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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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Here are five choice articles from the business press to start off your workweek. I'm pointing you to articles about taking care of your body, the Yahoo soap opera, GM's electric car (this time), HP's foray into services and culture clashes, and the Industry Week 500.

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

From the New York Times: A Guided Tour of Your Body
"Changes in our health are inevitable as we get older. But while doctors tell us to focus on the basics — eat right, exercise and keep cholesterol and blood pressure in check— is there more that we need to know about staying well as we age? In this special section, you'll be able to learn the best that science and medicine can offer for taking care of yourself. You can also test your knowledge and read more health news at the Well blog."

Wally's Comment: This isn't really a business story, but it's definitely worth sharing. I'm pointing you to an excellent special section of the Times that will help you get to know your body and how to take care of it.

From the San Jose Mercury News: The Yahoo Saga

Wally's Comment: If you want to follow the daily soap opera "Little Jerry Yang and his Yahoo," you can do that most easily in a frequently updated special section of Silicon Valley's hometown paper.

From Business Week: GM: Live Green or Die
"In April of 2005, General Motors (GM) Chairman and Chief Executive G. Richard Wagoner Jr. convened his management team for a monthly strategy session. Held in the boardroom at GM's Detroit headquarters, these meetings can last a day as 20 or so executives mull plans for new cars and product strategies. Meetings often kick off with a roundtable format, and attendees are encouraged to pose new ideas and stray from the agenda. That's when Vice-Chairman Robert A. Lutz spoke up. Lutz, whose gravelly pronouncements routinely enliven auto shows and generate headlines, has a certain genius for challenging conventional wisdom. Maybe, he told GM's brain trust, it was time to build another electric car—one that would use a giant version of the lithium ion batteries that power cell phones and laptops. It was a provocative suggestion—and Lutz knew it. Two years earlier, General Motors had killed its experimental EV1 electric car and set off a public relations furor. The environmental lobby was deaf to GM's assertions that the EV1, leased to a limited number of people but not sold, would never have earned its maker any money. And the greens accused GM of pulling the plug to show policymakers that such techno wonders were bad business."

Wally's Comment: Standing on the brink of the precipice of bankruptcy can make you a bit more daring and a bit more action-oriented. That's what seems to have happened at GM. But the biggest problems they'll face have nothing to do with the car itself. The big problems will be developing an infrastructure so you can re-charge those batteries easily and economically.

From the Economist: Now services
"The prospect of digesting yet another big acquisition after Compaq may seem daunting. Middle managers at HP still subscribe to the gentle, collegiate “HP way” of doing things. The culture is that of Silicon Valley—relaxed and casual—and the cafeteria is big on ahi tuna. At EDS, based in Plano, Texas, the style is “military, buttoned-down, and staid,” says Rick Sturm, the founder of Enterprise Management Associates, a consultancy. People wear ties. The cafeteria is full of steak and fries. Compared with other services firms, which increasingly hire and operate in India, EDS is overwhelmingly American."

Wally's Comment: I've really liked what Mark Hurd and HP have done so far but this merger has danger signs all over it. It's a bit like mating GI Joe and Jane Fonda.

From Industry Week: The 2008 Industry Week U.S. 500
"Shaky economic situations in 2007 were beneficial for some manufacturers -- but damaging for others. Companies on the 2008 IW U.S. 500 list provide a glimpse into the haves and have-nots of 2007."

Wally's Comment: The list is fascinating, but more fascinating is the analysis of how the economy and competitive pressures affect a range of companies and how those companies are responding. This is as good an analysis of the general economy as you're likely to find.

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.