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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 smart management for tough times, the Employee Free Choice Act, doing the right thing, and starting a new business.

From Business Week: Smart Management for Tough Times
"The challenge for many business leaders is figuring out what moves to make now. Whether you see signs of life in the economy or think the worst is yet to come, there's no question that the game has changed for business. The tools managers once used with great success, from how they pay their people to where they seek out new product innovations, are being reevaluated. Manufacturing processes that worked seamlessly a year ago may be a recipe for piled-up inventory as spending slows. And strategies once deemed unthinkable, such as cutting the salaries of rank-and-file managers, are being embraced by some of the world's largest companies, including FedEx (FDX) and Hewlett-Packard (HPQ). Our special issue on breakthrough management ideas examines how leaders are responding to a fast-shifting world."

Wally's Comment: There's no doubt that the world will be different on the other side of this whitewater economy. But what will it be like? And what skills will you need to navigate it?

From Industry Week: Ready for the Employee Free-Choice Act?
"Opinions of the Act and its impact can vary depending on which side of the paycheck you stand.  But opinions aside, one thing is crystal clear -- employers will need to take a good look at the Act and prepare for the likelihood of a change in their operating environments that may include an increase in employee representation by labor unions."

Wally's Comment: It's almost certain that the Employee Free Choice Act will be part of the future of business in America. Whether you see it as a way for workers to get a fair shake or as political payback that sets workplace democracy back, you're going to have to deal with it. Now would be a good time to think about what to do.

From Strategy and Business: Making It Easy to Do the Right Thing
"In recovering from a crisis, ethical business practice and high performance aren’t opposed."

Wally's Comment: This article's title makes a promise, that it can be easy to do the right thing. It can be. But the real test comes when it's not.

From the New York Times: Weary of Looking for Work, Some Create Their Own
"Plenty of other laid-off workers across the country, burned out by a merciless job market, are building business plans instead of sending out résumés. For these people, recession has become the mother of invention. Economists say that when the economy takes a dive, it is common for people to turn to their inner entrepreneur to try to make their own work. But they say that it takes months for that mentality to sink in, and that this is about the time in the economic cycle when it really starts to happen — when the formerly employed realize that traditional job searches are not working, and that they are running out of time and money."

Wally's Comment: "If no one will hire me, I guess I'll have to hire myself." They might be "necessity entrepreneurs," but they're still entrepreneurs.

From Entrepreneur: Top 10 Reasons to Start a Business in a Recession
"Regardless of what people around you (including the media) may say, right now is the best time to get into business. Just go back and look at the economic slowdowns throughout history. Most recessions in the post-World War II era last an average of 10 months, followed by growth cycles that last an average of 50 months."

Wally's Comment: As long as we're on the subject of entrepreneurs in a downturn, here's an article from Entrepreneur, the magazine. Don't believe the nonsense about the downturn lasting ten months. This one's going to be longer than that for a variety of reasons. Do believe the fact that the upturn afterward will be longer, and check out the reasons to take advantage of now to prosper then.

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.