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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 becoming a leader, results orientation (or not), making the most of your people time, sustainable business excellence, and creating a culture of fear.

From You're not the Boss of Me: Becoming a leader…Shifting the Balance of Power.
"When I first became a manager, I tried to be friends with everyone.  Often that meant that I regularly went out to lunch with one or two of them.  I confided in some of them…personal things.  I expressed my private frustrations, cares, fears and concerns to them. I became personally involved in their lives.   And, while I was doing all of that, I was not doing my job."

Wally's Comment: When most people become managers for the first time, it takes a year to a year and a half to get comfortable with the basics of the job. During that time they try things out. Mostly they get it wrong first. Gwyn Teatro shares a personal example of one way to get it wrong.

From Management Craft: Should we change how we define results orientation?
"Do you see the common theme? The BEST work experiences come from how we feel about work and our connection to the powerful and altruistic nature of work. So as a leader, are you creating this type of environment? "

Wally's Comment: When I studied great places to work, I found that people used the word "we" in describing them. Lisa Haneberg gets that and sees "we" as a kind of meaning. If you're the boss, part of your job is creating the meaning and generating the "we." It's more than a simple trick of language.

From Building Better Leaders: Don’t Spend Too Much Time with the Wrong People
"The major “people mistakes” of my career have occurred as a result of investing too much time and effort in trying to change people."

Wally's Comment: My mother always wanted me to hang out with a "good crowd." Art Petty suggests that you should make sure you spend time at work with the "good crowd" and not be lured into spending all your time with the problem children.

From Terry Starbucker: The Magic Formula For Sustainable Business Excellence – It’s More Hard Work Than Hocus Pocus

Wally's Comment: Perhaps you are a mathphobe. Don't worry. Terry Starbucker has a simple formula (inspired by his math education) to help you take the magic out of good results and replace it with technique. No excerpt can do this post justice. So take my word for it, it's worth your time.

From Scott Eblin: Seven Simple Rules to Create a Fear Based Culture
"Thanks to the readers of this blog, I've collected a really excellent list of things to do if you're a leader who wants to create a culture of fear in your organization. Not that the readers and commenters are suggesting that you actually do these things. "

Wally's Comment: My father used to say that, "Everyone is put here by God for a purpose." He would pause for a beat or two here, and his eyes would twinkle. Then he would continue, "Some are to serve as horrible examples." Scott Eblin offers up some horrible examples for your learning pleasure.

That's it for this week's selections from independent business blogs. If you liked this piece you may enjoy my regular post on "Leadership Reading to Start Your Week" which features five choice articles from the business schools, the business press and major consulting firms. The last issue had pointers to articles about the new abnormal, what to call "lean" manufacturing, Sizzler on the comeback trail, management practices, and Italy.

And be sure to check out Weekly Leader where I'll try to get you thinking about The Question of the Week.

Check out my latest book, Ruthless Focus, at Amazon.

Posts about Ruthless Focus

Ruthless Focus: How to use key core strategies to grow your business
The Story of the Book
Annotated Table of Contents
Keep it Simple, Strategist
Strategy: Staying with What Works
Ruthless Focus on the Business Basics
Theo Albrecht, Trader Joe's, and Ruthless Focus
Ruthless Focus: What about Toyota?