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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's my pick of the five best posts from this week's business blogs. I'm pointing you to posts on killing good ideas, making strategy, leadership performance, performance reviews, and forgetting the team after the game is won.

In addition to blogging here about leadership issues, I'm now blogging at Momentor on career issues. There will be a post similar to this one but on career issues over there every week.

Now, here are the week's five top posts from the business blogs.

From Bob Sutton: Wisdom from Steve Jobs: The Importance of Killing Good Ideas
"The thing I remember best was that Jobs advised them that killing bad ideas isn’t that hard -- lots of companies, even bad companies, are good at that. Jobs' argument went something like this: What is really hard – and a hallmark of great companies – is that they kill at lot of good ideas."

Wally's Comment: I'm not a big fan of Steve Jobs as either a CEO or a human being, but I think he's the best CEO I've ever seen on product development. This post is about a provocative Steve Jobs insight about product development and companies.

From Random Rantings: The process of making strategy (or just gibberish?)
"Purely rational, planned strategies are seldom the big break-through successes. Simply because life is more complex than that."

Wally's Comment: Guess what? Strategy, like business, is a human process. It's not the neat, linear process laid out in the strategy books. It's much messier, iterative, and human.

From Results vs. Activities: Leaders Who Think They Walk on Water
"It’s no secret that leaders have inflated views of their skills and competence–we’ve known this for a long time as it’s a consistent finding in all 360-degree feedback research1. What is simply amazing is the gap between self-perception and reality."

Wally's Comment: Leaders need a firm grasp on reality, not least of all reality about how well they perform.

From Mission Minded Management: Managerial Accountability Is Not Missing; It’s just MISPLACED
"Last week I pointed you to an article by Samuel A. Culbert, Get Rid of the Performance Review. I thought it was well written, but I’m not in 100% agreement with some of his proposed solutions, particularly around accountability."

Wally's Comment: Last week, I posted about why I think Dr. Culbert's ideas on performance appraisal were wrong-headed. This week Michelle Malay Carter posts about where she differs with Dr. Culbert. What we all agree on, including Dr. Culbert, is that the current system doesn't work.

From Managing Leadership: Gentle cipher
"When times are tough, we talk tough. We sound the call to arms, announce the equality of all before the greatness of the challenge we face, and declare our devotion to everyone who helps shoulder the burden. It can be a thrillingly satisfying display of our great-hearted spirit, our boundlessly magnanimous condescension."

Wally's Comment: The "Band of Brothers" speech from Henry V is often used as an example of great leadership speeches. Jim Stroup has a different and profoundly insightful view of the speech which he derives from how Henry speaks of his soldiers after the battle is won.

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.