?
- One-on-one meeting templateFree
- Skills matrix templateFree
- My User ManualFree
- Ranking
- Career Goals
- 360° Survey
3. Direction
Have you given them goals and direction?
- KPIs
- Onboarding Week One
- Onboarding 30-60-90
- Setting Expectations
- A Future Org Chart
- Who, What, When & How
4. Resources
Have you given them the tools and support to succeed?
- Internal Wiki
- Org Directory
- Buddy System
- Community of Practice
5. Monitor
Are you keeping track of the team's health and progress?
- Team Health CheckFree
- Stay interview questionsFree
- Keeping a Finger on the Pulse
- Burnout Scale
- Attrition Rate
- Retrospective
6. Performance
Is your team performing at its best?
- How to give constructive feedbackFree
- Performance improvement plan templateFree
- Exit interview questionsFree
- Coaching
- Conflict Resolution
7. Communication
Does your team communicate effectively?
- Buy-In
- Delegation Matrix
- Active Listening
- Team Meetings
- Collaboration Tools
8. Theory
The ideas behind great team management.
- Disagree and commitFree
- Ability vs Will (will/skill matrix)Free
- Performance vs trustFree
- Toxic team mates and the brilliant jerkFree
- Motivational Capital
- Opportunity Cost of a Poor Fit
- Servant Leadership
- Team First
- The Micromanagement Trap
- Psychological Safety
Premium leadership resources
The complete sets, as card decks for your desk or your team.
The Leader's ToolkitAll 52 manager tools on this page, as a card deck.
The Team Conversation DeckConversation cards that build trust and break down silos.
The Hiring Leader's ToolkitA step-by-step system for hiring better people.
Articles for managers
Running a team session?
FAQs
Are these manager tools really free?
Yes. The tools marked Free are full guides with templates and questions you can use straight away, with no sign-up. The Leader's Toolkit is the complete set of 52 tools as a physical or digital card deck.
Who are these tools for?
First-time managers, team leads, experienced managers who want a quick reference, and HR and L&D teams supporting managers.
Where do the tools come from?
They were built by Donal, the founder of Leader Tools, from years of managing international teams of 65+ people. Each tool draws on proven practice and is credited to its source where it builds on someone else's idea, such as Patrick Lencioni or Jeff Bezos.
What is the Leader System?
A sequence of eight questions that walks you through the health of your team: foundation, understanding, direction, resources, monitoring, performance, communication and theory. Each question points to a category of tools.