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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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In January 1813, Andrew Jackson marched south from Tennessee with a force of 2000 to bolster the defense of New Orleans. When he got to Natchez, some 500 miles from home, he received orders to dismiss his troops.

By then over a hundred of his men were ill. Fifty-six couldn't even sit upright. Jackson vowed to take them all home.

The problem was that the expedition had only eleven wagons. When Dr. Samuel Hogg asked Jackson what he should do, Jackson replied simply, "You are not to leave a man on the ground."

Hogg reminded Jackson that there were only eleven wagons and they were already filled with the sick. Jackson's solution was straightforward.

"Let some of the troops dismount. The officers must give up their horses. Not a man must be left behind."

I can imagine Hogg screwing up his courage then. Jackson was known for a volatile temper. But he also had a horse.

Hogg asked for Jackson's horse for the sick. Jackson turned over the reins.

Jackson led the troops home, all five hundred miles, on foot. He laid out his thinking in a letter to Felix Grundy.

"I shall march them to Nashville or bury them with the honors of war. Should I die, I know they would bury me."

Leadership is about accomplishing your mission and caring for your people. And how you do both speaks volumes about the kind of leader and person you are. Jackson's actions are a stark contrast to "leaders" we've seen lately who are willing to layoff thousands but not give up a cent of their own multi-million dollar compensation.

Web Resource: The American Presidency

The Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia is a national nonpartisan center set up to research, reflect, and report on American government, with special attention to the central role and history of the presidency. There's a lot of good stuff on this site. I'm pointing you to the Jackson page.

Reading Resource: American Lion

I'd heard the story of Jackson and the walk back to Nashville before, but I was reminded of it this week because I'm reading Jon Meacham's book on the Jackson presidency, American Lion. It's fascinating and well-written.

Working Supervisor's Support Kit

I've taken everything I know about how to do a great job as a supervisor and put in into this e-kit that contains a book, a workbook, forms, and reminders to help you get better. If you're a supervisor, if you train supervisors, or if there's a supervisor in your life you care about, you should check it out.

Check out my latest Special Report: "Managing Headcount in a Downturn."

This is a sample of the content in my Three Star Leadership Letter which is emailed to subscribers every Friday. The content is different than the content of the blog. If you like what you see click here to subscribe.

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.