We will host the next Carnival of Human Resources here on March 19. Submissions must be in by 5 PM US Eastern Time Monday, March 17 using the form at the end of this link.

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Every week I scour the business blogs for five great posts to pique your interest and turbocharge your thinking. This week I'm pointing you to posts on the leadership challenge, innovation at Google, performance-enhancing brain drugs, fruit in the workplace, and involving employees in the design and review of compensation programs.

The next Carnival of Human Resources will be hosted here at the Three Star Leadership blog. Submissions should be received by me no later than 5 PM Eastern US Time on Monday, March 17. Click here for the submission form and the rules for this round.

Gautam Ghosh who hosted the most recent Carnival of Human Resources posted to his blog yesterday that his father was admitted to the hospital. Gautam will not be blogging while he is with his family. Please keep Gautam and his family in your thoughts and prayers.

Now for this weeks top posts.

From Jim Kouzes at Leadership Challenge: Challenge Is the Opportunity for Greatness
"In two recent interviews journalists asked me a similar question. Each wanted to know why Barry Posner and I had selected The Leadership Challenge as the title for our book. “What do you mean to suggest by the title, and what is the challenge you are writing about?” These questions took me back to the very early days of our investigation on the practices of exemplary leadership."

Wally's Comment: This is one of the most lucid and helpful posts I've ever read on the subject of how leaders develop. I probably should have expected it since I think Kouzes' book The Leadership Challenge (co-authored with Barry Posner) is the single best textbook on leadership and one of my Top Ten Business Books.

From Fast Company: Marissa Mayer
"Marissa Mayer, VP of search products and user experience, started at Google in 1999 as a software engineer; earned bachelor's and master's degrees at Stanford, specializing in artificial intelligence. Here she shares her experience at Fast Company's #1 Most Innovative Company in the World."

Wally's Comment: Here's a great, personal, inside view of how innovation works at Google. You will probably get a few ideas for how it might work in your shop.

From Ellen Weber at Brain Based Business: Drugs for Smarter Faster Workforces
"If you’ve ever sensed an urgent need to grow smarter… more alert … or better skilled to face tough challenges at work … it could be that you are competing with peers who pop drugs daily to enhance their brains.

Wally's Comment: Gives new meaning to the line about "this is your brain on drugs," eh?

From Michelle Conlin at Business Week: The Office's Fresh Perk: Fresh Fruit
"There is an alternative emerging in hip offices across the country. What foosball was to the office circa ‘99 fresh fruit is becoming to the workplace of today. Fresh, luscious fruit is now a feature at Facebook, Genentech, Clorox and a host of other companies. Workers at these enlightened employers are averting the hunger crisis and doing the body good."

Wally's Comment: Take the above two posts together for a look at how a simple, legal, uncontrolled substance can help your brain work better.

From Ann Bares at Compensation Force: A Different Kind of "Say on Pay"
"What I am advocating here, however, is a different kind of Say on Pay; that is, creating opportunities to involve employees in the design and review of their compensation programs. Involving employees - or really anyone outside the core HR team - in program development always takes more time, energy and resources than "going it alone". And often these participation opportunities must be carefully crafted so that the employees are positioned (via some education and "ramp up" time) to provide effective and meaningful input. Is it a hassle? Of course. Is it worth it? My experience would suggest that it nearly always is, with payoffs in trust, acceptance, satisfaction and overall program credibility."

Wally's Comment: Don't just read this post. Think about it. Many of the things we've "always done" in business are the way they are because of the kind of work we used to do, the kind of education we used to have, the kinds of tools we had available, or the kind of world we were coming from. I believe that the most exciting thing about this age is that we're learning, by fits and starts, to run our organizations in the ways that build on our humanity instead of fight it. Ann's post is about that. If we starting today, how would we do it?

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.