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.

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 tips for all leaders, avoiding management myopia, asking for feedback, intimacy (in management), and learning from John Wooden.

From All Things Workplace: 5 Solid Tips for Leaders & Managers
"One of the benefits of working with lots of leaders & managers in many different organizations is the chance to see what really works, regardless of the individual personality or industry. I'll use the term "Manager" to avoid extra words and acknowledge the truth that leaders manage. So, here are:"

Wally's Comment: Here's a good, short list you can test yourself against.

From Management Excellence: Five Simple Suggestions for Minimizing Management Myopia
"Participate in or monitor enough management team conversations and you will invariably conclude that it’s darned hard for these teams to spend quality time discussing external issues."

Wally's Comment: It's so easy to look inward and concentrate only on your internal problems. But Art Petty shows you why you shouldn't do that all the time and suggests five ways you can start looking outward as well.

From Mary Jo Asmus: How to Ask For and Receive Feedback
"The gap between how a leader THINKS they are perceived and the REALITY of how others see them can be big. This gap may be cause for concern, and may require some action on the leader’s part to change the less-than-positive perceptions of others. Alternatively, a leader may underestimate themselves, and getting good feedback is a way to develop self confidence that they are on the right track."

Wally's Comment: Everybody loves feedback. At least that's what we say. But no one ever told us how to ask for it so that we were likely to get candid and helpful feedback. Until now.

From Andrea Howe writing at Trust Matters: Intimacy 201
"At first blush, intimacy is a strange word to use in a business context."What, I'm supposed to intimate with my clients?" In the sense that being intimate means being familiar, informal, and emotionally connected...yes, indeed."

Wally's Comment: Don't let the word "intimacy" put you off. Here are ten suggestions for things you can do to improve your relationship with the people who work for you and pretty much everyone else, too.

From Terry Starbucker: Leadership – What’s Love Got To Do With it?
"John Wooden is a basketball coaching legend – in his 27 years at UCLA, his teams had a winning percentage of 81%, and they won a unfathomable 10 NCAA titles. He was also a lifetime student of leadership and personal development, creating what he called the “Pyramid of Success“. He is now 99 years old – and in a recent ESPN interview (do watch it – it’s extraordinary), he revealed what he considered to be the two most important elements of all his success:"

Wally's Comment: This is a great post about the example and the words of a great coach. I've got a copy of Wooden's pyramid in my "inspiration" file.

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.