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 killer bosses, the best talent cultures, strategy, speed, and learning to lead.

From Results vs. Activities: Do Bosses Who Kill Talent Through Poor Leadership Practices Go to Hell?
"It’s not surprising that research suggests unequivocally that leadership has tremendous impact on talent engagement, retention and productivty1. Can leaders directly affect the health of talent to the extent that they are quickly becoming an independent risk of death for hard working talent?"

Wally's Comment: Yes, it's true. If you're a crappy boss you can kill the people who work for you. Now, I guess, the only question is what sort of eternal punishment you have in store.

From the HR Capitalist: The Best Talent Culture In The NBA Is
"Think you have a good talent culture?  I'm no OD expert, but I'd tell you that the following things need to be present."

Wally's Comment: Kris Dunn loves basketball and he's superb at deriving lessons from sports. I was surprised, though, that now, when we're closing in on the Final Four, he chose to draw lessons from the NBA. Go figure. But before you go, read this post.

From DuctTape Marketing: The Cycle of Strategy
"The problem with strategy however, is that most people don’t really know what it is or, if they do, hobble its effectiveness by viewing its creation as something of a linear event – hold a planning retreat, decide on everything in a vacuum, report back next year."

Wally's Comment: I love John Jantsch's work, including the blog and the Duct Tape Marketing podcast. He's a must read for me. He's never made this selection before simply because his excellent posts are about marketing, where he is a small business guru. In this post, though, he's making some points about strategy that are important and powerful.

From HR Bartender: Next to Agility, Speed Rules
"No conversation about change is complete without a discussion about the speed of change.  It’s not good enough to just change…you have to change fast enough.  This means the speed for which individuals and corporations change will be a major differentiator in the new economy."

Wally's Comment: I don't happen to buy the line about how the world is changing faster than ever. I remember that my grandfather was born when there was no radio, telephone, automobiles, pre-stressed concrete or airplanes and he died in the jet age. But I do think that the ability to change consciously and rapidly is a key differentiator in this age. If the word "change" makes you uncomfortable, think "innovate" or "adapt" or "learn."

From Management Excellence: It Takes Time and Experience to Find Your Leadership Voice
"This post was prompted by a series of questions from some early-career professionals about the process of developing as a leader."

Wally's Comment: Learning to lead well is a lifelong process. It will take you a year or two to simply master the basics. Figure another eight to ten years for a basic level of mastery. Along the way you will develop your own "leadership voice." It won't be quick. It shouldn't be.

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.