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The 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.

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The business press generates thousands of articles a week. Here are five choice ones to start off your workweek. I'm pointing you to articles about (yes, again) the housing meltdown, Unilever reclaiming what should have been theirs, secrets of a serial entrepreneur, how garbage is now green, and a humorous take on all those jerks you work with.

As of this morning, there were over 13,000 articles about Microsoft's hostile takeover offer for Yahoo. If you really want to read more about that, I suggest Google News.

Last week's newsletter was "On the road to success? Check." As usual there were pointers to Web and Reading Resources, too.

From Business Week: Housing Meltdown
"Brace yourself: Home prices could sink an additional 25% over the next two or three years, returning values to their 2000 levels in inflation-adjusted terms. That's even with the Federal Reserve's half-percentage-point rate cut on Jan. 30."

Wally's Comment: This week it's Business Week's turn to tell us how bad it might get. I think they're being optimistic.

From the Economist: The legacy that got left on the shelf
"Few companies have had the head start in places like Africa, China, India and Latin America that Unilever enjoyed. Yet despite the Anglo-Dutch giant's formidable range of products and unprecedented depth of local knowledge, when rivals began to push harder its empire came under threat. Unilever was forced to re-examine its legacy and to act on what it found. Now the results are coming through."

Wally's Comment: We're told to build on our strengths, but sometimes we take them for granted. Here's a cautionary tale about what can happen if you do and an example of how to recover.

From Inc: The Chicken Millionaire
"George Naddaff has had a nose for finding little business with huge potential. Now 77, he has run, launched, or taken national more than half a dozen companies -- including Boston Chicken."

Wally's Comment: This is part of Inc. magazine's excellent "How I did it" series. George Naddaff has run, launched, or taken national more than half a dozen companies. He's best known for Boston Chicken. So it's worth checking in to see what he's got to say.

From Fortune: The greening of Waste Management
"Have you noticed that Waste Management, the nation's largest waste disposal company, has adopted "Think Green" as its slogan? The $14-billion-a-year firm gave me a guided tour of a landfill, a waste-to-energy plant and a recycling facility to learn more about "Think Green" - and so I could see for myself what happens to our garbage when we throw it away."

Wally's Comment: Kermit the Frog sang that "It's not easy being green" but lots of companies hope it will be profitable. Waste Management is in a great position to make it so. I have to admit, though, this reminds me of when the people in the business of chrome plating aftermarket bumpers renamed their trade association to the more environmentally friendly moniker, the "Bumper Recyclers Association of North America."

From Industry Week: A Treasury of Cautionary Business Tales to Read Aloud
"A friend recently observed that annoying co-workers and bad bosses are really no different than obstreperous children -- and that the best way to deal with both is with the same firm hand that transforms rampaging rugrats into upstanding young citizens, or at least college graduates off your personal payroll. This novel concept sent me to the bookstore to find classic children's books retold for the corporate scene, including ..."

Wally's Comment: This is the gem of this week's picks. Even if the meltdown has you depressed, this will have you chuckling. Bravo to John Brandt for a real day-brightener.

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.