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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 the comeback of US manufacturing, social networking, advice from Lou Gerstner, two sides of product piracy, and building buzz.

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

From Industry Week: Welcome Back U.S. Manufacturing
"It's too early to tell whether high fuel prices and the falling dollar will be enough to bring offshored operations back home, but some recent moves suggest it's possible."

Wally's Comment: Expect publications to start rolling out pieces on the comeback of US manufacturing. In addition to this one in Industry Week, there was an excellent one in the Wall Street Journal on Friday titled: "Export Boom Fuels Factory Town's Revival."

From Forbes: The Business Value of Social Networking
"As social networks become ubiquitous, small and midsize businesses need to understand how they can exploit them. bMighty spoke with John McCrea, head of marketing for Plaxo, which manages 40 million online address books, to learn why entrepreneurs need to get into the game, how to do it and where this is all going. "

Wally's Comment: Social networking is not only a current buzzword. It's also a set of powerful tools you should investigate.

From Fortune: 5 tips from IBM’s turnaround champ
"The man who started IBM on the path to recovery, Lou Gerstner, copped a Legend in Leadership award at the Yale CEO Summit in New York in last month. At the podium, Gerstner, CEO of IBM from 1993 to 2002 and now chairman of private equity giant Carlyle Group, dished up some wise tips on the topic he knows best: how to transform a Fortune 500 company. Here’s an edited transcript of his advice."

Wally's Comment: An excellent and quick interview with Lou Gerstner. For more from Lou, you can check out his book, Who Says Elephants Can’t Dance?

From the Economist: Thanks, me hearties
"GLOBAL sales of recorded music fell by 8% in 2007, according to figures released in June by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, a trade group. It blamed 70% of the decline on “file-sharing” software, which allows internet users to exchange music and video without paying for it. Industry groups have sued thousands of users of such software, and have supported legislation to criminalize it. But file-sharing has so far proved impossible to stop. And it is not all bad news for the industry, because it can provide helpful insights into music-lovers’ interests."

Wally's Comment: Think of the serenity prayer. It's important to know what you can and cannot change.

From Entrepreneur: Painting the Picture
"Creating buzz for your business means having a great product. Creating that great product, however, is an art."

Wally's Comment: This is a great, idea-stirring article by Guy Kawasaki. Guy is a master of buzz-building so he's definitely worth paying attention to.

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.