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Some of the most interesting business articles seem to come across my screen during the weekend. Here are five to start off your workweek. I'm pointing you to articles about the latest ramifications of the trust crisis, mergers and acquisitions, strategic (really) leadership, a company that prospers making organic yogurt, and Ratan Tata, one of the most fascinating businesspeople on the planet. Plus there are thanks for having a post of mine named one of the best of the year, and a pointer to my newsletter.

I'm honored to have my post, "Put your trust in systems, not in genius," selected as one of the eight best business blog posts of the year by the people at Political Calculations who put together the "On the Moneyed Midways" review of blog carnivals. Thanks, folks.

Last week's newsletter was "The MacArthur Maxim." As usual there were pointers to Web and Reading Resources, too.

From Business Week: Dirty Deeds
"When city officials try to hold someone responsible for dilapidated properties, they often find the homeowner and bank pointing fingers at each other. Indeed, the houses fall into a kind of legal limbo that Cleveland housing attorney Kermit J. Lind calls "toxic title". While formal ownership remains with a borrower who has fled, the bank retains its lien on the property. That opens up a dispute over who is responsible for taxes and maintenance. Even when lenders do complete the foreclosure, they may walk away from the property, leaving it to be taken by a city for unpaid taxes, a process that can take years. Orphaned properties quickly fall into disrepair, the deterioration sometimes hastened by vandals who trash the interiors, lighting fires and ripping out wiring and pipes to sell for scrap. Squatters or drug dealers may move in. The impact goes far beyond the defaulting homeowner, as neighbors and entire communities confront a spreading blight. Vacant residences (BusinessWeek, 1/4/08) deprive cities of tax revenue and can cost them thousands to maintain."

Wally's Comment: This is yet another story about the "sub-prime" crisis or the "credit crisis." It's another story of the widening impact of toxic dishonesty and over-slickness whose implications are slowly oozing across the economy and our society.

From the Economist: Whither the great wave?
"Many of the wiser heads in private equity quietly admit that, thanks to easy credit, white-hot prices were paid by an industry that tends to do its best deals in cooler markets. Growing fears that the credit crunch will be followed by a recession, at least in America, have added to concerns about the quality of firms in many private-equity portfolios."

Wally's Comment: Here's that credit crunch again, this time affecting funds available for private equity. You can also catch a whiff of the lingering odor of hubris.

From Strategy+Business: A Blueprint for Strategic Leadership
"How to build an organization in which executives will flourish."

Wally's Comment: This is easily the best article I've seen on the topic in some time. I have a very jaundiced view of articles about "strategic leadership." First of all, most of them leave out the hard parts, preferring to write about the sexy part of conceptualizing strategy. Then they reduce "leadership" to a list of traits. Not this article, though.

The authors organize the article around four starting points of strategy. I knew it would be good when one of their basic questions was "What are the few initiatives needed to deliver fundamental change?" Note: "few." Note: "fundamental change." Plus, any article that holds up A. G. Lafley as a shining example without suggesting that everyone should act like AG, and that thinks executive development is a strategic function … wow. What's not to like?

From Fortune: Stonyfield stirs up the yogurt market
"Twenty-five years ago, on a visit to Disney's Epcot Center with his mother, a young environmental activist named Gary Hirshberg came across an exhibit on farming sponsored by Kraft. He was appalled by the display of chemical fertilizers and pesticides - "chemistry gone mad," he calls it - and vowed to find a way to produce food more sustainably. Today, Hirshberg is president and "CE-Yo" of Stonyfield Farm, the world's largest manufacturer of organic yogurt. Now majority-owned by the French food giant Group Danone (GDNNY), Stonyfield generated about $300 million in revenues last year. Its yogurt is the No. 3 brand in the United States, behind Yoplait and Stonyfield's sister brand Dannon."

From the Sydney Morning Herald: Ratan Tata: genius who is India's gift to world
"For Ratan Tata, 70, the takeover will cap 16 years of transforming one of the world's most diverse and unusual conglomerates, the Tata Group. Through 98 companies, Tata creates and sells products ranging from steel to tea to watches, making the company's name ubiquitous in India. Under Ratan Tata the name has started to reverberate around the globe as well. A string of international deals has diversified Tata to the point where more than half its revenue this year will come from outside India." business.smh.com.au/ratan-tata-genius-who-is-indias-gift-to-world/20080106-1kg8.html

Wally's Comment: When I picked up news stories about Tata Motors likely purchase of Land Rover and Jaguar from Ford, I started looking for a good article that included material on Rata Tata, who I think is one of the most fascinatingly successful business leaders ever. Follow the link to read about him.

Wally's Working Supervisor's Support Kit is a collection of information and tools to help working supervisors do a better job. It's based on what Wally's learned in over twenty years of supervisory skills training. Click here to check it out.

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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.