Subscribe to the Three Star Leadership Blog

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.

Follow me on Twitter

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

Find out more about having Wally speak to your company or convention.

Find out more about Wally's coaching services.

Here are five choice articles from the business press to start off your work week. I'm pointing you to articles about the Manufacturing Hall of Fame, CEO transition at Proctor and Gamble, Carol Bartz on leadership in the information age, lawsuits over advertisements, and the most powerful paths to profits.

From Industry Week: Manufacturing Hall of Fame 2009: The Inaugural Class
"Infor is delighted to serve as the sponsor for the inaugural class of the IndustryWeek Manufacturing Hall of Fame. George David, Joseph Engelberger, William George, Andrew Grove, Charles Holliday, Lee Iacocca, Steve Jobs, Gordon Lankton, Jack Welch and James Womack bring rich legacies of leadership, intellectual vigor and proven performance in both their businesses and social commitments. These 10 manufacturing giants embody the entrepreneurialism, innovation, competitiveness and customer focus that we believe was instrumental in building the American manufacturing sector into a global economic force."

Wally's Comment: This is an interesting inaugural class for the Manufacturing Hall of Fame. There seem to be a lot of folks skipped over. There's no mention of Joe Juran, W. Edwards Deming, or Taiichi Ohno, for example. Even so, it's an interesting read and it might be a good start.

From Fortune: CEO Swap: The $79 billion plan
"Secret meetings. A binder full of top talent. Behind the scenes at Procter & Gamble, where A.G. Lafley and protégé Bob McDonald are navigating the sweet science of succession."

Wally's Comment: A. G. Lafley has done a lot of things right since becoming CEO at P and G. It looks like succession might be another one.

From the Economist: Leadership in the information age
"The best bosses will be those who learn to swim amid all the information swirling around them, argues Carol Bartz, CEO of Yahoo!"

Wally's Comment: Carol Bartz is known for candid, thoughtful interviews. This one is no exception.

From the NY Times: Best Soup Ever? Suits Over Ads Demand Proof
"Companies that were once content to fight in grocery-store aisles and on television commercials are now choosing a different route - filing lawsuits and other formal grievances challenging their competitors’ claims."

Wally's Comment: I don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing. On the one hand, it would be nice if advertisers had to support their claims with more that carefully selected snippets of proprietary research. On the other hand, this could be one more way to assure that every law school graduate will have a job.

From Strategy+Business: The Most Powerful Paths to Profits
"Here’s a new way to look at the death of the old AT&T Corporation. In the 1990s, AT&T still controlled a huge share of the lines, hardware, and software required to deliver long-distance networking and telephone services to businesses and consumers in the United States. With minimal competition, the telecom giant could charge deliciously high rates for its services. The company’s vast network infrastructure amounted to what I call a power node: a source of strength or leverage that the company could reliably use to effortlessly dominate its market and fend off rivals. In AT&T’s case, the power node was its preeminent stake in a network. But a power node can also be a coveted brand, a skill, a set of industry relationships, a process, or access to resources. In short, it can be anything that a company depends on to influence financial outcomes and help or hinder cash flows, risks, and investments for itself or other players over an extended period of time."

Wally's Comment: In my lifetime, there have been far too many articles and studies that proffered THE answer to how to achieve profit. At least this article offers nine options and no steps.

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.