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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.

For weekly tips and resources pointers, check Wally's Three Star Leadership Letter

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It used to be that we had "management experts." Today we have "gurus."

A guru in the religious sense is a sacred conduit for wisdom. A guru in the business sense is a person with high name recognition and who commands an above average speaking fee.

Lately it has become great sport to construct leader boards of gurus. Executive Excellence has just released their "Excellence 100" list of gurus. Fortune suggests "10 new gurus you should know." Only one of Fortune's ten is on the Excellence 100 list.

When you start reviewing these lists, some things jump out at you. The first is that only a handful of these folks who channel management wisdom have ever actually managed anything besides their own career.

Some rankings seem out of tune with reality. Do you really think that Kevin Cashman, James O'Toole, or Peter Block should be in the top twenty influential thinkers when Michael Porter is not?

Some names that you'd expect are simply missing. Henry Mintzberg and Charles Handy are missing altogether. So is popular author and professor Tom Davenport.

There are dozens of names I didn't recognize. I suspect many of those people are like Eileen McDargh. Eileen's been doing great work with organizations for years. She just doesn't have the general name recognition that others on the list have.

These lists are always fun to look at. They always introduce me to someone I'm not familiar with. It's great fun to watch a guru's rating change from year to year as if he or she gets more or less wise.

It's also great fun to watch the things they write about change. Strategy is always top dog, but since Enron people who write about ethics and authenticity have moved up the lists.

The reality is that the difference any of these "gurus" makes for you or your business won't happen by magic. You have to pick the insights that are relevant and most important to you. You have to take action. In the end, applying the wisdom is up to you.

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.

Request your free copy of Wally's Special Report: Managing Headcount in a Downturn.

Request your free copy of "Meeting the Challenges of the Boomer Brain Drain: An integrated approach."

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.