There are two great things about reading blogs.  First of all, you usually get a real point of view.  There's not even any pretend objectivity.  Second, when comments are posted you can see how others react to that point of view and maybe even put your own two cents in.

Here are some blog posts that caught my attention at mid-week. I'm pointing you to the Carnival of the Capitalists and the Carnival of Human Resources, as well as posts on tricking your head into being more productive, making decisions for the long term, a humorous post on management theory and two views of alignment.

Start with the most recent Carnival of the Capitalists and the Carnival of Human Resources. You'll find pointers to lots of quality posts.

From Management Craft: Fake Your Way into Pre-Vacation Mode
"Not vacation mode, pre-vacation mode. Imagine you are going on a 4-week vacation next week (would be nice, right?). When we prepare for vacation, we tend to do several things better than when in normal mode."

From David Maister: The Long Term
"In much of my recent thinking (and writing) I have observed that our biggest barrier, as individuals and as organizations, is the difficulty in doing what is in our long-term best interest, not just what provides immediate gratification."

From Business Pundit: Row Row Your Boat... With A Little Management Theory
How different management styles/fads/systems might be used to improve the performance of a rowing team

When you've finished chuckling, check out the following two posts on alignment.

Chris Nel writing in Tom Peters Blog: Purpose Beyond Profit
"As an adult, I have lived and worked in three types of organisations. In the military as an officer, in a large corporation as an area then regional operations manager, and now in a small consulting firm as ... well ... a jack of all trades! Only one of the three, in my experience, has suffered significantly from a disabling lack of clarity of purpose ... I believe there is a link between this and the fact that most large corporations 'Fail to achieve their potential.'"

From Steve Roesler: Leaders: Do You Align Yourself Before You Try to Align Everyone Else?
"We're all pretty willing to line up once we can see where the line has been drawn. But without someone carving out a clear, visible, straight line, we can be committed to alignment but the results won't look that way. So what may be misdiagnosed as 'lack of engagement' is actually 'lack of clear direction.'"

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.

Click here to find out more about Wally's coaching services.

For weekly tips and resources pointers, check our Wally Bock's Three Star Leadership Letter.

Click here to find out more about having Wally speak to your company or convention.