Lots of interesting items come across my screen every week.  Here are some that didn't make it into the blog this week, but which may make interesting reading for you this weekend. 

This week I'm pointing you to articles about changes at Home Depot, active listening, Toyota, design for human beings, and the repercussions of the MP3 verdict against Microsoft.

From the Wall Street Journal: Home Depot Tries To Make Nice to Customers
"Home Depot Inc. grew to become the world's largest home-improvement chain largely on the strength of its skilled workers, many of whom were former plumbers, electricians and carpenters who were eager to impart their knowledge to do-it-yourselfers. They took pride in helping customers find just the right shade of latex paint or an elusive-size screw.

But service began to slip over the past six years. In order to cut costs, the company started hiring more part-timers and added a salary cap that drove off the more seasoned workers. The retailer also moved about 40% of workers to overnight stocking positions, ostensibly to clear the aisles of clutter. But it left customers searching in vain for someone in an orange apron to ask about picking out the proper power tool.

Now, as it attempts to ignite sluggish sales under a new chief executive, Home Depot is trying to reverse a reputation for shoddy service. Under former Chief Executive Robert Nardelli, who resigned Jan. 2, Home Depot management focused on measuring all aspects of the stores' productivity and too often ignored shoppers."

From the Center for Creative Leadership: The Big 6: An Active Listening Skill Set
"The ability to listen effectively is an essential component of leadership, but few leaders know just what it takes to become a better listener. You can improve your ability to lead effectively by learning the six skills for active listening."

From Business Week: Why Toyota Is Afraid Of Being Number One
"It's overtaking Detroit—with trepidation. Now, the carmaker is relying on ever-savvier PR to avoid the U.S. backlash it dreads"

From Cnet: The human factor in gadget, Web design
"Experts in the field of so-called human-computer interaction, however, say good design like the YouTube interface is the exception, not the rule. For every slick Apple iPod, there are a dozen washing machines with a baffling array of buttons. And for every simple TiVo interface, there are umpteen TV remote controls that look like something out of NASA's Mission Control. Now companies, universities and even government agencies like NASA are investing time and dollars as they take a hard look at how people interact with technology."

From the New York Times: MP3 Patents in Upheaval after Verdict
"At issue is the way the Windows Media Player software from Microsoft plays audio files using MP3, the most common method of distributing music on the Internet. If the ruling stands, Apple and hundreds of other companies that make products that play MP3 files, including portable players, computers and software, could also face demands to pay royalties to Alcatel."

Wally Bock has helped people learn to be great bosses for more than a quarter century. His latest book, Performance Talk: The One-on-One Part of Leadership, makes learning key leadership principles almost effortless by teaching through a story and providing lists of resources for further growth.

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