Subscribe to the Three Star Leadership Blog

Working Supervisor's Support Kit A collection of tools and information that will help you do a better job as a boss.

Contact Wally  about coaching, consulting, or speaking to your group.

I think that one of the best ways to learn leadership isn't studying "leadership" at all. Instead, study individual leaders in their natural habitat and decide what they do that you want to try. Articles by and about leaders and interviews with them are mini-case studies that show you an actual leader in a real situation.

That's why, every week, I bring you a selection of post about individual leaders. This week I'm pointing you to posts by and about G. J. Hart, Atul Kapadia, Meg Whitman, Rodney O'Neal, Michael Polk, and Larry Page. Ten successful founders share the mistakes that taught them the most.

From the NY Times: California Pizza Kitchen’s Chief, on 6 Steps to Leadership
"This interview with G.J. Hart, executive chairman, C.E.O. and president of California Pizza Kitchen, was conducted and condensed by Adam Bryant."

Mercury News Interview: Atul Kapadia of battery-maker Envia Systems
"The electric car industry faces two major challenges: the high cost of batteries and their limited range between charges. Envia Systems, a startup based in the East Bay city of Newark, made a big splash in February when it claimed it achieved a milestone: a rechargeable lithium-ion battery with an energy density of 400 watt-hours per kilogram, the highest 'energy density' known. Since then, the company has been pretty quiet and has yet to announce any customers. Atul Kapadia, Envia's chairman and CEO, recently talked with this newspaper. The interview has been edited for length and clarity."

From the LA Times: Can CEO Meg Whitman save Hewlett-Packard?
"The former gubernatorial candidate is struggling to revive the troubled tech giant, a process that could take years."

From the NY Times: Delphi Automotive’s C.E.O., on Detours and Opportunity
"Rodney O'Neal is the president and C.E.O. of Delphi Automotive in Troy, Mich."

From the Atlanta Journal Consitution: Newell Rubbermaid CEO: ‘Decide what you want to be famous for’
"How do you run a big company with unrelated brands? It’s not easy, even for a Ivy League-educated branding veteran like Michael Polk."

From Fortune: The future according to Google's Larry Page
"Google CEO Larry Page envisions a future in which computers plan your vacations, drive your cars, and anticipate your whims. Audacious? Maybe. But Page's dreams have a way of coming true."

From Inc: 10 Start-up Mistakes to Avoid in the New Year
"We asked 10 successful founders from the Young Entrepreneur Council to reveal which business mistakes taught them the most this year as they get ready for smarter growth in 2013. Here are there best answers."

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.