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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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Independent business blogs are blogs that aren't supported by an organization like a magazine, newspaper, company, or business school. Those people provide lots of great content, but they don't need any additional exposure. In this post, every week, I bring you posts of quality from excellent bloggers that don't get as much publicity.

This week, I'm pointing you to posts on how to deal with a nutso boss, how not to fire someone, kindness, Return on Investment in Interaction, and predicting leadership performance.

From Great Leadership: ARGHHHHH! My new boss is 30-something with absolutely no leadership or management experience!
"Reader, you’re not alone. Dealing with seemingly nutty bosses has been a part of work life since the dawn of time. I can emphasize with your situation. It’s usually not the work that stresses us out or causes us to want to quit – it’s the manager and/or co-workers."

Wally's Comments: Dan McCarthy gives a great response to a reader's question and lays out the options for dealing with a boss who's driving you crazy. Then commentators chime in with more advice. Great reading.

From Gruntled Employees: Sugarcoated terminations
"This might sound obvious, but when you’re firing an employee, you need to tell the truth. Actually, that’s only half right. Well, closer to two thirds."

Wally's Comments: Kudos to Jay Shepherd for one of the best posts I've ever seen on what to say and not say when you fire someone. If you're a boss, clip this one for the wisdom file.

From Intentional Leadership: Is Kindness a Leadership Competency?
"If you had asked me a few years back if I thought kindness was essential to leadership, I may have choked down laughter. I don't believe I've ever seen it listed in a list of essential skills for a leader."

Wally's Comments: Mary Jo Asmus isn't content to use the usual "emotional intelligence" language to talk about how bosses ought to act. She introduces the word "kindness" then makes a case for why it's a good thing in a leader.

From Results vs. Activities: Leadership Lessons from Ajax the Seeing Eye Dog #4: Predicting Success
"Ajax, our new guide dog puppy is learning how to lead.  It’s amazing how many people we meet (always with a smile, greeting and interesting questions–I often wonder what happened to those behaviors when you don’t have a guide dog you are raising??) typically ask two things: 1) How can you give him up after 12-18 months? and 2) Do you think he will pass to become a guide dog. The last question is a great one because every organization I consult with asks this same question of high potential talent they are grooming for future leadership positions."

Wally's Comments: Ken Nowack uses observations about his guide-puppy Ajax as a springboard to a look at predictors of leadership success.

Productivity in a Networked Era – Assessing ROII (Return on Investment in Interaction)
"One cherished industrial age concept that is proving particularly difficult to let go of is return on investment (ROI). But like Pontiacs and Oldsmobiles, old-school ROI’s day in the sun is waning. In an environment of continuous flow and interaction, there’s a need to consider an emerging metric: return on investment in interaction (ROII). The working definition of ROII is the observable development of capacity and capability to create economic values out of intangibles."

Wally's Comments: When I was writing my books on business in a networked world, back when the net was new, top management often wanted to know the ROI for having a web site or using email. That question is now being asked about social media. Jay Cross and Jon Husband suggest that classic accounting ROI may be the wrong measure to use and offer ROII as an alternative. A thought-provoking read.

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.