Wally Bock Writes for Business

8/13/10: Wally's Writing Last Week

2010-08-13T13:13:00.000-04:00

Here's some of my writing on the web last week.

My Three Star Leadership Blog

8/8/10: Leadership Reading to Start Your Week
Here are five choice articles from the business schools, the business press and major consulting firms to start off your work week. I'm pointing you to articles about succeeding in a commodity industry, a looming tech problem, picking the right technology, measuring human capital, and happiness.

Idea Deficit Disorder – Treating Yourself
Idea Deficit Disorder (IDD) is a serious condition that afflicts millions. If you suffer from IDD, here's how you can treat yourself, without resorting to expensive seminars or magical cures advertised on late night TV.

Tom Stemberg, Staples, and the Two Strategy Questions
You may have heard the "fairy tale version" of how Staples got started. The real story is much more interesting.

The HP Way
That whirring sound you hear is Dave Packard and Bill Hewlett spinning in their graves. Whatever happened to the HP Way?

8/11/10: A Midweek Look at the Independent Business Blogs
Every week I select five excellent posts from this week's independent business blogs. This week, I'm pointing you to posts on truths about leadership, paying attention to what works, creating a great working environment, storytelling as a management technique, and trust. As a bonus, there's a pointer to a post on questionable assumptions about work.

Idea Deficit Disorder – Stopping the Epidemic
Idea Deficit Disorder (IDD) doesn't just affect individuals. Whole teams and companies can fall victim to this devastating condition that robs us all of the ideas that are the source of progress.

Business Ethics Pointers and Comment
Business ethics are always important. But they come and go in public discussion. Here some resources you can use to aid your thinking, discussion, and action, whether everyone is talking about ethics or not.

My Posts at Results vs. Activities

Human Capital: Are You an Investor or a Trader?
Chuck Christensen was one of the wisest human beings I ever knew. He'd learned a lot in his "rags to riches" career and he shared it freely.

8/12/10: Top Talent Development Posts this Week
Every week, I review blogs that cover talent development to find you the pick of the lot. In this post, you'll find pointers to pieces about culture, rewards, the costs of hiring Homer Simpson, helping technical experts transition to management, and measuring human capital.

My Post on The Management Experts

Self-Development: What does a good mentoring relationship require?
Ah, mentoring!!! Named for a classical character, offered as the career boost for anyone. Reality is a bit more mixed.

My free, email only Three Star Leadership Letter was on "The Brian May Rules."

You'll also find me at Weekly Leader with a quick review of the business blogs and the Question of the Week.

Client Projects

This week I'm writing promotional material for a book on business strategy, writing articles to enrich and promote one client's web site, and writing blog posts for a client.

My latest book, Ruthless Focus is now available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. I've also posted about the contents.

My coaching calendar currently has space open. If you want to get a book done, let's talk about options. What can I do for you?

8/7/10: Wally's Writing Last Week

2010-08-07T07:02:00.000-04:00

Here's some of my writing on the web last week.

My Three Star Leadership Blog

8/1/10: Leadership Reading to Start Your Week
Here are five choice articles from the business schools, the business press and major consulting firms to start off your work week. I'm pointing you to articles about the new abnormal, what to call "lean" manufacturing, Sizzler on the comeback trail, management practices, and Italy.

It's not about ROWE
The best thing that debates about ROWE have done is raise issues for discussion. The worst thing is that the debates are more about ROWE than the real issues.

Ruthless Focus: What about Toyota?
In the book, Ruthless Focus, we used Toyota as an example of a company that had decades of success because of a ruthless focus on a simple core strategy. Since then the company has fallen on hard times.

8/4/10: Midweek Look at the Independent Business Blog
Every week I select five excellent posts from this week's independent business blogs. 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.

Ruthless Focus: Three Kinds of Crisis
Crises are part of business. Some are part of a natural cycle. Some sneak up on you. And some are self-inflicted.

The story of Yahoo's shifting strategy
Yahoo didn't start out to be a business. When it became a business it never seemed to have a clear strategy. That's a recipe for confusion, not success.

My Posts at Results vs. Activities

Quick, develop some leaders!
"'Honey, it's almost dinner time. Would you go outside and plant some tomatoes?' Sounds stupid. After all, you can't plant tomatoes at 4 o'clock and have tomatoes at 6 o'clock dinner. But that seems to be what many companies expect from talent development."

8/5/10: Top Talent Development Posts this Week
Every week, I review blogs that cover talent development to find you the pick of the lot for the week. In this post, you'll find pointers to pieces about retaining top talent, talent management strategies, today's top talent management challenges, training for new managers, and hiring senior executives that stay and produce.

My Posts on The Management Experts

Performance Management: The Secret
We never find out what Curly's secret of life is. But it's OK. I've got more modest ambitions. I know the secret of being a great boss. It's one thing.

My free, email only Three Star Leadership Letter was on "Mater Man."

You'll also find me at Weekly Leader with a quick review of the business blogs and the Question of the Week.

Client Projects

This week I'm writing promotional material for a book on business strategy, coaching an executive on personal efficiency, writing articles to enrich and promote one client's web site, and writing blog posts for a client.

My latest book, co-authored with Tom Hall is Ruthless Focus: How to use key core strategies to grow your business. You can find out more about it on Three Star Leadership of head over to Amazon and Barnes & Noble to buy a few copies.

My coaching calendar currently has space open. If you want to get a book done, let's talk about options. What can I do for you?

7/31/10: Wally's Writing Last Week

2010-07-31T06:04:00.000-04:00

Here's some of my writing on the web last week.

My Three Star Leadership Blog

7/25/10: Leadership Reading to Start Your Week
Here are five choice articles from the business schools, the business press and major consulting firms to start off your work week. I'm pointing you to articles about Elon Musk, Avery Dennison, Loblaw, Mercadona and LG Electronics.

10 Engagement-Building Behaviors for the Boss
If you're the boss, we know that you're the one most responsible for the performance, morale, and engagement of your team. Here are ten things you can do to improve all three.

Ruthless Focus: How to use key core strategies to grow your business
Ruthless Focus: How to use key core strategies to grow your business, by Tom Hall and Wally Bock, helps you learn about how to craft and implement a strategy that builds long term competitive advantage and profitability.

7/28/10: A Midweek Look at the Independent Business Blogs
Every week I select five excellent posts from this week's independent business blogs. This week, I'm pointing you to posts on curiosity, starting fast with a new team, a vision of the future, gender-related management issues, and engagement evidence.

Theo Albrecht, Trader Joe's, and Ruthless Focus
Theo Albrecht, co-founder of ALDI, died on Saturday. He was one of the richest men in the world. With ALDI and Trader Joe's, he stayed with strategies that worked.

Book Review: Make Work Great
Make Work Great: Super Charge Your Team, Reinvent the Culture, and Gain Influence One Person at a Time by Ed Muzio will help you change your own working environment. The only catch is that it will be up to you.

My Posts at Results vs. Activities

Plus-Minus at Work
In hockey there's a statistic called "plus-minus." It calculates the goal difference for a player's team when that player is on the ice. It's a way to measure a player's contribution to the team. We need something like that at work.

7/29/10: Top Talent Development Posts this Week
Every week, I review blogs that cover talent development to find you the pick of the lot for the week. In this post, you'll find pointers to pieces about talent management semantics, teamwork or talent, senior leadership and talent development, another survey on innovation and job satisfaction, and gender-specific management training.

My Posts on The Management Experts

The Short Version
In 1941, Prime Minister Winston Churchill wrote the following to his First Lord of the Admiralty: "Pray state this day, on one side of a sheet of paper, how the Royal Navy is being adapted to meet the conditions of modern warfare." Some call it the "Executive Summary." Less formal people might call it "the Reader's Digest version."

My free, email only Three Star Leadership Letter was titled "Away from the Ball."

You'll also find me at Weekly Leader with a quick review of the business blogs and the Question of the Week.

Client Projects

This week I'm writing promotional material for a book on business strategy, coaching an executive in personal efficiency skills, writing articles to enrich and promote one client's web site, and writing blog posts for two clients.

My latest book, Ruthless Focus is now available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. I've written several blog posts to support the book.

On Friday, July 30, 2010, Jim Blasingame interviewed me about the book on his Small Business Advocate show.

My coaching calendar currently has space open. If you want to get a book done, let's talk about options. What can I do for you?

7/24/10: Wally's Writing Last Week

2010-07-24T07:20:00.003-04:00

Here's some of my writing on the web last week.

My Three Star Leadership Blog

7/18/10: Leadership Reading to Start Your Week
Here are five choice articles from the business schools, the business press and major consulting firms to start off your work week. I'm pointing you to articles about adjusting strategies, social networking and collaboration, Apple's "mea copout," mining your attic for innovation, and Barnes & Noble.

Keep it Simple, Strategist: Why simplicity is the soul of strategic success
When it comes to strategy, sometimes we confuse complexity with sophistication. But the real test of a strategy isn't sophistication. Instead, it's usability and effectiveness and those grow from simplicity.

Management Improvement Carnival #104
John Hunter has trusted me to host the latest edition of his excellent carnival. So here it is: Management Improvement Carnival #104 with pointers to some other carnivals and pointers to posts on making sure that lessons are learned, the toxic side of leadership, expressing confidence, coaching, and the most dangerous part of a manager's body.

Strategy: Staying with what works
In Ruthless Focus, we point out that there are lots of advantages to staying with a strategy that works instead of chasing after the latest new thing or succumbing to a new CEO or analyst pressure.

7/21/10: A Midweek Look at the Independent Business Blogs
Every week I select five excellent posts from this week's independent business blogs. This week, I'm pointing you to posts on metaphors for your organization, the look of leadership, a vote against Maslow, measuring engagement, and "evidence-based" leadership.

Ruthless Focus on Business Basics
It's not enough to maintain a ruthless focus on your core strategy. That won't take you far if you forget about the business basics.

Flexwork: Pointers and Comment
Flexwork is getting a lot of discussion these days. Here are pointers to some resources to help you understand the issues and make wise choices.

My Posts at Results vs. Activities

The Mary Gloster and Learning
I know this may reflect poorly on my sophistication, but I love the poems of Rudyard Kipling. One of my favorites is "The Mary Gloster." It's very long, but great for reading aloud. My daughters will remember it from when I read them poems before bedtime.

7/22/10: Top Talent Development Posts this Week
Every week, I review blogs that cover talent development to find you the pick of the lot for the week. In this post, you'll find pointers to pieces about barriers to building talent, program evaluation, hiring better, and appreciating your top performers. Plus, there's a list of great articles on motivating top talent.

My Posts on Management Experts

Delegation: It's not for everyone
Delegation is one of the ways you can assign work to your team members. You delegate when you describe a project or task to one of your team members, give them the objective, and make sure that they have the resources they need.

My free, email only Three Star Leadership Letter was on "Learning from the Dogs."

You'll also find me at Weekly Leader with a quick review of the business blogs and the Question of the Week.

Client Projects

This week I'm writing promotional material for a book on business strategy and writing blog posts for two clients.

My latest book, Ruthless Focus is now available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. I wrote several posts about the book this week.

If you need some professional business writing, contact me and we'll discuss options and whether there's a fit.

My coaching calendar currently has space open. If you want to get a book done, contact me and let's talk about options.

I'd love to give a speech or conduct a workshop for your group. Contact me and we'll work out the details.

7/17/10: Wally's Writing Last Week

2010-07-17T06:56:00.001-04:00

Here's some of my writing on the web last week.

My Three Star Leadership Blog

7/11/10: Leadership Reading to Start Your Week
Here are five choice articles from the business schools, the business press and major consulting firms to start off your work week. I'm pointing you to articles about learning from the Cleveland Cavaliers, flexwork, executive compensation, IBM, and Honest Tea.

Babies, Bath Water, and Performance Evaluations
Most commentary that calls for eliminating the "annual performance review" think it's the same thing as "performance evaluation." One is a dysfunctional corporate process. The other is what good supervisors do every day.

Learning from Master Banks
Babies are truly engaged. They go at life with energy and purpose. Why aren't more adults like that? Is it something we can change?

7/14/10: A Midweek Look at the Independent Business Blogs
Every week I select five excellent posts from this week's independent business blogs. This week, I'm pointing you to posts on strategy, the dark side of leadership, working for an "uninspiring" boss, trying to make others happy (or not), and the future of the corporation.

Ruthless Focus: The Story of the Book
Here's how Ruthless Focus came to be written.

Ruthless Focus: An Annotated Table of Contents
Ruthless Focus: How to use key core strategies to grow your business is about what companies that have been successful for decades do that's different. Here's an annotated table of contents so you can find out what's in store for you inside the book.

My Posts at Results vs. Activities

Why high potential isn't enough
My mother had a saying that "You can't just hire a hand. The whole man always comes with it." The language is a little dated, but the truth is still the same.

7/15/10: Top Talent Development Posts this Week
Every week, I review blogs that cover talent development to find you the pick of the lot for the week. In this post, you'll find pointers to pieces about what you can learn (yes, there is something) from the Cleveland Cavaliers, executive derailment, managing the toxic high performer, distributing scarce rewards, and some thoughts on management practices for the 21st Century.

My Posts on Management Experts

Rewards and Recognition: Praise Fundamentals
Symphony conductor Otto Klemperer was like a lot of the bosses I had coming up. He was a demanding taskmaster who never, ever, praised the musicians who played for him.

My free, email only Three Star Leadership Letter was on "The Transition Zone."

You'll also find me at Weekly Leader with a quick review of the business blogs and the Question of the Week.

Client Projects

This week I'm writing promotional material for a book on business strategy, writing articles to enrich and promote one client's web site, and writing blog posts for two clients.

My next book, Ruthless Focus is now available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. I'll be writing articles and blog posts to support the book.

My coaching calendar currently has space open. If you want to get a book done, let's talk about options. What can I do for you?

7/10/10: Wally's Writing Last Week

2010-07-10T07:10:00.002-04:00

Here's some of my writing on the web last week.

My Three Star Leadership Blog

7/5/10: Leadership Reading to Start Your Week
Here are three choice articles from the business schools, the business press and major consulting firms to start off your work week. I'm pointing you to articles about complexity and failure, Amazon, and the line between exaggeration and lying.

7/7/10: Midweek Look at the Independent Business Blogs
Every week I select five excellent posts from this week's independent business blogs. This week, I'm pointing you to posts on civility in the work place, intestinal fortitude, getting your new idea accepted, experimenting at work, and the leadership journey.

Identifying Great Leaders
Are the top supervisors in your organization the ones who get the best evaluations? Sometimes. But to be sure who's really good you need more than one perspective.

Be the boss, but don't be a jerk.
George Cloutier's recent article in Entrepreneur was seriously silly, but it stimulated some good conversation about what a boss's job is.

My Posts at Results vs. Activities

Developing Leaders for a New Century
Forty years ago, the business world was relatively stable. Long range planning was the sophisticated management practice of choice.

7/8/10: Top Talent Development Posts this Week
Every week, I review blogs that cover talent development to find you the pick of the lot for the week. In this post, you'll find pointers to pieces about retaining employees, learning initiatives, trust as a force behind great places to work, senior executive compensation, and reviewing your talent management practices.

My Posts on Management Experts

Performance Management: Motivation Made Simple
If you're a manager then you've been told at least once that you have to "motivate your people." But how do you do that? Here's what you can do to get the job done.

My free, email only Three Star Leadership Letter was on "The B Team Rules"

You'll also find me at Weekly Leader with a quick review of the business blogs and the Question of the Week.

Client Projects

This week I'm writing promotional material for a book on business strategy, coaching an executive on improving personal efficiency, writing articles to enrich and promote a client's web site, and writing blog posts for a client. I'm also helping a client evaluate a book project idea.

My next book, Ruthless Focus is now available on Amazon.

My coaching calendar currently has space open. If you want to get a book done, let's talk about options. What can I do for you?

6/26/10: Wally's Writing Last Week

2010-06-26T09:40:00.000-04:00

Here's some of my writing on the web last week.

My Three Star Leadership Blog

6/20/10: Leadership Reading to Start Your Week
Here are five choice articles from the business schools, the business press and major consulting firms to start off your work week. I'm pointing you to articles about top small company workplaces, executive pay and incentives, digital natives, harsh critiques, and whether leadership matters.

A Summer Reading Un-List
Summer time is the time for some extra reading. This year, instead of a list, I'm making a few suggestions.

Book Review: Wellbeing
Wellbeing: The Five Essential Elements is a reasonable and well-presented look at the different elements that make up life, along with some suggestions and tools for improving things.

6/23/10: A Midweek Look at the Independent Business Blogs
Every week I select five excellent posts from this week's independent business blogs. This week, I'm pointing you to posts on making the most of your most important asset, coordination to solve workplace challenges, word selection, measuring performance, and a leader's confidence.

My Posts at Results vs. Activities

What about Dilbert?
Corporate pashas are telling us that "their" people are their most important asset. The war for talent seems to be up there toward the top of concerns in most surveys of senior executives. If all that's true, why is Dilbert so popular? Could it be that, despite the rhetoric, we still think of humans as interchangeable parts? Are we more concerned with disembodied "talent" than with the complex human beings that carry it?

6/24/10: Top Talent Development Posts this Week
Every week, I review blogs that cover talent development to find you the pick of the lot. In this post, you'll find pointers to pieces about the summer of worker discontent, learning on the job, performance measurement, luring top talent, and a very basic question about your company that you need to answer.

My Posts on Management Experts

Leader vs. Manager: What Peter Drucker didn't Say
For years we've been suffering from a kind of "grade inflation" when it comes to the jobs of leadership and management. Somehow we've gotten into the mixed up state where we believe that leadership is better and a higher calling than management. I could blame Peter Drucker.

My free, email only Three Star Leadership Letter was on "The Ed Thorp Rules."

You'll also find me at Weekly Leader with a quick review of the business blogs and the Question of the Week.

Client Projects

This week I'm writing promotional material for a book on business strategy, working with a successful consultant to develop her next information product, writing articles to enrich and promote one client's web site, and writing blog posts for two clients.

My next book, Ruthless Focus is scheduled for release in early June.

My coaching calendar currently has space open. If you want to get a book done, let's talk about options. What can I do for you?

6/19/10: Wally's Writing Last Week

2010-06-19T08:46:00.001-04:00

Here's some of my writing on the web last week.

My Three Star Leadership Blog

6/13/10: Leadership Reading to Start Your Week
Here are five choice articles from the business schools, the business press and major consulting firms to start off your work week. I'm pointing you to articles about deli-style training, social media and retail inventories, a "new establishment," BP's crisis management, and recipes for disaster.

Making the Move to Boss: Three Phases of Transition
Niki Leondakis, chief operating officer of Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants shared her experience of the transition to being a boss with the NY Times. It matches what I found in my research. It's a difficult move, but here are some things that will make it more effective.

Choose the Right Question at World Cup Time
The Wall Street Journal says that bosses are already losers because of the World Cup's "quadrennial month-long productivity drain."

6/16/10: A Midweek Look at the Independent Business Blogs
Every week I select five excellent posts from this week's independent business blogs. This week, I'm pointing you to posts on 15 things you can do to improve results, making better decisions, distributed leadership, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, and coaching.

If the definition fits, use it
There are lots of definitions of leadership. They're all helpful, but you need to craft your own.

My Posts at Results vs. Activities

Icarus in the Office: How High Flyers Fall to Earth
Too many high flyers turn out to be like Icarus. They begin by concentrating on their wings, using them to soar. But then they lose or change concentration and their wings fail them. Here are three classic ways it happens.

6/17/10: Top Talent Development Posts this Week
Every week, I review blogs that cover talent development to find you the pick of the lot for the week. In this post, you'll find pointers to pieces about why you should worry about your second tier of performers, keeping those rising stars on track, pay for performance, using data to guide decision-making, and the 2009 Emerging Workforce Study.

My Posts on Management Experts

Culture and How to Shape It
Marvin Bower, legendary leader of McKinsey and Company, gets the credit for the best working definition of culture. Bower called it: "The way we do things around here."

My free, email only Three Star Leadership Letter was on "The Montgomery Meigs Principle."

You'll also find me at Weekly Leader with a quick review of the business blogs and the Question of the Week.

Client Projects

This week I'm writing promotional material for a book on business strategy, working with a successful consultant to develop her next information product, writing articles to enrich and promote one client's web site, and writing blog posts for two clients.

My latest book, Ruthless Focus is now available at Amazon. This is so new that they don't have the cover up yet.

My coaching calendar currently has space open. If you want to get a book done, let's talk about options. What can I do for you?

6/12/10: Wally's Writing Last Week

2010-06-12T07:49:00.001-04:00

Here's some of my writing on the web last week.

My Three Star Leadership Blog

In Memoriam: John Wooden
John Wooden was the greatest college basketball coach ever. But he was a better human being. Here are some stories that exemplify his life.

6/6/10: Leadership Reading to Start Your Week
Here are five choice articles from the business schools, the business press and major consulting firms to start off your work week. I'm pointing you to articles about Patagonia, failure, measures of success, a company without a headquarters, and the World Cup.

Who's in charge?
When you have a complicated project, someone should be in charge. That didn't happen on Deepwater Horizon.

Book Review: TIGERS among us
This book does not do justice to Dianne Crampton's tools for understanding teams.

6/9/10: A Midweek Look at the Independent Business Blogs
Every week I select five excellent posts from this week's independent business blogs. This week, I'm pointing you to posts on giving advice (or not), innovation, execution, the competitive edge of smaller companies, and management theories.

Once Upon a Time
Lots of things have changed since I started in business. But the most important thing has stayed the same.

My Posts at Results vs. Activities

Phillip and Florence, Invisible Stars
Phillip is an engineer. His company has a lot of them and he's right in the middle of the pack. You'd never know he was a star .Florence is an admin assistant. If you look on the org chart or the formal performance evaluations, you'll see that Florence is competent and hardworking, but nothing special. You'd never know she was a star either.

6/10/10: Top Talent Development Posts this Week
Every week, I review blogs that cover talent development to find you the pick of the lot for the week. In this post, you'll find pointers to pieces about bench strength, talent management at UPS, when to start thinking about "selling" the hire, treating star performers like star performers, and the leader as talent spotter.

My Posts on Management Experts

Effective Meetings: Tips and Things to Try
Meetings are a little like the weather. Everybody talks about them. And the talk isn't good.

My free, email only Three Star Leadership Letter was "Of Tablets and Teams."

You'll also find me at Weekly Leader with a quick review of the business blogs and the Question of the Week.

Special thanks this week to Bob Sutton, whose Work Matters blog is one of the very best business blogs. Bob created a post from comments that I left on his site over the last few years. I'm honored to get that kind of attention from someone whose books and blog are among the most well-researched and practical out there.

From Bob Sutton's Work Matters: 10 Wise Comments from Wally Bock
"As I was writing my last post about lists, I ran into some great comments from Wally Bock and wove them into the post. Wally is an experienced consultant, coach, speaker, and management writer and he writes a great blog called Three Star Leadership. Reading Wally's comments related to my most recent post inspired me to look through the dozens of wonderful comments that Wally has made here over the past few years. I can't quite figure out how to get an exact count from Typepad, but there are well over 100 and the average quality is just wonderful. The first comment was in 2006 and the last this week. I picked 10 -- I guess I am into lists this week -- but there are many more gems and I can't promise these are the best. These ten are all Wally."

Client Projects

This week I'm writing promotional material for a book on business strategy, working with a successful consultant to develop her next information product, writing articles to enrich and promote one client's web site, and writing blog posts for two clients.

My next book, Ruthless Focus is scheduled for release in early June.

My coaching calendar currently has space open. If you want to get a book done, let's talk about options. What can I do for you?

6/5/10: Wally's Writing Last Week

2010-06-05T09:57:00.000-04:00

Here's some of my writing on the web last week.

My Three Star Leadership Blog

5/30/10: Leadership Reading to Start Your Week
Here are five choice articles from the business schools, the business press and major consulting firms to start off your work week. I'm pointing you to articles about lifelong learning, the iPad and publishing, continuous improvement, CEO succession and compensation, and coping with complexity.

Book Review: The Quants
If you want to understand the investment strategies or the mathematics of quantitative investing, The Quants is not a good choice. If you want to dig into the causes of the recent recession, you should buy a different book. But if you want a well-paced story of human folly, set in the world of investing, this book is worth reading.

6/2/10: A Midweek Look at the Independent Business Blogs
Every week I select five excellent posts from this week's independent business blogs. This week, I'm pointing you to posts on leadership qualities, fads, creating time to think, supertrends, and how you, too, can become a strategy consultant.

"Well-Oiled Machine" is So Last Century
A "well-oiled machine" was a useful metaphor for the organizations of the last century. But now we need to start thinking of organizations as living, adapting systems.

My Posts at Results vs. Activities

Here's some other talent you can develop
Want to make a difference in your bottom line? How about your long term competitive advantage? Well, you can probably do it, if you'll just spend some time and resources on who you promote to your first line supervisory positions. They're important. And you don't have to take my word for it.

6/3/10: Top Talent Development Posts this Week
Every week, I review blogs that cover talent development to find you the pick of the lot for the week. In this post, you'll find pointers to pieces about succession planning, the view from inside the pipeline, studies of engagement, flex time and Gen Y, and the Talent Management Paradox.

My Posts on The Management Experts

Communication: Giving Better Directions
If you're a boss, one of the most important parts of your job is giving directions. Whether you're training, coaching, or assigning work, it's critical to do the job right.

My free, email only Three Star Leadership Letter was on "The Naaman Principles."

You'll also find me at Weekly Leader with a quick review of the business blogs and the Question of the Week.

Client Projects

This week I'm writing promotional material for a book on business strategy, working with a successful consultant to develop her next information product, writing articles to enrich and promote one client's web site, and writing blog posts for two clients.

My next book, Ruthless Focus is scheduled for release in late June.

My coaching calendar currently has space open. If you want to get a book done, let's talk about options. What can I do for you?

5/29/10: Wally's Writing Last Week

2010-05-29T08:51:00.000-04:00

Here's some of my writing on the web last week.

My Three Star Leadership Blog

5/23/10: Leadership Reading to Start Your Week
Here are five choice articles from the business schools, the business press and major consulting firms to start off your work week. I'm pointing you to articles about success stories from tough times, simplification in growth strategy, less may be more in product lines, social media, and re-inventing leadership.

Rethinking the MBA Oath
Will the MBA oath make a difference? Maybe not a big one. But it will make a difference to those who take it.

What are your team's vital signs?
Doctors use four simple vital signs quickly to assess a patient's health. What are the vital signs for your team?

5/26/10: Midweek Look at the Independent Business Blogs
Every week I select five excellent posts from this week's independent business blogs. This week, I'm pointing you to posts on delegation, the engaging leader, Toyota, work and life, and the workplace of the future.

Supervision in Crisis
People don't trust their boss's judgment. They don't want to be the boss, either.

My Posts at Results vs. Activities

Susan's Career Dilemma
Susan has a tough choice. If she wants advancement, more pay, and prestige she can go into management. She's tried that, doesn't like it and doesn't do it well. Or she can just spend the rest of her work life bored in a job she's mastered.

5/27/10: Top Talent Development Posts this Week
Every week, I review blogs that cover talent development to find you the pick of the lot for the week. In this post, you'll find pointers to pieces about talent intelligence, metrics, a defense of the performance review, and ten ways to make a performance review meaningful.

My Posts on Management Experts

Manager vs. Leader? It's not that simple
Beware! Too many management writers want you to join the leader versus manager debate and line up on their side.

My free, email only Three Star Leadership Letter was on "The Teresa Taylor Rule."

You'll also find me at Weekly Leader with a quick review of the business blogs and the Question of the Week.

Client Projects

This week I'm writing promotional material for a book on business strategy, working with a successful consultant to develop her next information product, writing articles to enrich and promote one client's web site, and writing blog posts for two clients.

My next book, Ruthless Focus is scheduled for release in early June.

My coaching calendar currently has space open. If you want to get a book done, let's talk about options. What can I do for you?

5/22/10: Wally's Writing Last Week

2010-05-22T07:30:00.002-04:00

Here's some of my writing on the web last week.

My Three Star Leadership Blog

5/16/10: Leadership Reading to Start Your Week
Here are five choice articles from the business schools, the business press and major consulting firms to start off your work week. I'm pointing you to articles about group dynamics and innovation, business process improvement, leading change, leadership development, and the leadership thinking of the best and the brightest scholars.

Leadership Portrait: Alfred M. Gray
Alfred M. Gray was the twenty-ninth Commandant of the Marine Corps.

Book Review: Warfighting
Warfighting is the best single, short book on leadership and strategy that I've read and I re-read parts of it at least weekly.

5/19/10: A Midweek Look at the Independent Business Blogs
Every week I select five excellent posts from this week's independent business blogs. This week, I'm pointing you to posts on where to look for real change, what to expect (and not expect) from your coach, behavioral economists, persistence, and leadership.

Let's not fire the supervisors just yet
John Phillips suggests that the way to get better morale and productivity is to fire the bad supervisors and managers. Not so fast there, John.

Condition Normal: All Chaotic
The manager's world is chaotic and high-velocity. Here's what you can do to succeed in it.

My Posts at Results vs. Activities

When is training more than training?
Training is a mainstay of the corporate world. We send people to class or provide distance-learning resources to help them improve their knowledge and skills. That's important, but training can do more.

5/20/10: Top Talent Development Posts this Week
Every week, I review blogs that cover talent development to find you the pick of the lot. In this post, you'll find pointers to pieces about performance reviews, talent management metrics, making sense of studies and statistics, the "new normal," and what to do about compensation.

My Posts at Management Experts

Documentation: 8 Tips to make it better
If you're a boss, part of your job is documenting the behavior or performance of the people on your team. You do documentation to be able to justify your decisions to someone else.

My free, email only Three Star Leadership Letter was on "The Willie Nelson Rules."

You'll also find me at Weekly Leader with a quick review of the business blogs and the Question of the Week.

Client Projects

This week I'm writing promotional material for a book on business strategy, working with a successful consultant to develop her next information product, writing articles to enrich and promote one client's web site, and writing blog posts for two clients.

My next book, Ruthless Focus is scheduled for release on June 1.

My coaching calendar currently has space open. If you want to get a book done, let's talk about options. What can I do for you?

5/15/10: Wally's Writing Last Week

2010-05-15T07:54:00.001-04:00

Here's some of my writing on the web last week.

My Three Star Leadership Blog

5/9/10: Leadership Reading to Start Your Week
Here are five choice articles from the business schools, the business press and major consulting firms to start off your work week. I'm pointing you to articles about women in business leadership, the design genius behind the iStuff, an article in praise of bonuses, the Navy's leadership training, and the largest pharmaceutical company you've probably never heard of.

3 Lessons from the Military
Forget about strategy and tactics for a moment. The most important lessons you can learn from the military are about training and simple systems.

The Perfect Leadership Book for You
This post drew the most comments this week
You'll search the stores and online sites in vain for the perfect leadership book. But don't despair.

5/12/10: Midweek Look at the Independent Business Blogs
Every week I select five excellent posts from this week's independent business blogs. This week, I'm pointing you to posts on CEOs with movable desks, growing faster by slowing down, piecework, and one more thoughtful take on deliberate practice.

My father would have been 95 today
My father would have been 95 today. I've been reflecting on his life and its lessons.

My Posts at Results vs. Activities

High Potential should also be about character
The Corporate Executive Board says that those high potentials aren't all that happy when they have to cut back along with others in your company. CEB says they're likely to leave. i say, "Let them go."

5/13/10: Top Talent Development Posts this Week
Every week, I review blogs that cover talent development to find you the pick of the lot for the week. In this post, you'll find pointers to pieces about leadership development at the best companies and at the US Navy, the future of MBA education, executive training programs, and rewards programs.

My free, email only Three Star Leadership Letter was on "The Puccini Principle."

Client Projects

This week I'm writing promotional material for a book on business strategy, working with a successful consultant to develop her next information product, writing articles to enrich and promote one client's web site, and writing blog posts for two clients.

My next book, Ruthless Focus is scheduled for release on June 1.

My coaching calendar currently has space open. If you want to get a book done, let's talk about options. What can I do for you?

5/8/10: Wally's Writing Last Week

2010-05-08T07:23:00.000-04:00

Here's some of my writing on the web last week.

My Three Star Leadership Blog

5/2/10: Leadership Reading to Start Your Week
Here are five choice articles from the business schools, the business press and major consulting firms to start off your work week. I'm pointing you to articles about GM, privacy, new HR career paths, the challenges of telework, and a thoughtful piece on executive compensation.

What you should learn from that symphony conductor
When you think about it, the conductor on the podium is a pretty awful leadership model, even though there are lots of things you can learn from a symphony conductor.

Conversation: A Key Supervisory Tool
If you're a boss, conversations are your key tool to influence your team members. Learn to master the three most important types.

5/5/10: A Midweek Look at the Independent Business Blogs
Every week I select five excellent posts from this week's independent business blogs. This week, I'm pointing you to posts on predictable crises, education 2.0 at work, hiring outsiders for key positions, what to look for in teams, and listening as action.

Women Who Bully
"Dorothy Dalton has been posting and drawing comment on the issue of women who are workplace bullies. It's an issue that needs discussion."

Book Review: Anywhere
Should you buy a copy of Anywhere? It depends a lot on how much thinking you've done about the history and future of the Digital Age.

My Posts at Results vs. Activities

Picking High Potentials
During the Dot-Com Bubble, Warren Buffett was chided for not investing in any of the hot new companies. He said he knew there were lots of great values among the new start-ups. He just didn't know how to predict who the winners might be. That's the problem with high potential programs. When you hire a bunch of people out of college you know that a small number of them will become stars. The hard part is guessing which ones.

5/6/10: Top Talent Development Posts this Week
Every week, I'll be reviewing blogs that cover talent development to find you the pick of the lot for the week. In this post, you'll find pointers to pieces about Education 2.0, development, leadership coaching, star performers and salary differential, and performance bonus practices.

My free, email only Three Star Leadership Letter was on "The Law of the Loaf."

Client Projects

This week I'm writing promotional material for a book on business strategy, working with a successful consultant to develop her next information product, writing articles to enrich and promote one client's web site, and writing blog posts for two clients.

My next book, Ruthless Focus is scheduled for release on June 1.

My coaching calendar currently has space open. If you want to get a book done, let's talk about options.. What can I do for you?

5/1/10: Wally's Writing Last Week

2010-05-01T17:38:00.001-04:00

Here's some of my writing on the web last week.

My Three Star Leadership Blog

4/25/10: Leadership Reading to Start Your Week
Here are five choice articles from the business schools, the business press and major consulting firms to start off your work week. I'm pointing you to articles about maximizing shareholder value, strategy, Ursula Burns and Xerox, Harley Davidson, and the music business.

Mirror, Mirror on Big Ed's Wall
I think GM CEO Ed Whitacre has a magic mirror in his house that's giving him advice. He needs a new mirror.

Lean Start-Ups, History, and Common Sense
Lean start-up sounds like a new idea. But it's not. It's actually the way most successful start-ups have always done things.

4/28/10: A Midweek Look at the Independent Business Blogs
Every week I select five excellent posts from this week's independent business blogs. This week, I'm pointing you to posts on the balance between strategy and execution, the changing face of capitalism, employers and wellness incentives, what really makes a difference, and guidance on delivering great leadership.

For Good, Against Evil
Too much leadership writing is way too general and, therefore, unhelpful.

Book Review: The Loudest Duck
The Loudest Duck by Laura Liswood is an excellent choice if you want to examine your own beliefs about ourselves and others. If your goal is to make your workplace more of a meritocracy by leveling the playing field, it will help, but you'll need more.

My Posts at Results vs. Activities

Is "Talent Management" an Oxymoron?
You've heard the classic oxymorons. There's "military music." There's "postal service." And let's not forget "jumbo shrimp." Add "talent management" to that list. If it's talent, you can't manage it. And if you're managing it, it's not talent.

4/29/10: Top Talent Development Posts this Week
Every week, I'll be reviewing blogs that cover talent development to find you the pick of the lot for the week. In this post, you'll find pointers to pieces about engagement, onboarding, the newcomer advantage, flexible work (and life), and performance reviews.

My free, email only Three Star Leadership Letter was on "The Master Mentor."

Client Projects

This week I'm writing promotional material for a book on business strategy, helping a successful consultant develop an information product, writing articles to enrich and promote one client's web site, and writing blog posts for another client.

My coaching calendar currently has space open. If you want to get a book done, let's talk about options. What can I do for you?

4/24/10: Wally's Writing Last Week

2010-04-24T14:21:00.001-04:00

Here's some of my writing on the web last week.

My Three Star Leadership Blog

4/18/10: Leadership Reading to Start Your Week
Here are five choice articles from the business schools, the business press and major consulting firms to start off your work week. I'm pointing you to articles about GE's leadership development, deliberate practice, experimentation in business, big retailers you may not know, and women in high tech.

Delay, Delay
Too many bosses don't have prompt and effective conversations with team members about performance and behavior. That's bad for productivity and bad for morale.

Three Rules for Performance Evaluation
Performance evaluation has gotten a bad name. But real performance evaluation may not be what you think it is.

4/21/10: A Midweek Look at the Independent Business Blogs
Every week I select five excellent posts from this week's independent business blogs. This week, I'm pointing you to posts on leadership and energy, collaborative solutions, definitions of "manager," money as a motivator, and leadership wisdom.

Book Review: The Power of Pull
The Power of Pull: How small moves, smartly made, can set big things in motion" by John Hagel III, John Seely Brown, and Lang Davison is a mind-stretcher of a book. It will give you an idea of why things have changed as they have these last two decades, some thoughts on what will happen in the next couple of decades, and what it means for you.

My Posts at Results vs. Activities

Has GE lost its leadership development mojo?
The cover story in the current Business Week asks a stunning question: "Can GE Still Manage?" There have been many stories over the last few years about today's GE not performing like the GE of old, or at least the GE of Welch.

4/22/10: Top Talent Development Posts this Week
Every week, I review blogs that cover talent development to find you the pick of the lot. In this post, you'll find pointers to pieces about what today's workforce must have, five common mistakes with top talent, new hires, learning on the job, and top online influencers in talent management.

My free, email only Three Star Leadership Letter was "Lesson from the Fifth Street Gym."

Client Projects

This week I'm writing promotional material for a book on business strategy, helping a successful consultant develop an information product, writing articles to enrich and promote one client's web site, and writing blog posts for another client.

My coaching calendar currently has space open. If you want to get a book done, let's talk about options. What can I do for you?

4/17/10: Wally's Writing Last Week

2010-04-17T08:05:00.000-04:00

Here's some of my writing on the web last week.

My Three Star Leadership Blog

4/11/10: Leadership Reading to Start Your Week
Here are five choice articles from the business schools, the business press and major consulting firms to start off your work week. I'm pointing you to articles about innovation at 3M, the Toyota recall, the iPad," walled gardens" make a comeback, and the organization as a living being.

The Things the Books Forgot
The Book World is different from the Real World. There are some things those business books just don't tell you.

4/14/10: A Look at the Midweek Business Blogs
Every week I select five excellent posts from this week's independent business blogs. This week, I'm pointing you to posts on team building, pay differences between genders, women who bully, trust in the workplace, and humble leadership.

Book Review: Appetite for America
If you have a passion for either business history or American history you will love Stephen Field's magnificent book about Fred Harvey, the business he founded, and the history they helped shape.

My Posts at Results vs. Activities

A Big Brain is not Enough
You may be a super-smart consultant. You probably topped your classes in high school and college. It's likely that you zipped through graduate school.

4/15/10: Top Talent Development Posts this Week
Every week, I'll be reviewing blogs that cover talent development to find you the pick of the lot for the week. In this post, you'll find pointers to pieces about hoarding talent, pay-for-performance and ratingless performance systems, talent development coming out of the recession, ways to waste money on people practices, and how top companies manage talent development.

My free, email only Three Star Leadership Letter was on "The Umpire Rules."

Client Projects

This week I'm writing promotional material for a book on business strategy, helping a successful consultant develop an information product, writing articles to enrich and promote one client's web site, and writing blog posts for another client.

My coaching calendar currently has space open. If you want to get a book done, let's talk about options. What can I do for you?

4/10/10: Wally's Writing Last Week

2010-04-10T10:45:00.001-04:00

Here's some of my writing on the web last week.

My Three Star Leadership Blog

4/4/10: Leadership Reading to Start Your Week
Here are five choice articles from the business schools, the business press and major consulting firms to start off your work week. I'm pointing you to articles about recruiting, Thomas Keller, craigslist, strategic planning (or not), and reality for CEOs.

My Game-Changing Business Books
There are very few books that change the way you see the world and the way you do important things. Here are my four game-changer business books.

Tips for Getting the Most from Reading Business Books
Reading business books is a great way to take control of your own personal development. Here are some tips for getting the most from that reading.

4/7/10: A Midweek Look at the Independent Business Blogs
This week, I'm pointing you to posts on what great 21st Century organizations will look like, making good decisions, working together (really), organizational culture, and blowing up complex business models.

The Myth of Perfect Productivity
For more than forty years I've read "research" about how much time people waste at work. Surely the researchers would be more productive studying something else.

My Posts at Momentor

Superheroes and SuperYou
Who hasn't wanted to be a superhero? It looks like fun.

4/8/10: Top Career Posts this Week
Every week I check dozens of “career” blogs and other online publications, looking for things that will help you find a job, get promoted, develop your skills, and keep everything in perspective and balance. Here’s the pick of the lot for this week. I’m pointing you to items about getting a headhunter's attention, getting notices, recovering from a bad boss, the value of contacts who can't hire you, and job search like an anthropologist.

My free, email only Three Star Leadership Letter was on "The Christopher Wren Rule."

Client Projects

This week I'm writing promotional material for a book on business strategy, helping a successful consultant develop an information product, writing articles to enrich and promote one client's web site, and writing blog posts for another client.

My coaching calendar currently has space open. If you want to get a book done, let's talk about options.. What can I do for you?

4/3/10: Wally's Writing Last Week

2010-04-03T08:13:00.000-04:00

Here's some of my writing on the web last week.

My Three Star Leadership Blog

3/28/10: Leadership Reading to Start Your Week
Here are five choice articles from the business schools, the business press and major consulting firms to start off your work week. I'm pointing you to articles about day traders, succeeding in hard times, Blockbuster, partnerships, and strategy.

Leadership Development: Finding Good Business Books to Read
Reading business books should be part of your personal leadership development plan. The trick is finding the good ones.

Leadership Development: Starting Your Personal Reading Program
Here are some thoughts about what should be in your personal leadership development reading program from Todd Sattersten, co-author of The 100 Best Business Books and of All Time.

3/31/10: Midweek Look at the Independent Business Blogs
Every week I select five excellent posts from this week's independent business blogs. This week, I'm pointing you to posts on killer bosses, the best talent cultures, strategy, speed, and learning to lead.

Moneyball and the Mary Gloster
Once upon a time, a wee bit of technology was enough for big competitive advantage. But not for long.

My Posts at Momentor

One Great Performance
Andrew Garcia, a contestant on this year's version of American Idol, knows that feeling. For a while, he was the darling of the judges.

4/1/10: Top Career Posts this Week
Every week I check dozens of “career” blogs and other online publications, looking for things that will help you find a job, get promoted, develop your skills, and keep everything in perspective and balance. Here’s the pick of the lot for this week. I’m pointing you to items about interview questions, social media, unlocking your potential, finishing what you start, and more wisdom from Peter Drucker.

My free, email only Three Star Leadership Letter was on "Wandering with Mr. Sam."

Client Projects

This week I'm writing promotional material for a book on business strategy, helping a successful consultant develop an information product, writing articles to enrich and promote one client's web site, and writing blog posts for another client.

My coaching calendar currently has space open. If you want to get a book done, let's talk about options.. What can I do for you?

3/27/10: Wally's Writing Last Week

2010-03-27T08:55:00.000-04:00

Here's some of my writing on the web last week.

My Writing at Three Star Leadership

3/21/10: Leadership Reading to Start Your Week
Here are five choice articles from the business schools, the business press and major consulting firms to start off your work week. I'm pointing you to articles about Carl Icahn, going viral the wrong way, the making of the balanced scorecard, how leadership thinking has changed in the last generation, and an interview with Henry Mintzberg.

Book Review: The High Impact Middle Manager
If you're a middle manager, you should pick up a copy of this book. You'll get value from it whether you work the system or simply read it for random ideas.

Just Promoted? Here's what you need to know.
There are libraries of books and mountains of articles written about leadership. But if you've recently been promoted there are only a few things you need to know to start.

3/24/10: Midweek Look at the Independent Business Blogs
Every week I select five excellent posts from this week's independent business blogs. This week, I'm pointing you to posts on experimentation, middle managers, leadership development, leadership mantras, and motivation and rewards.

My Mother, Cancer, and a Bit of Wisdom
I learned a lot from my mother. But I learned most from the way she responded to the cancer that eventually killed her.

My Writing at Momentor

Goldilocks, Structure, and Self-Discipline
After she breaks into the domicile of the Three Bears, Goldilocks makes herself at home. She eats their food, yummy porridge. More precisely, she eats some of it.

3/25/10: Top Career Posts this Week
Every week I check dozens of “career” blogs and other online publications, looking for things that will help you find a job, get promoted, develop your skills, and keep everything in perspective and balance. Here’s the pick of the lot for this week. I’m pointing you to items about communicating with your boss, a Free Agent Nation update, storytelling in interviews, work-at-home jobs, and the ultimate guru.

My free, email only Three Star Leadership Letter was on "The Louis Brandeis Rule."

Client Projects

This week I'm writing promotional material for a book on business strategy, helping a successful consultant develop an information product, writing articles to enrich and promote a client's web site, and writing blog posts for another client.

My coaching calendar currently has space open. If you want to get a book done, let's talk about options.. What can I do for you?

3/20/10: Wally's Writing Last Week

2010-03-20T11:04:00.000-04:00

Here's some of my writing on the web last week.

Three Star Leadership

3/14/10: Leadership Reading to Start Your Week
Here are five choice articles from the business schools, the business press and major consulting firms to start off your work week. I'm pointing you to articles about Google and Apple, innovation, improving service, lessons from the Dot-Com Crash, and a hero of agility.

Best Companies for Leadership (Development)
The annual Hay Group study of "Best Companies for Leadership" is out, this time with Business Week as a partner. Here's some commentary about how you can use the survey.

3/17/10: Midweek Look at the Independent Business Blogs
Every week I select five excellent posts from this week's independent business blogs. This week, I'm pointing you to posts on women and business networking, agile leadership, helping your team make better decisions, the fallacy of "No," and trust and culture.

Strengths, Weaknesses, Your Team, and You
It's not strengths or weaknesses. It's not individuals or the team. It is about both accomplishing the mission and helping team members develop.

Sense making and Serendipity among the Business Blogs
Almost anything can inspire a blog post, but it isn't complete until the comments are done.

Momentor

A Lesson in Decision Making from Number 28
A year ago, CJ Spiller had the opportunity to set himself up financially for life. All he had to do was say, "Yes" and enter the NFL draft.

3/18/10: Top Career Posts this Week
Every week I check dozens of “career” blogs and other online publications, looking for things that will help you find a job, get promoted, develop your skills, and keep everything in perspective and balance. Here’s the pick of the lot for this week. I’m pointing you to items about cell phones and interviews, networking up, why several mentors are better than one, wise education/training choices, and niche job search engines.

My free, email only Three Star Leadership Letter was on "The Neiman Marcus Rules."

Client Projects

This week I'm writing promotional material for a book on business strategy, helping a successful consultant develop an information product, writing articles to enrich and promote a client's web site, and I'm writing blog posts for a client. I'm coaching a first-time author through the book writing process and helping two others decide if they really want to write that book. What can I do for you?

3/13/10: Wally's Writing Last Week

2010-03-13T07:11:00.001-05:00

Here's some of my writing on the web last week.

My Three Star Leadership Blog

3/7/10: Leadership Reading to Start Your Week
Here are five choice articles from the business schools, the business press and major consulting firms to start off your work week. I'm pointing you to articles about leadership, co-leadership, innovation, and Ford and GM in the wake of the Toyota recall.

Want better profitability, engagement, and turnover?
"First line supervisors are the key to productivity, engagement and reduced turnover. Maybe you should pay attention to them. "

Book Review: Simply Effective
This is the perfect book for you if you want to simplify things where you work. It will give you a well-crafted framework that will help you identify the causes of complexity and deal with them.

3/10/10: Midweek Look at the Independent Business Blogs
Every week I select five excellent posts from this week's independent business blogs. This week, I'm pointing you to posts on the name game, evaluations, tall poppy syndrome, understanding compensation on the front line, and video games go to work.

What Women Want (at Work)
Things have changed a lot for the better for women in the workplace since the 1950s, when my mother worked at an ad agency. They've changed since I started in business 40 years ago. They've gotten better, but they're not good enough.

My Posts at Momentor

Jack's Big Three
What struck me about Jack's Big Three is that they weren't about basic qualifications, what he called "all the usual things." They're about fit and ethics and work ethic, the things that drive success in a particular job or company.

3/11/10: Top Career Posts this Week
Every week I check dozens of “career” blogs and other online publications, looking for things that will help you find a job, get promoted, develop your skills, and keep everything in perspective and balance. Here’s the pick of the lot for this week. I’m pointing you to items about cover letters, going beyond the numbers, changing sectors, building a broad business network, and resources for job seekers

My free, email only Three Star Leadership Letter was on "The Linda Hudson Rule."

Client Projects

This week I'm writing promotional material for a book on business strategy, helping a successful consultant develop an information product, writing articles to enrich and promote a client's web site, and I'm writing blog posts for a client. I'm coaching a first-time author through the book writing process. What can I do for you?

3/6/10: Wally's Writing Last Week

2010-03-06T09:20:00.000-05:00

Here's some of my writing on the web last week.

My Three Star Leadership Blog

2/28/10: Leadership Reading to Start Your Week
Here are five choice articles from the business schools, the business press and major consulting firms to start off your work week. I'm pointing you to articles about creating real organizational change, Toyota's crisis management, changing your organization and strategy in a rapidly changing environment, Tata's social entrepreneurism, and leadership as a choice.

Leadership Reading: Special Warren Buffett Edition
Warren Buffet just released his latest letter to shareholders. That sparked several media stories about him and the company. Here's my pick of the lot, along with some background.

3/3/10: Midweek Look at the Independent Business Blogs
Every week I select five excellent posts from this week's independent business blogs. This week, I'm pointing you to posts on strategy, project-based leadership, blame, compensation, and the purpose of a corporation.

The Cold of the Decade and Crisis
I've been out of circulation with the Cold of the Decade. So naturally I've been thinking about business crises.

My Posts at Momentor

"Picnic" and What Matters
We gathered at a cold and windy gravesite at the far end of the state to say good-bye. There weren't a lot of people there, in the cold middle of the week, but some had driven over three hours.

3/4/10: Top Career Posts this Week
Every week I check dozens of “career” blogs and other online publications, looking for things that will help you find a job, get promoted, develop your skills, and keep everything in perspective and balance. Here’s the pick of the lot for this week. I’m pointing you to items about revamping your job search, social networks, writing a better resume, improving your interviews, and becoming more productive.

My free, email only Three Star Leadership Letter was on "Willie the Whip."

Client Projects

This week I'm helping a successful consultant develop an information product, writing articles to enrich and promote a client's web site. I'm writing blog posts for a client. What can I do for you?

2/27/10: Wally's Writing Last Week

2010-02-27T09:54:00.002-05:00

Here's some of my writing on the web last week.

My Three Star Leadership Blog

2/21/10: Leadership Reading to Start Your Week
Here are five choice articles from the business schools, the business press and major consulting firms to start off your work week. I'm pointing you to articles about the best companies for leadership, big opportunities and big risks, working from the outside in, good supervision, and Xerox' new CEO.

4 Reasons Why Being a Boss is Not an Olympic Event
Olympic athletes are fun and inspiring to watch. But they're lousy role models for a boss.

2/24/10: Midweek Look at the Independent Business Blogs
Every week I select five excellent posts from this week's independent business blogs. This week, I'm pointing you to posts on recognition, trust, performance management, delegating, and planning.

My Posts at Momentor

The Magenta Brick Road to the C-Suite
Inc Magazine just ran an article titled "Color Me CEO? Test Shows How Bosses Are Wired."

2/26/10: Top Career Posts this Week
Every week I check dozens of “career” blogs and other online publications, looking for things that will help you find a job, get promoted, develop your skills, and keep everything in perspective and balance. Here’s the pick of the lot for this week. I’m pointing you to items about networking before and after you get the job, making your point, getting noticed for your expertise, and why job-seeking is like dating.

My free, email only Three Star Leadership Letter was on the "Willie Mays Rules."

Client Projects

This week I'm writing promotional material for a book on business strategy, helping a successful consultant develop an information product, writing articles to enrich and promote a client's web site, and I'm writing blog posts for another client. I'm also coaching a first-time author through the book writing process. What can I do for you?

2/20/10: Wally's Writing Last Week

2010-02-20T07:48:00.000-05:00

Here's some of my writing on the web last week.

My Three Star Leadership Blog

2/14/10: Leadership Reading to Start Your Week
Here are five choice articles from the business schools and the business press to start off your work week. I'm pointing you to articles about a business story behind Olympic coverage, rewards, a couple of interesting dimensions in the leadership conversation, and management science.

President's Day and Performance
Don't let your workplace become a version of President's Day.

In Memoriam: Leonard Tompkins
My mentor and friend, Leonard Tompkins died yesterday. I've been blessed to know a lot of exceptional people in my life. Leonard was one of the most exceptional. Here are some things I learned from him.

2/17/10: Midweek Look at the Independent Business Blogs
Every week I select five excellent posts from this week's independent business blogs. This week, I'm pointing you to posts on maximizing shareholder value, forced rankings, developing strengths, productive teams, and lessons from "Deadliest Catch."

My Posts at Momentor

Lessons from Leonard Tompkins
Yesterday one of my mentors, Leonard Tompkins, died. I got an email from one of his granddaughters with the news. For most of the day I've been thinking about Leonard and what I learned from him. Partly as therapy for me and partly as a tribute to Leonard I decided to share some of those lessons."

2/18/10: Top Career Posts this Week
Every week I check dozens of “career” blogs and other online publications, looking for things that will help you find a job, get promoted, develop your skills, and keep everything in perspective and balance. Here’s the pick of the lot for this week. I’m pointing you to items about asking the right question, the length of your resume, motherhood and the CV gap, the indirect approach, and great (seriously) career advice.

My free, email only Three Star Leadership Letter was on the "Dean Witter Mistake."

Client Projects

This week I'm writing promotional material for a book on business strategy, helping a successful consultant develop an information product, writing articles to enrich and promote a client's web site, and writing blog posts for two clients. I'm also coaching a first-time author through the book writing process. What can I do for you?

2/13/10: Wally's Writing Last Week

2010-02-13T07:30:00.000-05:00

Here's some of my writing on the web last week.

My Three Star Leadership Blog

2/7/10: Leadership Reading to Start Your Week
Here are five choice articles from the business schools and the business press to start off your work week. I'm pointing you to articles about ATT's iPhone problems, RIM's Smartphone advantage, creativity, more on Toyota, and the silver tsunami.

Undercover Boss: A Repellant Piece of Trash
Undercover Boss is a repellant piece of trash. CEO participants know the game and are sure to come out looking good. Everyone else takes their chances. And everyone pretends they don't notice the cameras.

2/10/10: Midweek Look at the Independent Business Blogs
Every week I select five excellent posts from this week's independent business blogs. This week, I'm pointing you to posts on great places to work, trust, questions to ask and answer, and the "reality" show "Undercover Boss."

Putting the Checklist Manifesto to Work
Checklists are powerful tools that can help you increase performance without an increase in staff or ability. Here are three ways you can use checklists in your business and personal life.

Book Review: American Entrepreneur
Too long a history, too short a collection of stories.

My Posts at Momentor

The Bad Boyfriend/Girlfriend Job
Have you ever had a job you loved, but that just ripped you up? Or one where you loved the work, but the job was one draining, dramatic crisis after another?

2/11/10: Top Career Posts this Week
Every week I check dozens of “career” blogs and other online publications, looking for things that will help you find a job, get promoted, develop your skills, and keep everything in perspective and balance. Here’s the pick of the lot for this week. I’m pointing you to items about who's finding work, networking, phone interviews, going permanent, and an argument against work/life balance.

My free, email only Three Star Leadership Letter was on "The Pete Newell Rule."

Client Projects

This week I'm writing promotional material for a book on business strategy, helping a successful consultant develop an information product, writing articles to enrich and promote a client's web site, and I'm writing blog posts for a client. I'm coaching a first-time author through the book writing process. What can I do for you?

2/6/10: Wally's Writing Last Week

2010-02-06T15:05:00.002-05:00

Here's some of my writing on the web last week.

My Three Star Leadership Blog

Leadership Reading: Special Toyota Edition
Toyota has been a successful company for almost a century. Now they're facing their biggest crisis since the end of World War II. Here are four select articles to help you get your head around the Toyota crisis.

1/31/10: Leadership Reading to Start Your Week
Here are some choice articles from the business schools and the business press to start off your work week. I'm pointing you to articles about Toyota, workplace diversity, leadership lessons from a pizza maker, management involvement in process improvement, and engaging with customers.

Putting Drive to Work: Getting more of what you want
There are lots of positive extrinsic motivators. But the one most available to most bosses is also the most powerful.

2/3/10: Midweek Look at the Independent Business Blogs
Every week I select five excellent posts from this week's independent business blogs. This week, I'm pointing you to posts on giving air cover to your team, work you love, learning from your younger workers, starting over (in your mind), and successful CEOs.

Putting Drive to Work: Getting Less of What You Don't Want
Reprimand is a powerful tool for getting less of behavior you don't want. But you have to use it correctly and you should never use it for performance.

Book Review: The Checklist Manifesto
Atul Gawande's book, The Checklist Manifesto, is as fascinating and fun to read as his earlier books. But, if you're a business reader, you'll find it takes more work to derive good practical value. Even so, you should find some ideas about how to do a better job of dealing with complexity in the workplace.

My Posts at Momentor

The Instant of Snow, the Instant of Change
Friday it snowed in Charlotte. I was looking out my office window at the exact instant the snow began.

2/4/10: Top Career Posts this Week
Every week I check dozens of “career” blogs and other online publications, looking for things that will help you find a job, get promoted, develop your skills, and keep everything in perspective and balance. Here’s the pick of the lot for this week. I’m pointing you to items about getting blacklisted, customizing your resume, preparing for a phone interview, your first day on a new job, and learning forever.

My free, email only Three Star Leadership Letter was on "The Used Car Salesman."

Client Projects

This week I'm writing promotional material for a book on business strategy, helping a successful consultant develop an information product, and writing articles to enrich and promote a client's web site. I'm coaching two clients through the book writing process. What can I do for you?

1/30/10: Wally's Writing Last Week

2010-01-30T08:48:00.000-05:00

Here's some of my writing on the web last week.

My Three Star Leadership Blog

1/24/10: Leadership Reading to Start Your Week
Here are five choice articles from the business schools and the business press to start off your work week. I'm pointing you to articles about new ways to train, product "re-invention," performance management, and the upside of failure.

Book Review: Drive
If you're thinking about buying Drive by Dan Pink, consider making do with the Pink's TED talk instead. If you buy the book, read it critically. There are important ideas here. But Drive is written like a political speech, out to make a point or two without much regard for balanced presentation or sharing all the facts.

Putting Drive to Work: Intrinsic Motivation
Intrinsic motivation is a powerful force. If you want to experience it on your team, you need to do things to create the right kind of environment.

1/27/10: A Midweek Look at the Independent Business Blogs
Every week I select five excellent posts from this week's independent business blogs. This week, I'm pointing you to posts on dramatically improving leadership, growing into leadership, learning from failures, connecting the dots (or not), and flawed human beings as managers.

Hype Alert: Peyton Manning's Magical Powers
ESPN thinks Peyton Manning is great because he has magic powers. I think it's because he's worked really hard for a long time to get better at something he loves.

Book Review: The AMA Management Handbook
Your handbook for leadership in the 21st Century. If handbooks are your thing, this is as good as it gets.

My Posts at Momentor

Think outside your own box
"Thinking outside the box" is still the top business jargon nonsense phrase. It's so over-used that it's almost impossible to wring any insight out of it. So try this, instead. Think outside your own box.

1/28/10: Top Career Posts this Week
Every week I check dozens of “career” blogs and other online publications, looking for things that will help you find a job, get promoted, develop your skills, and keep everything in perspective and balance. Here’s the pick of the lot for this week. I’m pointing you to items about career advice, when they don't call to offer you the job, inside the hiring process, sage advice from John Wooden, and dealing with failure.

My free, email only Three Star Leadership Letter was on "The Bass Voice Rules."

Client Projects

This week I'm writing promotional material for a book on business strategy, helping a successful consultant develop an information product, and writing articles to enrich and promote a client's web site. I'm coaching two clients through the book writing process. What can I do for you?

1/23/10: Wally's Writing Last Week

2010-01-23T11:40:00.000-05:00

Here's some of my writing on the web last week.

My Three Star Leadership Blog

1/17/10: Leadership Reading to Start Your Week
Here are five choice articles from the business schools and the business press to start off your work week. I'm pointing you to articles about beating Goliath, decision deficit disorder, getting consistent contributions from team members, nurturing talent, and the evolution of technology.

Leadership Development: When to hire a coach.
There are coaches today for all kinds of things. When should you think about hiring one to accelerate your leadership development?

1/20/10: Midweek Look at the Independent Business Blogs
Every week I select five excellent posts from this week's independent business blogs. This week, I'm pointing you to posts on feedback, pressure, compassion, and disposable people.

Leadership Development: How to Hire a Coach
Hiring a coach would be easier if "certification" meant the same thing to everyone. Since it doesn't, you'll have to use certification standards as a guide for your due diligence when you hire a coach.

My Posts at Momentor

If you know what you want, narrow your focus
Maybe you're thinking that this is just the time to head back to school. If you know what you want, you should consider the newer, more narrowly focused programs that have been springing up recently. They've been especially noticeable in business schools.

1/21/10: Top Career Posts this Week
Every week I check dozens of “career” blogs and other online publications, looking for things that will help you find a job, get promoted, develop your skills, and keep everything in perspective and balance. Here’s the pick of the lot for this week. I’m pointing you to items about starting a new job, mastering technology, revving up your career, moving from temp to permanent, and reflecting on all of it.

My free, email only Three Star Leadership Letter was on "Ray's Rule of Perception."

Client Projects

This week I'm ghostwriting a book on business strategy, helping a successful consultant develop an information product, and writing articles to enrich and promote a client's web site. I'm coaching two clients through the book writing process. What can I do for you?

1/16/10: Wally's Writing Last Week

2010-01-16T10:41:00.000-05:00

Here's some of my writing on the web last week.

My Three Star Leadership Blog

1/10/10: Leadership Reading to Start Your Week
Here are five choice articles from the business press to start off your work week. I'm pointing you to articles about "disposable" workers, engagement, Carol Bartz, Alan Mulally, and "getting under the tank."

Leadership Development: Getting the Most from a Class
Even though leadership is an apprentice trade, training programs are still important. Here's how to get the most from your investment of time and money.

Leadership Development: Crafting Your Personal Development Plan
Efficient and effective leadership development doesn't happen by accident. No matter what situation you're in now, your development as a leader is up to you. And you'll do a better job of it if you have a plan.

1/13/10: A Midweek Look at the Independent Business Blogs
Every week I select five excellent posts from this week's independent business blogs. This week, I'm pointing you to posts on quality and quantity, reward and comfort, figuring out whether management is for you, development goals, and defining success.

Book Review: Your Next Move
Your Next Move by Michael Watkins is boring, but it's got good advice for some specific, individual transitions. The sections on organizational transitions are not so helpful.

My Posts at Momentor

Just-Like Cookbooks and Mastery
My wife hates "just-like" cookbooks. They're the cookbooks that suggest that any dish, no matter how complex, can be created in half the time of the famous recipe, if not less. They claim it's "just like the original." My wife knows what every great cook knows. There are some things that you can't rush. Good things do, indeed, take time. That's true for many things in life besides cooking.

1/14/10: Top Career Posts this Week
Every week I check dozens of “career” blogs and other online publications, looking for things that will help you find a job, get promoted, develop your skills, and keep everything in perspective and balance. Here’s the pick of the lot for this week. I’m pointing you to items about sleep, saying "No," your pregnancy and your career, a simple way to test how you're doing, and learning for the world ahead.

My free, email only Three Star Leadership Letter was on "The Proofreading Postulate."

Client Projects

This week I'm ghostwriting a book on business strategy, helping a successful consultant develop an information product, and writing give-away materials to enrich and promote a client's web site. I'm coaching two clients through the book writing process. What can I do for you?

1/10/10: Wally's Writing Last Week

2010-01-10T07:43:00.000-05:00

Here's some of my writing on the web last week.

My Three Star Leadership Blog

1/3/10: Leadership Reading to Start Your Week
Here are five choice articles from the business press to start off your work week. I'm pointing you to articles about women in the workforce, specialization in business education, innovation, CEO longevity, and the importance of listening.

A Workplace for My Grandsons
When my grandsons come of age, I hope they go to work at places that are both productive and human-friendly.

Becoming a Great Leader is Up to You
If you want to become a great leader, you have to take responsibility for your own development. Here are some tools you can use.

1/6/10: Midweek Look at the Independent Business Blogs
Every week I select five excellent posts from this week's independent business blogs. This week, I'm pointing you to posts on definitions of leadership, a leader's daily reminder list, transforming your workplace, planning, and one of the most dangerous fallacies in business.

Leadership Development: Big Company Programs and You
There are two kinds of bosses who read this blog. Some of you work for companies with great leadership development programs. The rest of you don't. Whichever you are, you can still benefit from those programs.

My Posts at Momentor

Teach Thyself for Fun and Profit
There's much ado about "lifelong learning" as a requirement for our fast-changing times, but not much about how you can enrich your life and, perhaps, your career by teaching yourself. There's a fancy word for that. It's "autodidact." Become one and you join a distinguished club made up of people who've taught themselves important things. Members include Thomas Edison, Ben Franklin, Michael Faraday and many others.

1/7/10: Top Career Posts this Week
Every week I check dozens of “career” blogs and other online publications, looking for things that will help you find a job, get promoted, develop your skills, and keep everything in perspective and balance. Here’s the pick of the lot for this week. I’m pointing you to items about job search books, advanced degree programs, home offices, balance, and letting go.

My free, email only Three Star Leadership Letter was on "Shooting Simulator Lessons."

Client Projects

This week I'm ghostwriting a book on business strategy, helping a successful consultant develop an information product, and writing articles to enrich and promote a client's web site. I'm coaching two clients through the book writing process. What can I do for you?

1/2/10: Wally's Writing Last Week

2010-01-02T10:22:00.000-05:00

Here's some of my writing on the web last week.

My Three Star Leadership Blog

12/27/09: Leadership Reading to Start Your Week
Here are five choice articles from the business press to start off your work week. I'm pointing you to articles that look back at 2009 and forward at 2010.

What your team members want from you
Are you a boss? Here are seven things your team members want from you at New Year's and all year 'round.

Five Star Books for Bosses in 2009
I review books so you can spend your business book budget wisely. Here's a list of the books that rated five stars in 2009.

12/30/09: Midweek Look at the Independent Business Blogs
Every week I select five excellent posts from this week's independent business blogs. This week, I'm pointing you to posts on a random walk down management street, cost control is not the only thing, do you really need stars, great bosses, and becoming one of them.

Blogs looking backwards, blogs looking forward
Tis the season for predictions and trends and reviews, for looking back at 2009 and the first decade of the Twenty-first Century and forward to the next nine. Here's a selection of posts from an array of blogs and publications that, I hope, will spark some ideas and action.

Sea Change Challenges
During 2009, the Recession sucked up so much of our attention that it was easy to forget that we're at the start of a period of fundamental change in the ways and places we work. We're in the time of a great sea change.

My Posts at Momentor

New Year's Questions
So this has always been a time for me to think about my life and career. The best way to do that is to ask and answer some questions. Here are some that have worked for me at various times in my life.

12/31/09: Top Career Posts this Week
Every week I check dozens of “career” blogs and other online publications, looking for things that will help you find a job, get promoted, develop your skills, and keep everything in perspective and balance. Here’s the pick of the lot for this week. I’m pointing you to items about gifts you can give your career, taking responsibility for getting noticed, learning from all your experience, happiness, and what's ahead in the job market.

My Posts on this Blog

Writer's Block
I don't have writer's block often. When I do, it's a lot like the toy called a "Chinese finger trap."

Client Projects

This week I'm ghostwriting a book on business strategy and helping a successful consultant develop an information product. I'm coaching two clients through the book writing process. What can I do for you?

Writer's Block

2009-12-28T16:43:00.000-05:00

"Writing is easy. All you have to do is stare at a sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead."

Many writers are quoted as saying something like that. Every writer has felt that frustration. We call it "writer's block."

I don't have writer's block often. When I do, it's a lot like the toy called a "Chinese finger trap."

You're probably familiar with the toy, even though you may call it something different. A person (the victim) puts one index finger into each end of a cylinder made of woven bamboo.

The natural reaction is to pull to get your fingers out of the trap. But if you do that, the trap tightens around your fingers and you stay stuck.

Simply working harder doesn't get anything written for me. I've got to let go and do something else.

Sometimes that something else is writing-related. It could be a bit of research or reading the parts of the manuscript just before the part I'm supposed to be working on.

Sometimes that something else is simply starting to write. Often I start to produce the kind of prose I need three or four paragraphs in.

Sometimes that something else is an activity where the body can go on autopilot, leaving the mind free to roam and associate. Housework and walking the dog are my favorites.

I keep my small digital voice recorder with me to catch the inspiration that usually comes. Alas, sometimes it doesn't come.

Then it's time to use the ideas of Graham Wallas. In 1926, he wrote a book titled The Art of Thought. In that book, he described the process of getting a good idea. The key steps for me, when it comes to writer's block, are "incubation" and "illumination."

I simply give up on the assignment for the night. I figure my mind can work on the problem while I'm doing something else, like sleeping. The solution usually comes flowing easily the next morning.

I never know exactly how to break through writer's block when it strikes. But one thing I know for sure. Trying to grind out a solution just doesn't work.

12/26/09: Wally's Writing Last Week

2009-12-26T08:57:00.000-05:00

Here's some of my writing on the web last week.

My Three Star Leadership Blog

12/20/09: Leadership Reading to Start Your Week
Here are five choice articles from the business press to start off your work week. I'm pointing you to articles about the case for business, top-performing CEOs, the best manufacturing plants in the US, Ben Stein's dinner with Warren, and the future of the magazine.

Babies and Big People
My newest grandson is already reminding me of important leadership lessons.

Born or Made Redux
If you want bold leaders, you will have to put with them being bold and making mistakes. Leadership development is cumulative.

12/23/09: Midweek Look at the Independent Business Blogs
Every week I select five excellent posts from this week's independent business blogs. This week, I'm pointing you to posts on assessing leadership potential, cultivating talent, cultures of failure, how compensation is changing, and saying "Thank you."

My Posts at Momentor

Remember the Cratchits
It's a typical frantic, modern Christmas season, full of parties and errands and things to buy. It was simpler for the Cratchits. You probably remember the Cratchits from Dickens' Christmas Carol.

12/24/09: Top Career Posts this Week
Every week I check dozens of “career” blogs and other online publications, looking for things that will help you find a job, get promoted, develop your skills, and keep everything in perspective and balance. Here’s the pick of the lot for this week. I’m pointing you to items about gauging relationships, your name in personal branding, how to get the most from an awful job, making the most of losing your job, and cool jobs.

My Posts on this Blog

How I Do It: sharing pointers on Twitter to build business
During the holidays I allow time to think about next year and what I might do differently. I'm not the only one. In the last week, three people have contacted me to ask how I find the many articles that I share with others via Twitter. Alan Black put it this way."

There was no free, email only Three Star Leadership Letter this week.

Client Projects

This week I'm ghostwriting a book on business strategy, helping a successful consultant develop an information product, and writing articles to enrich and promote a client's web site. I'm coaching two clients through the book writing process. I'm also helping a client develop an information sharing strategy. What can I do for you?

How I Do It

2009-12-26T07:57:00.001-05:00

During the holidays I allow time to think about next year and what I might do differently. I'm not the only one.

In the last week, three people have contacted me to ask how I find the many articles that I share with others via Twitter. Alan Black put it this way.

"My question to you based upon your tweets is how I might develop a system for searching pubs to provide the same richness to potential clients."

I picked Alan's comment to use because I know him and his work. Alan is an accessible expert on creativity. That means he's got the combination you need to make this strategy work.

You need a broad range of interests and a deep knowledge of at least one area. Without that combo, it's hard to deliver enough interesting pointers every day.

You also need enough Twitter followers so that enough of them will re-tweet you so that enough of their followers will discover you. I don't know what the magic number is, but my sense is that it's around 1500.

If you don't have that many followers, don't worry. If you're sharing interesting stuff, your follower count will rise. Just know that you the benefits in terms of new clients and blog readers/subscribers may not kick in for a while.

You need to know who you're finding interesting things for. That one was easy for me. It's the same as the audience for my Three Star Leadership blog: "bosses at any level."

The research I do has to produce raw material for that blog. I tweet things that meet three criteria. They're likely to interest my readers. It (usually) wont' use them for a blog post. And they're things my readers won't usually find on their own.

That's why I almost never re-tweet a post from a popular blog like Seth Godin's. My readers already know about Seth and there are lots of his fans pointing them there. Without me, though, they may not see a relevant post on a consistently excellent, but specialist blog like Compensation Force.

The tweets don't require extra research. I do research for other blogs where I post and other clients who contract with me for customized lists like my "Reading to Start Your Week."

Where do I look for the information I share? Some of it is provided by automated tools.

I use Google Alerts to spot stories that relate to important keywords. It took about six months to determine which keywords worked best.

Google Alerts is good, but it doesn't get everything interesting. So I check publications that often carry interesting articles. Over the years I've developed lists of key sources. I review at least a couple every day.

My Google Reader brings me feeds from blogs that publish interesting material. I use the folder feature to separate blogs by topic.

I've discovered many blogs because someone on Twitter pointed to a good post. I'll add the blog to my reader and evaluate whether it frequently has quality posts. If it does, it stays If not, it remove it.

Over the years I've also developed lists of sites and publications that often have worthwhile articles. I scan those lists at least weekly.

The overall scheme is pretty simple. Every day I scan publications that frequently publish interesting articles. I also check out articles others recommend.

When I find something interesting, I capture it. I capture full articles to an AskSAM database. I capture links and short notes to a program called Inspiration. I've used both for years and recommend them.

What I use gets sorted into buckets for the blogs I write for, current projects, and custom research for clients. An article can wind up in more than one bucket. I tweet some as pointers to articles that I think will interest Three Star Leadership blog readers.

I've coached some information entrepreneurs to help them set up a system like mine. Based on that, I can share the following advice.

Give this time to develop. It takes time, usually at least three months, to develop a good working list of sources. It will take at least a year to refine it.

This will only work if it's part of your every day routine. You'll need to develop your own system for finding, capturing, sorting, and selecting. Make it simple, natural, and habitual.

12/19/09: Wally's Writing Last Week

2009-12-19T14:51:00.001-05:00

Here's some of my writing on the web last week.

My Three Star Leadership Blog

12/13/09: Leadership Reading to Start Your Week
Here are five choice articles from the business press to start off your work week. I'm pointing you to articles about designer thinking, bias, the Comcast-NBC Universal merger, Calvin Ayre, and Gordon Ramsay and his empire.

12/16/09: Midweek Look at the Independent Business Blogs
Every week I select five excellent posts from this week's independent business blogs. This week, I'm pointing you to posts on who's responsible, management by committee, the Hawthorne Effect, firing people, and courage.

Book Review: Derailed
If you're looking for helpful analysis of the causes of business failure or the relationship of character to leadership success, you won't find it in Derailed.

My Posts at Momentor

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas
The holiday season is different. You have to adapt your job search to the opportunities it presents.

12/17/09: Top Career Posts this Week
Every week I check dozens of “career” blogs and other online publications, looking for things that will help you find a job, get promoted, develop your skills, and keep everything in perspective and balance. Here’s the pick of the lot for this week. I’m pointing you to items about starting the New Year with a New Job, resume writing, fitting in, having an impact, and being courageous.

My Posts on this Blog

Statistics and definitions
This weekend, as I was hunting for interesting articles from the business press to share in my post on "Leadership Reading to Start Your Week," I found an interesting looking piece in Fortune. The title was "How to build a (strong) virtual team." It's an interesting article, but I decided not to include it in my weekly review when I read the way study data was presented.

My free, email only Three Star Leadership Letter was "Mr. Morris Lives."

Client Projects

This week I'm ghostwriting a book on business strategy, helping a successful consultant develop an information product, and writing articles to enrich and promote a client's web site. I'm coaching two clients through the book writing process. What can I do for you?

Statistics and definitions

2009-12-15T18:10:00.000-05:00

This weekend, as I was hunting for interesting articles from the business press to share in my post on "Leadership Reading to Start Your Week," I found an interesting looking piece in Fortune. The title was "How to build a (strong) virtual team."

It's an interesting article, but I decided not to include it in my weekly review when I read the way study data was presented. First I read this.

"A 2008 study by high-tech think tank Nemertes Research found that 90% of U.S. employees now work somewhere other than headquarters, and 84% work in a different location than their bosses."

Doesn't that make you wonder who's included in "employees?" Does it include retail workers for a major chain, like Sears? And it means that only 10 percent of employees are not virtual.

Without a definition of who is included, these statistics are meaningless. The problems continue in the next paragraph.

"The years 2003 to 2008 saw an 800% jump in the number of 'virtual employees.' That group includes road warriors who travel constantly, telecommuters who work from home, and people in one-or-two-person offices spread out all over the globe."

That's a huge jump. And it can't come from salespeople, consultants, or technicians who've always been "virtual." The increase would have to come from office workers. It seems improbable, but with no source cited for the study, there's no way to get more information or evaluate the writer's interpretation.

I'm not writing this to bash one publication or writer. I'm writing this because it seems to me that I'm seeing this kind of sloppy writing and reasoning more and more. It doesn't take much to add an "according to" to indicate a source or use a sentence to define terms.

12/12/09: Wally's Writing Last Week

2009-12-12T10:52:00.001-05:00

Here's some of my writing on the web last week.

My Three Star Leadership Blog

12/6/09: Leadership Reading to Start Your Week
Here are five choice articles from the business press to start off your work week. I'm pointing you to articles about innovation at Google, music distribution, trust, re-inventing Applebee's, and Roy Vallee of Avnet.

Leadership might be a bad choice for you if
Leadership is a kind of work. People who do it well can do some things that other people find difficult or impossible. Before you accept your first leadership assignment, you should decide if you're going to be good at it.

12/9/09: Midweek Look at the Independent Business Blogs
Every week I select five excellent posts from this week's independent business blogs. This week, I'm pointing you to posts on the evil dashboards do, bad leadership days, the "toddler" audit, a cowardly manager's guide to acting cowardly, and job crafting.

Value, schmalues, there's money at stake
Brian Kelly and Notre Dame behaved shamefully toward the players of the Cincinnati football team. Both claim to have strong values. I guess looking out for yourself first is one of them.

My Posts at Momentor

List Mania
There are all kinds of "Best Company" lists with more coming out all the time. They can provide you with some ideas about where you may want to make a career, but only if you do a little analysis.

12/10/09: Top Career Posts this Week
Every week I check dozens of "career" blogs and other online publications, looking for things that will help you find a job, get promoted, develop your skills, and keep everything in perspective and balance. Here’s the pick of the lot for this week. I’m pointing you to items about new ways to do resumes, different education options, doing something different, surviving the impossible boss, and using feedback.

My Posts on this Blog

Research: The Process
Once the preparation is done, it's time to start hunting for the information that will make your article or book helpful and memorable. Here are some tips on how to find more of the good stuff.

Should I get a writing degree?
Email brings a question from a young person who wants to make all or part of her living from writing. She asks if getting a degree in writing will help. My answer: It depends.

My free, email only Three Star Leadership Letter was on "Driver's Rules."

Client Projects

This week I'm ghostwriting a book on business strategy, helping a successful consultant develop an information product, and writing articles to enrich and promote a client's web site. I'm coaching a client through the book writing process. What can I do for you?

Should I get a writing degree?

2009-12-09T19:34:00.000-05:00

Email brings a question from a young person who wants to make all or part of her living from writing. She asks if getting a degree in writing will help.

My answer: It depends.

The way that you learn to write is to write. You will get better faster if you write a lot. You will get even better even faster if you get good feedback.

Obviously a "writing" program can help you do that. But not all "writing" programs are the same. Here are some questions you should answer before you decide to make a college program part of your writing development and before you choose a particular program.

How much will you write? Only writing is writing. And writing is the only way to learn to write. Compare programs based on the amount of writing you will actually do.

Who will critique what you write? You want someone who writes regularly for commercial publications, not someone who only publishes in academic or small press journals.

If the program you're thinking about passes those tests, find out how the grads have done. Contact some and ask for their impressions of the program and how it helped them (or not).

If things still look good, evaluate the return on your investment for each program, compared with other methods of learning to write professionally.

There is no way to learn to write except to write. Lots of writing and lots of helpful feedback are what you want. Where you get it is less important.

Research: The Process

2009-12-07T18:03:00.000-05:00

Once the preparation is done, it's time to start hunting for the information that will make your article or book helpful and memorable. Here are some tips on how to find more of the good stuff.

Look for sources first and information second. It's tempting to type a couple of words into your search engine of choice and pray for good results. It's just not very effective.

Trade and professional associations, lobbying groups, and specialized academic research organizations are good starting points for finding information. Use them to identify experts.

Find other experts by checking Amazon. Find people who've written books on the subject you're interested in.

Search the web for the names of the experts you've identified. They've probably written articles you'll find interesting. They may have been the speakers at conferences or conventions.

Read the documents you find for insight. They'll help you narrow your key research questions. You'll also identify the experts who can be most helpful.

Contact the experts. Too many people think that searching the web for information is enough. A phone call or email interview adds a richness that no background-only research can match. And interviews give you information and quotes that don't exist anywhere else.

Use the experts to find more information. Most experts can point you quickly to high quality information and examples. It's the kind of information you won't find with a web search.

Repeat the process. Use information to find experts. Use experts to find information. Repeat until done.

12/5/09: Wally's Writing Last Week

2009-12-05T09:33:00.000-05:00

Here's some of my writing on the web last week.

My Three Star Leadership Blog

11/29/09: Leadership Reading to Start Your Week
Here are five choice articles from the business press to start off your work week. I'm pointing you to articles about Dubai unraveling, Target imitating Wal-Mart, engagement, Jason Fried, and trends to watch.

Becoming a Great Supervisor
Here are three excellent posts about being an excellent boss that I might have written if I could have done it as well.

12/2/09: Midweek Look at the Independent Business Blogs
Every week I select five excellent posts from this week's independent business blogs. 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.

The Natural Laws of Parties for Leaders
It's holiday party time. And, if you are a boss, you need to pay attention to the natural laws of parties and leadership.

My Posts at Momentor

Can you fit yourself to a T?
In his book, Good to Great, Jim Collins borrows the concept of foxes and hedgehogs from Isaiah Berlin. "The fox knows many things," he tells us. "But the hedgehog knows one big thing." If you are a fox, and good at a lot of things, you may find it hard to get a job. Your resume lists all the things you do well. In fact, there are often so many that no one thing stands out. Meantime, recruiters are mostly looking for hedgehogs with deep expertise in one important thing. They need you tell them what you're really, really, really good at."

12/4/09: Top Career Posts this Week
Every week I check dozens of “career” blogs and other online publications, looking for things that will help you find a job, get promoted, develop your skills, and keep everything in perspective and balance. Here’s the pick of the lot for this week. I’m pointing you to items about dealing with holes in your resume, using Twitter to explore careers, leadership questions to ask yourself, the challenges of a new job at the same company, and why you should make your own choices.

My Posts on this Blog

Technology and Research
Technology has made my life easier, for sure. But online research has changed the research process for writers like me in two important ways.

Research: Getting Ready to Start
I love research. There's something about discovering a great story or fact or connection that's exciting and fulfilling. But after years of writing and speaking for a living, I know that good research needs good preparation. Here's how I do it."

My free, email only Three Star Leadership Letter was on "The Smell Test."

Client Projects

This week I'm ghostwriting a book on business strategy and helping a successful consultant develop an information product. I'm coaching two clients through the book writing process. What can I do for you?

Research: Getting Ready to Start

2009-12-04T17:38:00.000-05:00

I love research. There's something about discovering a great story or fact or connection that's exciting and fulfilling.

But after years of writing and speaking for a living, I know that good research needs good preparation. Here's how I do it.

Start with your brain. Neurophysiologist Bill Calvin once described the brain as "nature's connection-making engine." I've learned to turn the engine loose and let it run for a while.

When you do that, be sure to capture your ideas. A small pocket notebook or digital voice recorder or index cards will do just fine. You'll want to pull those ideas together later.

Think about your buddies, the people you know. Who might know something about the topic? Who might get you started on the path to an expert?

What books do you have that might include information about the topic? Who are the authors? When were the books written?

I put the bytes last. Bytes include anything digitized.

I search my own database of business articles. I search my own writing for similar and related projects and topics.

I do some Google searches. I check Wikipedia. I search the web sites for business publications. And I look at Amazon and Google book search to identify books, articles and experts.

What I do at this point is collect bits and pieces of data and ideas. It usually takes a week or so. After that I'm ready to put together the research plan.

Technology and Research

2009-11-30T16:40:00.000-05:00

When I went full time with my quest to build an empire of the brain from writing, speaking and consulting I knew information would be the key. The good news was that I lived near one of the best research libraries on the planet.

The business library at the University of California Berkeley was a long way from moving to the current Thomas J. Long Library. Then it was the library of business and social science. The library subscribed to 263 management-related journals.

Every month I went to the library and scanned the tables of contents of every one of those journals. When I found an article I thought I should read or note, I copied it, paying with the copy card I had loaded up at the student union.

It took two days a month, back in the early 1980s. Today I do a better job of research using the net, a couple of subscription databases and my own file of articles. And I do it in a few minutes a day without leaving my office.

That makes my life easier, for sure. But online research has changed the research process for writers like me in two important ways.

It used to be that you spent most of your time tracking down information. Today, that's quick and easy. You spend most of your time sifting through things and selecting what you need. Scanning has become much more important to give you an idea of which books and articles will prove valuable.

Evaluating sources is more difficult and time consuming than ever. Back when I started, every journal or news source I reviewed had an editor. There were standards for fact checking.

No more. Today, good editors are a vanishing breed. Fact checking is a disappearing art. And the web makes it easy to mistake frequency for veracity.

Right after Michael Jackson died, a rumor about the death of another celebrity flashed across the web. One excited Twitterer noted that there were fifteen stories confirming the death.

There weren't. There was one "story." And there were fourteen other stories that quoted it. There was only one, unconfirmed source.

Today a writer can use the amazing reach and speed that technology grants us to find data and information in seconds. But then it's time to sort through it all, applying standards of critical thinking and processes of fact checking and analysis.

11/28/09: Wally's Writing Last Week

2009-11-28T08:48:00.000-05:00

Here's some of my writing on the web last week.

My Three Star Leadership Blog

11/22/09: Leadership Reading to Start Your Week
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.

The Great Recession and Business Learning
2009 has been dominated by the Great Recession. What caused it? How do we get through it? What good can we make of it?

11/25/09: Midweek Look at the Independent Business Blogs
Every week I select five excellent posts from this week's independent business blogs. This week, I'm pointing you to posts on iron boats and bosses, managing generations (or not), the real leadership crisis, learning from 2009, and whether the "job" is still a relevant concept.

My Posts at Momentor

Thanksgiving
When it comes to thankfulness, I am my mother's child. She taught me to begin every prayer with thanks. I follow her example to write at least three thank you notes every day. Now scientists are telling us that mom may have been on to something.

11/27/09: Top Career Posts this Week
Every week I check dozens of “career” blogs and other online publications, looking for things that will help you find a job, get promoted, develop your skills, and keep everything in perspective and balance. Here’s the pick of the lot for this week. I’m pointing you to items about taking care of yourself, deciding when a project is perfect enough, working for free, the most important thing for job seekers, and negotiating for women (and the rest of us).

My Posts on this Blog

Memo to the NY Times: Edit Your Copy
Newspapers claim that one thing that sets them apart from those unprofessional bloggers is that newspapers have standards. Maybe. But standards don't mean much if you don't enforce them.

A Writer's Thanksgiving
The mechanics of what I do for a living have gotten astoundingly easier in my lifetime. And I am thankful.

Client Projects

This week I'm ghostwriting a book on business strategy, helping a successful consultant develop an information product, and writing articles to enrich and promote a client's web site. I'm coaching two clients through the book writing process. What can I do for you?

A Writer's Thanksgiving

2009-11-25T16:32:00.000-05:00

I feel like one of those old men of legend, about to tell young writers how much easier they have it. We had it tough, you see. We had to walk both ways in the snow …

Sorry, that's the wrong story. Here's the truth. The mechanics of what I do for a living have gotten astoundingly easier in my lifetime. And I am thankful.

I am thankful that, accept for a possible collectible to decorate my office, I will never have to use a typewriter again.

I am thankful that carbon paper and Whiteout are historical artifacts.
I am thankful that the mechanics are so much easier because it frees up time to wrestle with the Angel of Wonder. If I wrestle furiously enough and tenaciously enough and long enough, the Angel will release a bit of the wonder into my writing. And that is what makes the wrestling

Memo to the NY Times: Edit Your Copy

2009-11-23T17:22:00.000-05:00

These are perilous times for newspapers. Circulation has been declining for decades. Hardly any print publication has cracked the code for generating profit from the net.

Even iconic papers have been showing the strain. For an example, click over to a piece titled "FastPencil: Turn Your Blog Posts Into a Published Book" on the New York Times site.

I grew up with the Times as the icon of journalism. They were supposed to be the people who did it right. That's why this particular piece is so distressing. It is nothing short of crappy, unedited writing. Here's the opening sentence.

"Writing a book will never be easy, but FastPencil's mission is to make things easier for authors by bringing this process online and to collaborate with others."

English speakers will not that this does not make sense as an English sentence. At first, I thought it was simply a typo that slipped in. That happens. But then I continued to read.

The next paragraph begins with this. "The areas where FastPencil exceeds are online editing, collaboration and distribution." Exceeds what? Or did the writer mean "excels?"

Further on there are more grammatical errors. The plural for "table of contents" is incorrect. And the writer proves that he doesn't understand the difference between "it's" and "its."

My question is simple. Doesn't the Times edit copy anymore?

Newspapers claim that one thing that sets them apart from those unprofessional bloggers is that newspapers have standards. Maybe. But standards don't mean much if you don't enforce them.

11/21/09: Wally's Writing Last Week

2009-11-21T07:28:00.000-05:00

Here's some of my writing on the web last week.

My Three Star Leadership Blog

11/15/09: Leadership Reading to Start Your Week
Here are five choice articles from the business press to start off your work week. I'm pointing you to articles about Tweeting in traffic, Macy's and its CEO, ways to improve boss-team member relationships, best practices in communication, and business heroes of the Twentieth Century.

Book Review: Lead Your Boss
One of the most frequent questions managers ask in my programs is: "How can I influence my boss?" Now I can recommend John Baldoni's Lead Your Boss to answer that question.

11/18/09: Midweek Look at the Independent Business Blogs
Every week I select five excellent posts from this week's independent business blogs. This week, I'm pointing you to posts on what makes a great leadership development workshop, coaching, confronting bad performance, ethics, and a secret of leadership.

How to measure leaders
Should leaders be humble or flamboyant? Or should they just make a difference?

My Posts at Momentor

You only get one chance
The Wall Street Journal just published an excellent article by Diana Middleton titled: "Avoid these Interview Killers."

11/19/09: Top Career Posts this Week
Every week I check dozens of “career” blogs and other online publications, looking for things that will help you find a job, get promoted, develop your skills, and keep everything in perspective and balance. Here’s the pick of the lot for this week. I’m pointing you to items about finding your way in a tough job market, networking, learning to lead, when to avoid setting goals, and mixing personal and professional.

My Posts on this Blog

Great Work
You should try for greatness every time you write. But true greatness is rare, indeed. Just consider the case of J. S. Bach

The Writer's Tale
Want to be a writer? I can tell you how it happened for me.

My free, email only Three Star Leadership Letter was on "Three Dog Nice."

Client Projects

This week I'm ghostwriting a book on business strategy, helping a successful consultant develop an information product, and writing articles to enrich and promote a client's web site. I'm coaching two clients through the book writing process. What can I do for you?

The Writer's Tale

2009-11-20T10:15:00.000-05:00

Want to be a writer? I can tell you how it happened for me.

I fell in love with the process of writing early. In fact, I've been writing for as long as I can remember.

When I was six, our small town paper published a story of mine. It had won a contest for first graders. It wasn't the Nobel Prize, but it was a big deal for me and my family.

General Point: If you want to be a writer, it helps if you love to write. Without that you won't have the passion to do the hard work necessary.

I come from a family of storytellers. My father and one uncle were preachers. Another uncle was a police officer. The fourth was a salesman and then a sales trainer. My mother wrote articles and, later, advertising copy.

General Point: You bring the rest of your life to the work of writing. You will have strengths based on your experience, history, and passions.

When I got out of the Marines, I decided that I wanted to make a living writing stories. That worked fairly well, except that the market for stories was disappearing fast. I tried poetry, even though I knew there was no way to make a living at it without teaching which meant going to school more than I wanted to.

I tried lots of different things. Then, in 1972, I got a contract to write a short book on budgeting for first line supervisors. I discovered that I liked writing about business. I learned that I could write a book.

General Point: You will probably try several things before you discover what you love and are good at. That's natural. So try things.

For most of my adult life, I've made a living through some combination of writing, speaking and consulting/coaching. I learned from many people about the details of all those endeavors. Often, the writing was a way to establish expertise or build a reputation, while the payoff came from other things.

General Point: For many writers, writing is the way you get to do other things, like speaking or consulting. That's market economics at work. You won't change it. You can only adapt to it.

Writing hasn't just been about books and articles for me. I've written scripts for audio and video. I did a commentary on public radio. I tried my hand at poetry and playwriting. I've written speeches and a variety of training materials.

General Point: There are two benefits to trying different things. The first is that you learn what you like to do and what you don't. The second is that every new thing helps you develop skills you'll use elsewhere.

I've always had some form of self- or professional development going on. I used the Flesch Reading Ease scores that Microsoft Word incorporates to get feedback on the simplicity and readability of my writing. I've tracked my output in "finished words." I've undertaken self-improvement projects to learn new things. I've hired coaches for critique.

General Point: One of the great things about writing is that you're never done developing. There are always things you can do to get better.

It doesn't happen overnight. That rule about 10,000 hours might be optimistic. But nobody gets really good at anything without some hard work.

That's part of why I wrote this piece. Becky Robinson at the LeaderTalk blog had some very nice things to say about me and my writing. I'm grateful for the kind words, but reading them got me to thinking.

If you only see the writer I am at 63, it can seem like becoming a professional writer is primarily about drawing on gifts from some obscure backwater of the gene pool. It's not.

Becoming a good writer is like becoming a good anything. It takes some basic gifts, for sure. But it takes experiences and influences you have no way to plan, too. And it takes lots of work.

You'll move along faster if you seek out opportunities that stretch you. You'll move along faster if you seek out and use feedback. Even with that, it will take a while. But, if you ask me, it's worth it.

Great Work

2009-11-17T18:04:00.000-05:00

If you're thinking about starting a blog, check out the post, "More Advice for Beginning Bloggers" by Becky Robinson on the LeaderTalk blog. Here's the opening paragraph.

"If you are going to post frequently, then many (MOST) of your posts will be forgotten. Although it is important to craft your posts thoughtfully to create good content, you will not write the perfect post every time. I really only feel fantastic about a post once every 3-4 weeks. It is just impossible - and not even really expected - that you will turn out something great all the time unless you’re Wally Bock… but he is a professional writer and 63 years (and a half) years old and my bet is that only one person reading this post will meet that criteria (Hi, Wally!)"

Becky has great advice in her post. And she is scrupulous about the truth in her blog. But the idea that I or anyone else turn out "something great all the time" simply doesn't hold up.

The fact is that great work is a rare and wonderful thing, even if you're an accomplished player at the top of your game. To illustrate, let's consider one of the greatest composers who has ever drawn breath, Johann Sebastian Bach.

Twenty-seven years of his forty-seven year professional life were spent as Cantor of the Thomasschule in Leipzig. There he taught music and played the organ and harpsichord. He had to write cantatas for each Sunday's scripture readings and compose other music for the town's churches and for civic occasions.

His cataloged output runs to over 1100 pieces. Some of that music is among the finest ever written. The B Minor Mass, the Brandenburg Concerti, the Goldberg Variations and a number of organ pieces would be in this group.

But out of over a thousand pieces, less than a hundred are performed with any frequency. If you count them as great, they account for less than ten percent of Bach's work.

What about me? What about you?

I think you should try to make everything you write the very best it can be. I think that if you do that and you do it frequently you will develop into a professional writer.

I take my definition of "professional" from Roger Patterson, an incredible tenor who debuted with New York's City Opera when he was 18. For Roger, you are a professional if you can deliver consistently excellent performance, no matter what.

That's what J. S. Bach was. Week in and week out for decades he turned out professional quality compositions. But some days when the Spirit caught the sales of his technique just so, the professional and the competent turned into the sublime.

So, work to become a professional. Take pride in your work. And, revel in those times when you turn out something great.

11/15/09: Wally's Writing Last Week

2009-11-15T13:09:00.003-05:00

Here's some of my writing on the web last week.

My Three Star Leadership Blog

11/8/09: Leadership Reading to Start Your Week
Here are five choice articles from the business press to start off your work week. I'm pointing you to articles about taking over, losing touch, Kraft Foods' transformation and danger, and views of what makes a great leader.

Mind the Leadership Gap
The Center for Creative Leadership just issued their "Leadership Gap" report, including an interesting list of things that they think won't be important for leaders five years from now.

11/11/09: Midweek Look at the Independent Business Blogs
Every week I select five excellent posts from this week's independent business blogs. This week, I'm pointing you to posts on the tension between righteousness and relationship, getting the most from 360 degree appraisals, making courageous choices, recurring crises, and managing Gen Y.

My Posts at Momentor

Avoid the Fiftieth Percentile
Imagine a starry-eyed young couple gazing at their new baby. The mother turns to the father and says, "Oh John, I hope he grows up to be average."

11/12/09: Top Career Posts this Week
Every week I check dozens of “career” blogs and other online publications, looking for things that will help you find a job, get promoted, develop your skills, and keep everything in perspective and balance. Here’s the pick of the lot for this week. I’m pointing you to items about what to do when you're "overqualified," working at home with your spouse, personal branding in 2010, knowing when it's time to change, and the only way to become really good.

My Posts on this Blog

I want my book to be a best seller
Everyone who writes a book or has one written by a ghostwriter like me would like to have a best seller. Is that reasonable?

Thoughts about Business Book Reviews on Amazon
Making sense of Amazon and other online book reviews.

My free, email only Three Star Leadership Letter was on "Rules for Bakers and Bosses."

This week I'm ghostwriting a book on business strategy, helping a successful consultant develop an information product, and writing articles to enrich and promote a client's web site. I'm coaching two clients through the book writing process. What can I do for you?

Thoughts about Business Book Reviews on Amazon

2009-11-11T17:13:00.000-05:00

Amazon, and other online booksellers, have changed the face of book reviewing. Once upon a time, book reviews were done only by journalists.

Very few books got reviewed. Fiction, followed by biography, history, and anything supposedly by a celebrity got most of the reviews. Children's books got some. Very, very few business books got reviewed.

Online book reviews have changed that. Now most business books get reviewed. That's good. But because many different people, with many different goals, are doing the reviews online, you have to work a little to get value from an online review.

I think that most people (other than the authors) read online book reviews with one goal in mind. They want to decide whether to spend money and time on a particular book. So when I write my book reviews, I try to share information and opinions that help a reader make that decision.

That's why I only review books in areas where I think I have some expertise. I only review business books. Most of them are about leadership, management, supervision, and strategy, along with a few about marketing.

Not every reviewer works that way. Some have an agenda. Whatever book they're reviewing, they work the review around to make the same point or publicize their web site, blog, or business. If you suspect that, check all their reviews to see if you're right.

Authors often get friends and colleagues to review their books, so it pays to discount any five star review from an early reviewer who has never reviewed another book on Amazon. It's probably the author's friend, and it's not likely he or she will tell you.

Then there are the reviewers who only give five star ratings. I went through over two hundred reviews by one reviewer without finding a single review that wasn't a top rating. What might be going on?

The reviewer might be paid for a good review. It happens. I know this because I get requests from authors and others to do this for their book. I always decline because I think it would influence my review and I think it would destroy my credibility which is my major stock in trade as a reviewer.

A variant of this is the authors who offer a package of electronic information products to anyone who posts a review of their book. They don't ask for a positive review, but anyone who's read Robert Cialdini's Influence: the Psychology of Persuasion, knows that they're likely to get one.

A reviewer with all positive reviews might believe that he or she serves the community best by only highlighting great books. If the book is bad, there's no review.

Or, the reviewer might think that his or her time is worth too much or that life is too short to waste it reading a bad book. So if a book is bad, the reviewer quits reading and never writes a review. I know at least one reviewer who works that way.

There are also reviews by plain old readers who want to have their say. These are usually easy to spot because they tie the content of the book to their own personal experience. With business books, they tell you how the book made a difference for them. Those reviews can be really helpful, if the reviewer is someone like you.

Scan back through the items above. You'll see lots of factors that tend to push the review scores up. Paid reviews will certainly do that. Reviewers who only share raves will do that. Friends of the author will do that. Reviewers who feel that they owe the author something will do that.

According to an article in the Wall Street Journal earlier this year: "The average grade for things online is about 4.3 stars out of five." My guess is that the number is higher for books.

I want my book to be a best seller

2009-11-09T13:24:00.000-05:00

Everyone who writes a book or has one written by a ghostwriter like me would like to have a best seller. Is that reasonable?

Over a decade ago I had the opportunity to ask Tom Peters: "What does it take to have a business best seller like In Search of Excellence?" Here's the quintessentially Peters' reply.

"Write the best book you can. Promote it till you puke. Get lucky."

If you're looking for a best seller on the scale of In Search of Excellence, a little luck will help. In Search of Excellence was delayed until after the publication of another book that made many of the same points. That book was The Art of Japanese Management, written by Anthony Athos and Richard Tanner Pascale.

The Art of Japanese Management was well written. It gave good advice. It was timely. Several people in the know thought that it would be wildly popular, vacuuming up buyers who would have bought In Search of Excellence.

Instead, the opposite happened. Looking back, it seems like The Art of Japanese Management primed the market for In Search of Excellence which came out a year later.

Richard Tanner Pascale is my poster child for someone who has written great books that have never become soaring best sellers. In addition to The Art of Japanese Management, Pascale also wrote Managing on the Edge: How the Smartest Companies use Conflict to Stay Ahead (1990), and was co-author of Surfing the Edge of Chaos (2000).

All of those books were insightful and helpful. All were superbly written. The two earlier books are effectively out of print. And while In Search of Excellence continues to sell well on Amazon, Surfing the Edge of Chaos exists out there in the long tail.

To have a best seller, you need to write a good book. But simply writing a good book is not enough.

Peters' other advice was to "promote it till you puke." And there you can make a difference. Give away a lot of books. Self-publishing expert Dan Poynter suggests 500. Write blog posts, articles, and guest columns that point toward the book. Do interviews. Lots of interviews.

If you've got a good, solid book to begin with that promotion will get enough people talking about the book to make it stand out from the clutter. And, through the magic of online reviews, readers who like your book can tell potential readers why.

If you've got a really good book, it can continue to sell well for decades. Not only that, it can be the leading edge of an Empire of the Brain, generating revenue streams from speeches, consulting, and other products.

If you want your book to be a spectacular best seller, you'll need a bit of luck. If you want your book to be a success, what you need is a good book and a lot of hard, smart work.

11/7/09: Wally's Writing Last Week

2009-11-07T11:04:00.000-05:00

Here's some of my writing on the web last week.

My Three Star Leadership Blog

11/1/09: Leadership Reading to Start Your Week
Here are five choice articles from the business press to start off your work week. I'm pointing you to articles about Yum Brands, Netflix, entrepreneurship, alignment, and greed.

Feedback is the Boss's Job
More than half of American workers say they don't know whether their performance is up to standard. Their supervisors should be ashamed.

11/4/09: Midweek Look at the Independent Business Blogs
Every week I select five excellent posts from this week's independent business blogs. This week, I'm pointing you to posts on leadership battles you fight within yourself, execution, infectious workplace diseases, helping confidence grow, and casual conversation in the workplace.

Book Review: Keeping Up in a Down Economy
Wisdom, Examples and Ideas in Bite-Sized Packets

In Memoriam: Russell Ackoff
When Russell Ackoff died, the American business press did not notice. It is sad when the career of one of the most savvy, sagacious, and influential management thinkers is crowded out by stories of fast-food sandwiches.

My Posts at Momentor

Paying Attention to the People Who Love You
I saw every trip or meeting as an exception. I knew I loved my kids and I thought I was making time for them. But I wasn't. The exceptions had become the rule. And my family had become enablers.

11/5/09: Top Career Posts this Week
Every week I check dozens of “career” blogs and other online publications, looking for things that will help you find a job, get promoted, develop your skills, and keep everything in perspective and balance. Here’s the pick of the lot for this week. I’m pointing you to items about becoming a star, moonlighting and creativity, helping others tell your story, success for introverts, and acing that interview. I've also included a pointer to a new blog on Student Branding.

My Posts on this Blog

Writing a Book is a Big Project
Most of the time, the book never gets started. If it does, it never gets finished. And if it gets finished it's pretty awful. Here's why.

You can write that book
If you can read a book, you can probably write a book.

My free, email only Three Star Leadership Letter was on "The Dog Whisperer."

Client Projects

This week I'm ghostwriting a book on business strategy, helping a successful consultant develop an information product, and working on a series of promotional articles for new book. I'm coaching two clients through the book writing process. What can I do for you?

You can write that book

2009-11-04T20:09:00.000-05:00

If you can read a book, you can probably write a book.

That's one of the dirty little secrets about becoming an author. It doesn't take exceptional intelligence or some special talent that's given to only a few.

That's the good news. Here's the rest of the story. It takes discipline and it takes hard work.

I've coached dozens of people through the process of writing a book. Here's some advice about what you need to do to get it done.

You need to work on the project every day. I like the advice of the great mystery writer Raymond Chandler. You don't have to work when it's time to work. But you can't do anything else.

There will be no balancing of the checkbook nor surfing the web nor responding to email. You work or nothing.

Carve out the time. You already get up an hour earlier every year when the clock springs forward for daylight savings time. Get up an hour early and write.

Do not check email first. Do not check Twitter or Facebook or your bank balance. Get up an hour early and write.

Write a little every day. It doesn't have to be a lot. Start with 100 words as a goal. Work up.

One hundred words a day is 600 words a week, assuming you take a day off. It's about 2500 words a month, or 30,000 words a year. Even at 100 words a day, your basic book will be done in a little over a year.

Develop a writing ritual. It will help you get into the actual writing every day.

Finish your writing session by planning what you are going to write the next day. It will help you start writing instead of just thinking about writing.

Plan on re-writing and editing. You may think you won't need it. But if Hemingway needed it, the odds are that you will, too.

Remember this, paraphrased from Aldous Huxley. Only writing is writing.

Planning to write is not writing. Thinking about writing is not writing. Research and outlining are not writing. Only writing is writing.

Writing a Book is a Big Project

2009-11-02T20:18:00.000-05:00

I arrived in the middle of the afternoon so I was the only passenger in the hotel van. The driver fished for conversation, by asking what I do for a living.

"I write business books," I answered.

He immediately brightened.

"I'm going to write a book. I've got over five hundred stories. All I need is a month at the shore to organize it all."

I'm not sure how many people I've met over the years who are going to write a book as soon as they get that month at the shore. I asked the driver what he was writing in the meantime.

"Oh," he said, echoing many others, "I haven't got time to write now."

Writing looks easy. You sit down in front of a word processor or you curl up with a pen and a legal pad and you write. Soon enough you have a book, probably a best seller. But, that's not what happens most of the time.

Most of the time, the book never gets started. If it does, it never gets finished. And if it gets finished it's pretty awful. Here's why.

Most of the time, the book doesn’t get started because the wannabe author doesn't like to write. If you don't like writing, writing a book can be a daunting task.

Most of the time, the book doesn't get finished because the would-be author doesn’t realize how much work writing a book is. A short, 150 page, book calls for more 50,000 words. That's a lot, especially if you're not used to writing or don't enjoy the process.

Re-writing is even harder than writing for most people. So many authors don't write anything beyond the first draft. The result is usually an awful book.

You can write that book you've got in mind. Just be realistic about what it will take and what you're willing to do.

10/31/09: Wally's Writing Last Week

2009-10-31T14:33:00.000-04:00

Here's some of my writing on the web last week.

My Three Star Leadership Blog

10/25/09: Leadership Reading to Start Your Week
Here are five choice articles from the business press to start off your work week. I'm pointing you to articles about CEO succession, Microsoft, financial innovation, the future of manufacturing, and irritating management gurus.

Do you recognize these dysfunctional managers?
There are many kinds of dysfunctional managers in the workplace. Here are a few common ones.

10/28/09: Midweek Look at the Independent Business Blogs
Every week I select five excellent posts from this week's independent business blogs. This week, I'm pointing you to posts on obvious questions, what to do when the team changes, measurements, accountability, and what your people need in tough times.

Book Review: Awesomely Simple
A readable, high-level view of business that should give you some good ideas.

My Posts at Momentor

Henry Heinz and Verisimilitude
When Henry Heinz got started, people didn't buy horseradish or relish or pickles or other preserved foods in stores. They made them at home. And they were skeptical about any preserved food made anywhere else.

10/29/09: Top Career Posts this Week
Every week I check dozens of “career” blogs and other online publications, looking for things that will help you find a job, get promoted, develop your skills, and keep everything in perspective and balance. Here’s the pick of the lot for this week. I’m pointing you to items about workplace myths, going back to school, blogging to get noticed, how hamburgers are like resumes, and going back to work.

My Posts on this Blog

Reasons to Self-Publish
Once upon a time, self-publishing was "vanity" publishing, the last hope of people who published slim volumes of awful poetry. The vanity publishing companies sold themselves by reminding you which famous poets had published their own works.

Self-Publishing Questions
You may have decided that self-publishing could be a good choice for you to get the benefits of speed and control. But you're not done yet.

My free, email only Three Star Leadership Letter was on "The 'Oh Schlitz!' Mistakes."

Client Projects

This week I'm ghostwriting a book on business strategy, helping a successful consultant develop an information product, and writing articles to enrich and promote a client's web site. I'm also coaching two clients through the book writing process. What can I do for you?

Self-Publishing Questions

2009-10-28T16:45:00.000-04:00

You may have decided that self-publishing could be a good choice for you to get the benefits of speed and control. But you're not done yet.

When I work with coaching clients who are considering self-publishing I suggest that they come up with realistic answers to the following questions.

Can you identify a specific self-identifying and reachable target market? The best markets are niche markets. Even better is a niche market where you are an established expert. Even better than that is a niche market where you are an established expert and have a way to sell the books you'll publish.

Are you willing to do some publishing work and pay for other publishing work? Publishing is more than just writing. It's editing and book design and printing and a host of other things. You can learn to do them acceptably or you can pay to have them done.

Are you willing to do some marketing work and pay for other marketing work? There are lots of things in this category, too. You must get the book into standard distribution channels. You have to promote it and make sure it gets reviews. Like the publishing work, you can learn to do things acceptably or you can pay to have them done.

Can you do these things and make a profit? Ah, yes, it's that pesky bottom line. Add up all the costs. Consider that quality professional help in these areas can be expensive. Remember that you will probably give away several hundred books as part of your promotion. If you won't make a profit, will the money you pour into your book be an investment that builds profit for your business?

Reasons to Self-Publish

2009-10-27T13:12:00.000-04:00

Once upon a time, self-publishing was "vanity" publishing, the last hope of people who published slim volumes of awful poetry. The vanity publishing companies sold themselves by reminding you which famous poets had published their own works.

Later, self-publishing became the refuge of self-help and other authors who couldn't interest a conventional publishing house in their work. You had to buy a few thousand books at an outrageous price, but the theory was that your book would make you famous. Alas, no one reviewed self-published books and getting into mainstream distribution channels was difficult so that didn't happen often.

Today things are different in a lot of ways. Self-publishing has gotten easier and less expensive. A lot of dreck still finds its way between covers, but so does some quality writing.

I do a lot of ghostwriting and I coach authors through the book-writing process. Over the last three years, only one of my writing or coaching clients has considered going the conventional route.

There are two primary reasons why authors choose self-publishing over conventional publishing. They are speed and control.

Self-publishing is faster than conventional publishing. Conventional publishing means finding an agent, crafting a proposal, and shopping it around, all before you get to writing.

Self-publishing gives you more control than conventional publishing. In conventional publishing, decisions about cover and page design, as well as typeface and chapter elements are all made by company editors.

As the price of self-publishing has declined and distribution and review options have increased, the speed and control factors have gained more and more importance. If they're important to you, then self-publishing may be your choice.

10/24/09: Wally's Writing Last Week

2009-10-24T14:52:00.000-04:00

Here's some of my writing on the web last week.

My Three Star Leadership Blog

10/18/09: Leadership Reading to Start Your Week
Here are five choice articles from the business press to start off your work week. I'm pointing you to articles about Tupperware, retailing, collaborative innovation, democracy at work, and a world free from annual performance reviews.

An appraisal system Carol Bartz can love
Yahoo's CEO, Carol Bartz gave a great interview to the NY Times that included comments about what's wrong with performance appraisal systems. She got it almost right. I don't want to replace the current system with another formal system that fails the puppy test.

10/21/09: Midweek Look at the Independent Business Blogs
Every week I select five excellent posts from this week's independent business blogs. This week, I'm pointing you to posts on how to build a culture of fear, the misuse of technology, two posts that look at what happens when crisis hits, and challenges that develop leaders.

Book Review: Just Ask Leadership
Lots of questions, not many answers.

My Posts at Momentor

Poetry, Deliberate Improvement and Me
Sometimes people who've met me in recent years have trouble imagining that I once wanted to be a Great American Poet. No one had heard of deliberate practice back then, but I set up a regimen to practice my poetry that even Anders Ericsson would love.

10/22/09: Top Career Posts this Week
Every week I check dozens of “career” blogs and other online publications, looking for things that will help you find a job, get promoted, develop your skills, and keep everything in perspective and balance. Here’s the pick of the lot for this week. I’m pointing you to items about saving a stalled job search,

My Posts on this Blog

Self-Publishing as it was Then
I was driving through Southern Virginia, taking the time to stop at any place that looked interesting. The barn with the "Collectibles" sign looked interesting.

My free, email only Three Star Leadership Letter was on The Candice Olson Rules.

Client Projects

This week I'm ghostwriting a book on business strategy, helping a successful consultant develop an information product, and writing articles to enrich and promote a client's web site. I'm coaching two clients through the book writing process. What can I do for you?

Self-Publishing as it was Then

2009-10-19T17:52:00.000-04:00

I was driving through Southern Virginia, taking the time to stop at any place that looked interesting. The barn with the "Collectibles" sign looked interesting.

The man sitting on a stool by the door asked me what I might be interested in that day. I told him about my interest in several things including prints, old advertisements, and books.

"We've got plenty of books up on the third floor," he motioned with his thumb. He pointed me toward the stairs.

I thought he meant that there were lots of books up there and that I was in for a few hours of treasure hunting. That wasn't the case.

Instead, when I got to the third floor I found carton after carton filled with the same title. Every book was hardcover. They were all shrink-wrapped.

I bought two copies. I still have one, shrink-wrapped, as a reminder of the afternoon. I used the other to track down the author.

His name was Art and he was a very successful businessman. He had decided that he would share his success secrets with others by writing a book.

He sent the manuscript to publishing house after publishing house. No one wanted his book.

He checked out the vanity publishers that advertised in the New York Times Book Review. He decided that they weren't for him.

Then he discovered a company that told him they would handle the job for him. The cost would be $5 per book. He would have to buy 5000 books and sell them himself.

He opted for a printing of 10,000 to get a price break to $3.50 a book. After all, he was a businessman so he knew how to sell things. And the book was bound to be best seller.

A few weeks after he sent off the final proofs, a truck pulled up to the loading dock at his company. The warehouse staff unloaded carton after carton of books which they stacked on pallets in the corner of the warehouse.

The book was dreadful. Art didn't find that out for a year or so. First it made him angry when someone told him. Then he found it funny. He keeps a copy to remind himself that "I can't do everything."

Art figures he gave away about fifty copies of his book. He had to pay the local library's accession costs before they would take it.

A couple of years later, the warehouse manager asked Art if he could move the books so they could use the space for inventory. He found the collectibles dealer who was willing to haul the books away for free and sell them on consignment.

As he walked me to the door, Art started laughing. I asked him what was funny.

"You know," he said, gasping for breath, "as far as I know, you're the only person who's ever actually bought one of the dang things. Sure doesn't say much for your literary judgment."

10/17/09: Wally's Writing Last Week

2009-10-17T08:10:00.000-04:00

Here's some of my writing on the web last week.

My Three Star Leadership Blog

10/11/09: Leadership Reading to Start Your Week
Here are five choice articles from the business press to start off your work week. I'm pointing you to articles about a new lost generation, hiring an outsider for major reorganization, troubled print media, social media, and reading the org chart.

Can leadership be taught?
Can you teach someone to be a great leader? Or does something else have to happen?

10/14/09: Midweek Look at the Independent Business Blogs
Every week I select five excellent posts from this week's independent business blogs. This week, I'm pointing you to posts about a serious leadership disease, the leader as Guinea pig, leadership secrets, leadership principles, and leadership speakers.

The Business Centurions: a Boss's Day Paean of Praise
Business Centurions will never be CEOs. But every day they make sure that the work gets done.

My Posts at Momentor

A new "lost generation?"
The Business Week story is aimed at executives and policy makers. But what if you're one of those people who thought you'd be finding your first job right now and aren't having any luck? Then you need to hear Dan's story. The name is made up, but the person is real.

10/15/09: Top Career Posts this Week
Every week I check dozens of “career” blogs and other online publications, looking for things that will help you find a job, get promoted, develop your skills, and keep everything in perspective and balance. Here’s the pick of the lot for this week. I’m pointing you to items about how to keep looking, career malaise, can working from home wreck your career, jerk-proofing your next job, and the antidote for worry.

My Posts on this Blog

Lead-In Signs
If you've ever attended a real estate open house, you've seen lead-in signs. They're the little signs that lead you from the main road to the side street to the house itself.

How do they do it?
I've been writing for publication since I was about fifteen. I've made a study, over those years, of how writers of non-fiction gather and process material. Every writer has personal preferences and quirks, but here are some common things I've observed.

My free, email only Three Star Leadership Letter was on The Morning Rule

Client Projects

This week I'm ghostwriting a book on business strategy, helping a successful consultant develop an information product, and writing articles to enrich and promote a client's web site. I'm also coaching a writer as she works on her first book. What can I do for you?

How do they do it?

2009-10-15T17:28:00.000-04:00

I've been writing for publication since I was about fifteen. I've made a study, over those years, of how writers of non-fiction gather and process material. Every writer has personal preferences and quirks, but here are some common things I've observed.

Most Good Writers Wander a Lot

It's hard to find new material if you stay in the same place with the same people. Get out. Wander around. Pay attention.

Sometimes you wander around intellectually. You do this by reading lots of different publications, including some outside your field.

Most Good Writers Have a Way to Capture Ideas

Some, like me, use a pocket recorder. Others carry a notebook or use 3 X 5 cards. My friend Don Deffner used scraps of paper stuffed into different pockets.

Most Good Writers Have a Way to File and Review Those Ideas

Don used different pockets for different kinds of ideas. My friend Tom Mandel used file folders with different broad categories on them. Jeffrey Gitomer turns them right into copy in short computer files. I use working files for narrow topics.

Most Good Writers Have a Writing Ritual

Susan RoAne writes in pencil on a yellow pad. Some folks use a word processor. Some dictate lots of their material.

Folks also like certain times of day to write. I'm a morning writer. Find out what works best for you.

Most writers have some way that they get "into writing." Roger von Oech has a favorite chair. Hemingway worked at a standup desk and couldn't start writing until he had seven freshly sharpened pencils to work with. I read the news and the last things I wrote on the project at hand. Sometimes I read poetry.

Most Good Nonfiction Writers Work Like J. S. Bach

Old Johann Sebastian had a daunting assignment. Every week he had to come up with at least one new piece of music. Sometimes he needed several. That was the life of a church musician then. Rather than create something entirely from scratch each time, he re-used ideas and themes and harmonies. Most highly productive nonfiction writers work the same way.

Lead-In Signs

2009-10-12T19:21:00.000-04:00

If you've ever attended a real estate open house, you've seen lead-in signs. They're the little signs that lead you from the main road to the side street to the house itself.

Two weeks ago, there was an open house in our neighborhood. But no one showed up. The lead-in signs were the problem

There was one out on the main road. When you turned into the first side street, you couldn't read the next lead-in sign. Whoever placed it had put it end on to the flow of traffic.

That left you with the choice of turning left or right, depending on your guess. Left took you to a cul-de-sac with lots of lovely homes, none of which were for sale.

If you turned right, you soon faced a fork in the road. Left or right? There was no sign to help. You had to guess.

Left was the way to the house that was for sale. That street ended in a T intersection. There was no sign to help. You had to guess.

Right was the correct answer. If you followed that street to the end, you'd find the house for sale. Left took you to a dead end and no house for sale.

This past weekend there was another open house at the same location. But this time, the lead-in signs were right.

As soon as you turned off the main road, you could see the next lead-in sign, pointing you in the proper direction. There was also one at the fork and one at the T intersection. When you turned right you could see the final lead-in, pointing you to the house.

That afternoon the house was filled with people for the entire two house of the open house. The difference was the signs.

This got me thinking about web sites. Are there lead-in signs for your site? Are people being pointed to you from search engines, ads, articles, and other sites?

Are there lead-in signs for the quality content that's on your site? Can visitors easily find information that will help them solve a problem or answer a question?

Don't just say "yes." Test it. Search for your site using important key words. Ask some kids to find information on your site and see what happens.

Don't be the open house with no traffic. Use the web's lead-in signs to help people find you and your valuable content.

10/10/09: Wally's Writing Last Week

2009-10-10T08:17:00.000-04:00

Here's some of my writing on the web last week.

My Three Star Leadership Blog

10/4/09: Leadership Reading to Start Your Week
Here are five choice articles from the business press to start off your work week. I'm pointing you to articles about strengths that can hurt you, Toyota, the decline of business media, planning for the next recession, and an inspiring and instructive turnaround.

Book Review: The Practice of Adaptive Leadership
Good content buried in a complex system

10/7/09: Midweek Look at the Independent Business Blogs
Every week I select five excellent posts from this week's independent business blogs. This week, I'm pointing you to posts on learning about business and leadership from unusual places, reward strategies, employee engagement, and apprenticeships.

Beware Success
The Bible is right. Pride goes before destruction.

Is your HR Department smarter than the Nobel Committee?
"The award of the Nobel Peace Prize to President Barack Obama was based on possibility and potential, not performance. In that sense, it's similar to the "high potential" programs in many corporations. "

My Posts at Momentor

Let's hear it for the Role Models
Don't get me wrong, I think mentors are important. I've had some great ones and I've been honored to be one. But mentors aren't the only game in town when it comes to career development. Let's think for a moment about role models."

10/8/09: Top Career Posts this Week
Every week I check dozens of “career” blogs and other online publications, looking for things that will help you find a job, get promoted, develop your skills, and keep everything in perspective and balance. Here’s the pick of the lot for this week. I’m pointing you to items about branding yourself, executive job seekers' biggest mistakes, social media in the job hunt, CareerBuilder survey, and a job hunting reality check.

My Posts on this Blog

Writing is like Pinball
Being a writer and making a living as a writer are two very different things.

AIDA
A re-work of a classic copywriting formula.

My free, email only Three Star Leadership Letter was on The Rules of Pool

Client Projects

This week I'm ghostwriting a book on business strategy, helping a successful consultant develop an information product, and writing articles to enrich and promote a client's web site. I'm also coaching a successful consultant as she writes her first book. What can I do for you?

AIDA

2009-10-07T20:07:00.000-04:00

If you've ever read a book or taken a course in copywriting, you probably came across the AIDA formula for good sales copy. I've tried to figure out who came up with it first, but I haven't had any luck.

What I do know is that copywriters have used the formula for generations. The standard version has the letters standing for Attention, Interest, Desire and Action.

I use the formula, too. But I've modified it a little based on what we know about how people come to buying decisions. Here's my version.

A is for Attention. This hasn't changed. In fact, it's gotten harder. Your message needs to stand out from thousands of messages competing for your customer's attention. Get their attention with a benefit statement, a startling statement, or something they identify with. Or use some combination of these elements.

I is for Involvement in my system. Draw your customer in with a story of how someone like them had a problem like their problem and solved it with whatever you're selling. Human brains are wired for stories.

Data is my D word. We make buying decisions emotionally but we test them with logic. So offer logical argument, statistics, facts, and testimonials.

The final A is for Action. Don't just wander around at the end of a letter or web page hoping that your customer will act. Tell him or her exactly what you want.

That's it. It's a good formula made even better.

Writing is like Pinball

2009-10-06T18:19:00.000-04:00

One of the facts about making your living by writing is that most writing doesn't pay much. It's sad, but it's true.

"Being a writer" is not that hard. I've looked in the dictionary. It says that a writer is "one who writes." So, if you write something, why then, you're a writer.

Making a living by writing is something else entirely. I think of it as a game of pinball.

I'm not talking about computer-game pinball. I'm talking about glorious pinball machines that make noise and run up huge scores pinball. That's the kind I came up on.

Those machines let you win free games. That meant that if you were good enough, you only had to pay for the first game.

Writing is like pinball that way. If you're good enough, you get to keep playing. Otherwise, you have to keep putting money in the machine.

10/4/09: Wally's Writing Last Week

2009-10-04T17:29:00.002-04:00

Here's some of my writing on the web last week.

My Three Star Leadership Blog

9/27/09: Leadership Reading to Start Your Week
Here are five choice articles from the business press to start off your work week. I'm pointing you to articles about voting for your favorite entrepreneur, analyzing operational failures, simulation for better decision-making, changing business schools (or not), and what CEOs can learn from commandos.

The Third Grade Teacher Model of Leadership
Too many bosses act like third grade teachers. But even a great third grade teacher is a poor model for leadership in today's world.

9/30/09: Midweek Look at the Independent Business Blogs
Every week I select five excellent posts from this week's independent business blogs. This week, I'm pointing you to posts on knowledge capture, respect, inquiry as a leadership tool, coaching, and tough terminations

My posts at Momentor

God is in the details
I started thinking about the Ludwig Mies van der Rohe quote when I read a great post by Alison Green, writing at US News and World Report. The title was "Why the Little Things Matter in Your Job Search."

10/1/09: Top Career Posts this Week
Every week I check dozens of “career” blogs and other online publications, looking for things that will help you find a job, get promoted, develop your skills, and keep everything in perspective and balance. Here’s the pick of the lot for this week. I’m pointing you to items about research findings on job hunting, online job search basics, virtual internships, and life lessons from Marty Nemko and Simon Cowell.

My Posts on this Site

In Memoriam: Bill Safire
Bill Safire was always the role model and example that gave me ideas and inspiration about what I could be.

The Phonograph and Twitter
The development of Twitter will look a lot like the development of the phonograph.

My free, email only Three Star Leadership Letter was on The Principle of the Big Idea

Client Projects

This week I'm ghostwriting a book on business strategy, helping a successful consultant develop an information product, and writing articles to enrich and promote a client's web site. What can I do for you?

The Phonograph and Twitter

2009-09-30T15:44:00.001-04:00

Shortly after Thomas Edison invented the phonograph, he published an article where he suggested possible uses for his new device. Here are some of his "best bets."

Recording the last words of dying people
Recording books for the blind
Teaching spelling
Use as a dictation machine

Notice anything missing? How about playing back recorded music? Edison didn't like that idea. He even tried to stop other entrepreneurs from using the phonograph as a kind of jukebox.

Early users of the phonograph didn't care what Edison thought or wanted. They figured out new uses for the device. They made music the number one use of it.

Twitter was designed to help people "follow" each other. I would note what I was doing. My friends would do the same. That's still how some people use it. And some people use it to follow celebrities who tell you what they're doing, but don't care what you're doing.

More and more, though, people are doing things with Twitter that the inventors didn't imagine. There are actual conversations. There are experiments with writing stories and newspaper articles in 140 character bites.

There is lots and lots of actual conversation, completely devoid of what the parties had for breakfast. And there is a lot of sharing resources and recommendations. Communities of interest are springing up.

For me, the power of Twitter is the ability to connect and share with people all around the world, quickly and easily. That probably isn't what the founders envisioned, but that's OK.

Like the early users of the phonograph, the users of Twitter will decide what it will become.

In Memoriam: Bill Safire

2009-09-27T16:36:00.000-04:00

Graduate of the Bronx High School of Science, near the bottom of the class. Yep, me too.

College drop-out. I never gave them a chance. I enlisted in the Marines right after high school.

Lover of words. Writer. Me too. Though, Bill Safire was a bit more successful.

I loved Bill Safire's work. I loved the speeches and the op-ed pieces and those marvelous columns "On Language." They were deep and rich and I always learned something and almost always got a chuckle.

I loved that he loved puns and was addicted to alliteration. I have his book, Lend Me Your Ears: Great Speeches in History, within arm's reach of where I work.

I think one reason that his death hit me so hard was that it took me by surprise. I was combing through the New York Times, looking for choice tidbits to pass along to folks who follow me on Twitter, when I saw, "William Safire."

I broke out in a smile, because I thought the Times had just published one of the rare pieces he wrote after retiring. I was ready for a treat.

Then I read the rest of the headline: "… Nixon Speechwriter and Times Columnist, Is Dead at 79." It was like a kick in the stomach. But every time I looked at it, the headline still said the same thing.

For a major part of my adult life, Bill Safire was a role model and a kind of mentor-by-proxy through his writing. I would read his work and find ways that I could be better. It was a great gift.

I'll miss him.

9/26/09: Wally's Writing Last Week

2009-09-26T10:45:00.001-04:00

Here's some of my writing on the web last week.

My Three Star Leadership Blog

9/20/09: Leadership Reading to Start Your Week
Here are five choice articles from the business press to start off your work week. I'm pointing you to articles about re-gaining trust, bland business, social networks, the wisdom (?) of crowds, and Mario Batali.

Authority and Responsibility
You can use your authority to compel people to do your bidding. That may get today's job done. But what about tomorrow's?

9/23/09: Midweek Look at the Independent Business Blogs
Every week I select five excellent posts from this week's independent business blogs. This week, I'm pointing you to posts on learning to develop leaders, leadership in challenging times, shared responsibility for leadership, an overview of the job search industry, and the current and future state of HR.

Book Review: The Pursuit of Something Better
Buy The Pursuit of Something Better if you want insight into a significant corporate change. Buy it if you want to know more about how supporting your people can improve service and results. Just be prepared to work a little to get the value from your purchase.

My posts at Momentor

Smart is not Successful
Being smart isn't enough. You've got to do something with it if you want to succeed. Performance matters.

9/24/09: Top Career Posts this Week
Every week I check dozens of "career' blogs and other online publications, looking for things that will help you find a job, get promoted, develop your skills, and keep everything in perspective and balance. Here’s the pick of the lot for this week. I’m pointing you to items about starting a business from home, early warning signs, relocation, school and work, and the current job market.

On This Site

How will Visitors Find Information on Your Site?
Whether it's to solve a problem or answer a question, we look at the web first. That means that your site has to present information in ways that will help visitors find what they're looking for. Those visitors will hunt for their answer or solution in two ways.

Three ways to stock the goods on your virtual shelf
There are three different ways to present information on your web site. Using all of them can increase the return from your site.

My free, email only Three Star Leadership Letter was on "The Principle of the Pea."

Client Projects

This week I'm ghostwriting a book on business strategy, helping a successful consultant develop an information product, and writing articles to enrich and promote a client's web site. What can I do for you?

Three ways to stock the goods on your virtual shelf

2009-09-25T16:42:00.000-04:00

The other day I was in a giant office supply store, hunting for magnetic pushpins. I have a metal bulletin board near my desk where the metal pushpins hold notes of various kinds. I use them on the fridge, too.

I went to the part of the store where they sell bulletin boards like mine, thinking that's where the pushpins would be. No joy. So I accosted a person wearing a shirt with the store's name on it.

He politely led me to an aisle where there were, as the sign said, "Paper clips. Staples. Fasteners." Sure enough, there were the magnetic pushpins.

That's how office supply stores stock most things, by category. Everything that fastens paper together or to something else is grouped together. In grocery stores, you'll find all the salsa in one place. In hardware stores, pliers are all displayed together.

That makes sense some of the time. If I know I need a pair of pliers, but I'm not exactly sure what kind, I want to check out a display of lots of pliers.

But if I want to gather up the tools and supplies to repair a light fixture on the porch, I'd really like to see all the things I need for that job in one place. Then I could make sure I had the right kind of pliers but also find all the other things I'll need.

Most web sites stock goods (and services, for that matter) like the office supply store or the hardware store. Everything's in a category.

But you don't have to do that. Through the magic of technology, you can present your goods in several ways.

Make it possible for visitors to check out everything in a category. But offer packages of products or services what work together to solve a specific and common problem.

In the physical world, one store that does this is Publix Supermarkets. If you know Publix, then you know that they're fanatical about making the shopping experience as good as possible. If you don't know Publix, I suggest that you begin praying for one to open in your area.

Publix uses its web site to share featured recipes of easy-to-prepare and economical meals. They make the shopping easier by making sure all the ingredients for featured recipes are stocked in one spot in the local market.

Technology will let you do that too. Here are the three ways to present what you sell.

Everything in a category grouped together.

Everything needed for a specific, common project grouped together.

Complete kits for some projects.

Making it easy for people to shop in your store or on your web site is just good business.

How will Visitors Find Information on Your Site?

2009-09-21T18:51:00.000-04:00

"Let's check the web."

That's how people find things these days. Whether it's to solve a problem or answer a question, we look at the web first.

That means that your site has to present information in ways that will help visitors find what they're looking for. Those visitors will hunt for their answer or solution in two ways.

Sometimes, people prefer to search. We've trained people to use what we call "keywords" to search. Make sure you have a search engine on your site that visitors can use to search for what they want.

Sometimes people prefer to browse. That's when the way you chunk and classify information matters.

Make sure your site uses the language that your visitors will use. Conducting a few focus groups early in the development process will help you learn your visitor's vocabulary.

Don't overload your visitor with choices. When you're presenting choices on the page, limit the number to a maximum of four. If you've got more than four, put your choices in categories.

If you make it easy for visitors to find the information that will solve their problem or answer their question you make your site more visitor-friendly.

9/19/09: Wally's Writing Last Week

2009-09-19T06:52:00.001-04:00

Here's some of my writing on the web last week.

My Three Star Leadership Blog

9/14/09: Leadership Reading to Start Your Week
Here are five choice articles from the business press to start off your work week. I'm pointing you to articles about Glock, Google, self-control (or not), Big Brother, and really using your brain in management.

A Tale of Two Suggestion Systems
GM and Toyota both have suggestion systems. One works a lot better. What can you learn from it that will help you improve the suggestions where you work?

What would be fun to try?
How would you change the workplace to make it more human-friendly and productive?

9/16/09: Midweek Look at the Independent Business Blogs
Every week I select five excellent posts from this week's independent business blogs. This week, I'm pointing you to posts on Dan Pink's TED talk, going one more step for innovation, systemic thinking and why you need it, leading by saying no, and walking the talk.

Leadership without Position
No matter what you may hear from the pundits, leadership without a position is different.

My posts at Momentor

Reality Shows, Michael Jordan, and Your Career
Whether you agree with the choices or not, or whether you even care, there are lessons for your career in how the Next Design Star and NBA players are chosen.

9/17/09: Top Career Posts this Week
Every week I check dozens of “career” blogs and other online publications, looking for things that will help you find a job, get promoted, develop your skills, and keep everything in perspective and balance. Here’s the pick of the lot for this week. I’m pointing you to items about relocation expenses and contracts, interview questions, bully bosses, helping clients, and impressing your boss.

This Site

Books on Writing: The Absolute Essentials
There are lots of books about writing. And writers, being opinionated beasties, all have their own favorites. But these books appear on just about every "must have" list.

My free, email only Three Star Leadership Letter was on "Storm's a'comin'!"

Client Projects

This week I'm ghostwriting a book on business strategy, helping a successful consultant develop an information product, and writing articles to enrich and promote a client's web site. What can I do for you?

Books on Writing: The Absolute Essentials

2009-09-17T17:34:00.001-04:00

There are lots of books about writing. And writers, being opinionated beasties, all have their own favorites. But these books appear on just about every "must have" list.

Start with Strunk and White. End with Strunk and White. If you can only have one book to help you with your writing, make it The Elements of Style.

If you do not have a copy, buy one. Don't wait to read any more. Buy your copy now.

Ok, now we know that you've either got a copy of Elements of Style handy or you're fooling yourself about being serious. The other book I'd put in absolute essentials is William Zinsser's On Writing Well.

Remember books on writing can help you do a better job. But only writing is writing. Everything else is preparation and refinement.

9/12/09: Wally's Writing Last Week

2009-09-12T14:30:00.001-04:00

Last week was a short one because of Labor Day, but I still got some writing done. Here's a quick review.

My Three Star Leadership Blog

9/8/09: Leadership Reading to Start Your Week
Here are five choice articles from the business press to start off your workweek. I'm pointing you to articles about how a tough economy can be tough on your health, corporate governance, best places to launch a career, talent management, and the management style of Alan Mulally.

The Echo Chamber: Does this sound familiar?
The start of the college football season marks the end of the echo chamber period. What reports are you hearing?

9/9/09: Midweek Look at the Independent Business Blogs
Every week I select five excellent posts from this week's independent business blogs. This week, I'm pointing you to posts on challenging the boss, respect, internships (paid and unpaid), the trust/simplicity link, and developing a leadership preparation program.

Book Review: Hip and Sage
If you're a Boomer and puzzled about how new technology might fit into your life and your business, Hip and Sage is the book you've been waiting for.

My posts at Momentor

Slashers, Portfolios, and You
If you're looking for a job or an assignment, you have to put together a portfolio of the parts of your life that matter to the person who will be responsible for deciding if you're in or out.

9/10/09: Top Career Posts this Week
Every week I check dozens of “career” blogs and other online publications, looking for things that will help you find a job, get promoted, develop your skills, and keep everything in perspective and balance. Here’s the pick of the lot for this week. I’m pointing you to items about the best places to launch a career, negotiating a severance package, job hunting online, the worst thing not to do when you start your dream job, and how to make employers want you.

My free, email only Three Star Leadership Letter was on the "Scott's Bar-B-Que Rules"

I also had the honor being asked to do a guest post on Steve Roesler's All Things Workplace blog.

What kind of team do you have?
Coaching is not just about helping individuals reach their potential. It's also about helping the team win. But different kinds of teams require different kinds of coaching. What kind of team do you have?

Client Projects

This week I'm ghostwriting a book on business strategy, helping a successful consultant develop an information product, and writing articles to enrich and promote a client's web site. What can I do for you?

9/9/09: Wally's Writing Last Week

2009-09-09T06:43:00.000-04:00

Here's some of my writing on the web last week.

My Three Star Leadership Blog

8/31/09: Leadership Reading to Start Your Week
Here are five choice articles from the business press to start off your workweek. I'm pointing you to articles about preparing for a crisis that your customers will have, learning leadership, growing from your roots, and valuing and doing innovation in the corporate world.

Leadership Czar
These days there are Czars for everything. I want to be Leadership Czar.

9/2/09: Midweek Look at the Independent Business Blogs
Every week I select five excellent posts from this week's independent business blogs. This week, I'm pointing you to posts on increasing nimbleness, too much self-confidence, research on management development, being a great follower, and coaching.

Book Review: Twitterville
Twitterville is a "tweener." It's not really a business book and it's not really a how-to guide. But it still might be a good read for you.

My posts at Momentor

You could be management material if
Randstad's World of Work Report for 2009 is titled: "Managers of Tomorrow." It's based on responses of over 2000 workers. Some of the findings have got HR folks all over sitting up, taking notice, and asking questions. Management may be only one kind of career path, but it's a rewarding one for those with aptitude and interest. Is that you?

9/3/09: Top Career Posts this Week
Every week I check dozens of “career” blogs and other online publications, looking for things that will help you find a job, get promoted, develop your skills, and keep everything in perspective and balance. Here’s the pick of the lot for this week. I’m pointing you to items about learning what you're good at, bold job search tactics, how to avoid making enemies, Twitter tips, and a counter-argument to some Seth Godin advice.

My free, email-only Three Star Leadership Letter was on "Pastor Ed's Reporting Rules."

Client Projects

This week I'm ghostwriting a book on business strategy, helping a successful consultant develop an information product, and writing articles to enrich and promote a client's web site. What can I do for you?

Book Review: Twitterville

2009-09-03T17:08:00.001-04:00

In basketball, a "tweener" is a player who has a mix of physical attributes that don't match any one position well. A player that's too slow to play guard but too small to play forward would be a tweener.

Twitterville by Shel Israel is a tweener of a book. But it might be a good book for you because Shel Isreal is a good storyteller.

If you're searching for a book that will help you use Twitter, this is not the one. You'll do better with Twitter for Dummies or any other books that are designed to give you step-by-step, how-to guidance.

Even at that, you still need to spend some time on Twitter to understand it and see how it will work for you. A book can help you spend less time on the operational details, but no book can teach you how to use Twitter in the same way that no book can teach you to swim.

If you're searching for a book that will tell you how your business can use Twitter, Twitterville won't do that for you, either. Sure there are stories about how some businesses have used Twitter, and they might inspire you to try something. But you're going to have to do a lot of researching and adapting to see if an idea is still current and determine if it might work for you.

If you're looking for business guidance, I think you'll do better with any number of industry-specific e-books that you can find online. An example would be the excellent Twitter for Real Estate Twits.

Now all of that may be OK for you, but I would not buy this book without reading some of it. That's the only way that you'll find if the particular mix that Shel Israel has created here will add anything to your life or business.

If you are going to buy this book, buy it soon. Within a year or so Twitterville will have a "historical artifact" feel similar to the early internet books that told you what Usenet or extranets were or that used terms like "Information Superhighway."

8/29/09: Wally's Writing Last Week

2009-08-29T16:50:00.001-04:00

Here's some of my writing work from last week.

My Three Star Leadership Blog

Adding a few points to Seth on leadership
Seth Godin writes about the discomforts of leadership. But he missed a few of the most important ones.

8/24/09: Leadership Reading to Start Your Week
Here are five choice articles from the business press to start off your workweek. I'm pointing you to articles about John Mackey of Whole Foods, people and profits, YouTube and you, logistics, and corporate culture.

How to wander effectively
MBWA is a simple concept. But that doesn't mean you can't screw it up. Here's how to do it right.

8/26/09: Midweek Look at the Independent Business Blogs
Every week I select five excellent posts from this week's independent business blogs. This week, I'm pointing you to posts on using Baldrige guidelines to re-make your business, one step beyond MBWA, promotion case studies, measurement, and changes in American business thinking.

Why Engagement May be the Best Management Voodoo Ever
"Engagement" is THE management fad of the moment. It's great. It cures everything and it even sounds scientific. And those are just two reasons why "engagement" could be the ultimate management voodoo.

Writing Site

If you were a search engine, what kind of copy would you want?
If you want to know what makes the best web copy for search engines ask the question: "What do search engines really want?"

Momentor

American Beer, Jim Koch, and You
When I was growing up, my German-born father would tell me that American beer was just "water with a head on it." The fellow who did the most to change that was Jim Koch.

8/27/09: Top Career Posts this Week
Every week I check dozens of “career” blogs and other online publications, looking for things that will help you find a job, get promoted, develop your skills, and keep everything in perspective and balance. Here’s the pick of the lot for this week. I’m pointing you to items about seven important trends, wrapping up your internship, staying with a job you hate, making the most of your job, your most important customer, and job search for over-50s.

Client Projects

This week I'm ghostwriting a book on business strategy, helping a successful consultant develop an information product, and writing articles to enrich and promote a client's web site. What can I do for you?

If you were a search engine, what kind of copy would you want?

2009-08-23T13:02:00.001-04:00

Too many of my clients have read too much nonsense about Search Engine Optimization and web copy. Most of it was written when the only way a search engine could determine what your side was about was to use the most frequent words on a page as their guide.

Those days are gone. If you want to know what makes the best web copy for search engines ask the question: "What do search engines really want?"

Search engines want you to find what you're looking for when you use their service. If they do that well, more and more people will use them. Then they can serve up relevant ads and make lots of money.

They keep refining their algorithms to account for more and more of the things that you would use to choose the page you want to wind up looking at. They want to evaluate pages the way you would if you could comb through a couple of gazillion pages yourself.

The best web copy for the search engines, increasingly, is the copy that's best for your visitors. Start with the "categorization" items.

Your title tag and meta tags describe what the site is about. You need a specific title tag for every page.

Your title tag should begin and end with something important. Human beings give extra weight to beginnings and endings, so do search engines.

Put the human part first and add other keywords at the end. That way humans will see the part meant for them at the top of their browser page.

Humans start by looking at a page's headline and sub-heads. That's why search engines think they're important.

Then we make a quick scan of the page to see what's important. We give special weight to items in boldface or that are part of a bulleted lists. That's why search engines think they're important.

Search engines are getting more effective. They use something called "Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI)." That's fancy, tech-talk for technology that helps figure out what's important by considering phrases, page position, and synonyms as well as keywords.

Search engines don't want your visitors to wind up on pages that robots love, but humans hate. Neither should you.

When I write web copy for a client, my first draft is for human eyes. Then I go back and tweak what I've got so it's a better fit for automated indexing systems.

More and more every day, the best copy for search engines is the copy that's best for people. That's what you should expect when you hire someone to write copy for your site.

Special Note: The idea for this post was sparked by a Tweet by John Caddell who writes the excellent Caddell Insights blog. Check it out.

6/28/09: Wally's Writing Last Week

2009-06-28T09:42:00.001-04:00

Here's some of my writing on the web last week.

My Three Star Leadership Blog

6/21/09: Leadership Reading to Start Your Week
Here are five choice articles from the business press to start off your workweek. I'm pointing you to articles about motivation and money, flexibility, Andrea Jung, CEO of Avon, the view of GM from Harvard, and why it's important not to be stunned into immobility.

Home Depot at 30: A Lesson in Corporate Culture
Even strong cultures are fragile. The powerful culture that made Home Depot one of the fastest growing businesses ever was destroyed in less than a decade.

In Memoriam: Ed McMahon
Ed McMahon died today. You can remember him as Johnny Carson's sidekick. Or you can remember an amazing and brave human being.

6/24/09: Midweek Look at the Independent Business Blogs
Every week I select five excellent posts from this week's independent business blogs. This week, I'm pointing you to posts on punishment as a good thing, delegation, accountability, being a cheapskate is not a motivational strategy, and cult-like development programs.

6/27/09: In case you missed it
Every week, reporters around the continent write great business stories that don't make it onto your screen or into your local paper. And every week I scour newspapers around the continent to identify five of those great stories to enrich your weekend reading. This week I'm pointing you to stories about news as a social medium, the face of Indian tech, a quiet growth strategy, collaboration, and an upbeat CEO survey.

My posts at Momentor

Eureka Moments and You

Top Career Posts for this Week

My Three Star Leadership Letter was on "The Sneaker Rules."

This week's writing for clients included work on an information product, copy for a web site, a business book I'm ghostwriting for a client, and a corporate profile. Can I do anything for you?

6/21/09: Wally's Writing Last Week

2009-06-21T11:32:00.001-04:00

Here's some of my writing on the web last week.

My Three Star Leadership Blog

6/14/09: Leadership Reading to Start Your Week
Here are five choice articles from the business press to start off your workweek. I'm pointing you to articles about taking over a new team, laptops and the wireless net, start-up success, aggressively seeking opportunity in the downturn, and Industry Week's top 50 manufacturing companies.

Thought exchange for competitive advantage
Two Chicago software firms swap execs for a few days to see what kind of creative sparks might fly. There's a lot to learn from their story and the movement that spawned the exchange.

Lessons from the Rise and Fall of Delta Airlines
On June 17, 1929, Delta Airlines began passenger service. Fifty years later it was America's premier airline for business travel. Ten years after that is was just another airline. The saga of Delta has lessons for those who care about what makes a great company and those who wonder if CEOs really have any impact.

6/17/09: Midweek Look at the Independent Business Blogs
Every week I select five excellent posts from this week's independent business blogs. This week, I'm pointing you to posts on talking to team members about complaints, research on what works in executive pay, survival mode, the coaching industry, and getting through adversity.

Storytelling for fun and profit
"Stories are the most potent communications tool there is. I was lucky to grow up in a family of storytellers, but there are lots of good resources to help you improve your story-choosing and storytelling skills. "

Book Review: When Growth Stalls
This book should help you spot a stall coming and analyze it. It may even help you deal with it. That depends.

6/20/09: In case you missed it
Every week, reporters around the continent write great business stories that don't make it onto your screen or into your local paper. And every week I scour newspapers around the continent to identify five of those great stories to enrich your weekend reading. This week I'm pointing you to stories about women in construction, learning about customer service, and Home Depot's 30th anniversary.

My Father's Day Trilogy
This Father's Day I've been remembering my own father who died five years ago. I want to honor him by posting three pieces I wrote then. This one is Saying Good-Bye to My Dying Father. The other two are My Father is Gone, and Things My Father Taught Me

Father's Day Business Reading
Articles from the business press about fathers and sons, fathers and daughters, and the Gates: father and son.

My posts at Momentor

What to do if your job search just isn’t working

My selection of this week's Top Career Posts

My Three Star Leadership Letter was on Lessons of Fatherhood

This week's writing for clients included work on an information product, blog posts, and ghostwriting on marketing and strategy. Can I do anything for you?

5/3/09: Wally's Writing Last Week

2009-05-03T17:14:00.002-04:00

Here's some of my writing last week.

My Three Star Leadership Blog

Book Review: Collapse of Distinction
Collapse of Distinction is a how-to manual to help you stand out from the crowd and create business success in an age of sameness.

Mom's Supervision Lessons
When I became a boss, my mother was one of my role models. She still is.

4/29/08: Midweek Look at the Independent Business Blogs
Every week I select five excellent posts from this week's independent business blogs. This week, I'm pointing you to posts on change, credibility, the number one form of waste, communication, and manager engagement.

Being a Boss is Two Jobs in One
No matter what your job description says, being a boss is really two jobs in one.

John's got a bad attitude
How to deal with a team member's bad attitude.

5/2/09: In case you missed it
Every week, reporters around the continent write great business stories that don't make it onto your screen or into your local paper. And every week I scour newspapers around the continent to identify five of those great stories to enrich your weekend reading. This week I'm pointing you to stories about McDonalds vs. Starbucks, online referrals, new uses for a product, new uses for a dealership, and Canadian banks.

My posts at Momentor

Put the Coach in

Top Career Posts

My Three Star Leadership Letter was on "Lady Clementine and the Butterfly."

This week's writing for clients included several blog posts, an article for a client to use in marketing, work on an information product for a consultant, work with a top executive as the ghostwriter for his book on growth strategies, and copy for a web site. Can I do anything for you?

4/19/09: Wally's Writing Last Week

2009-04-19T11:27:00.002-04:00

Here's some of my writing on the web last week.

From my Three Star Leadership Blog

4/12/09: Leadership Reading to Start Your Week
Here are five choice articles from the business press to start off your workweek. I'm pointing you to articles about changes in the banking business, auto company CEOs compared, a novel pay plan, a new "Greatest Generation," and putting a price on social connections.

Get out
If you want to do better as a leader, get out. Get out of the office and into the field. You'll learn a lot and you'll create opportunities for informal communication. Don't neglect regular, formal communication, though. You need both.

Advice to a young man about leadership
A young man recently sent me an email asking how he could become a good leader. Here's my response.

4/15/09: Midweek Look at the Independent Business Blogs
Every week I select five excellent posts from this week's independent business blogs. This week, I'm pointing you to posts on performance reviews, leadership development stumbling blocks, great managers, change leadership, and bully bosses.

In Search of Excellence is a great business book
Every couple of years we get a cycle of articles that take the position that In Search of Excellence wasn't really a good book after all. Maybe those folks just aren't paying attention.

Boost the troop's morale WhooHooo
The Wall Street Journal has published another of those make-your-people-happy articles that shows that wishful thinking is alive and well in the downturn. Here are just a few of the things that kicked over my rant bucket.

4/18/09: In case you missed it
Every week, reporters around the continent write great business stories that don't make it onto your screen or into your local paper. And every week I scour newspapers around the continent to identify five of those great stories to enrich your weekend reading. This week I'm pointing you to stories about hospitals and your credit, the rolling impact of the information age, customer service as competitive advantage, strategies for coping if you're a hotel, and student business plans.

My posts at Momentor

How do you find a mentor?

4/16/09: Top Career Posts this Week

My Three Star Leadership Letter was on the Rule of K.

This week's writing for clients included work on an information product, copy for a web site, parts of a press kit, and a short article. Can I do anything for you?

4/12/09: Wally's Writing Last Week

2009-04-12T10:04:00.000-04:00

Here's some of my writing on the web last week.

My Three Star Leadership Blog

Leaders decide, let them learn how
Lieutenant Colonel Paul Yingling is a truth teller who has had many provocative things to say about the Army. Here are some that have meaning for leadership development in business.

Reality Boosts
Once you become a boss, it gets hard to get a clear-eyed view of reality. The higher you go in your organization, the harder it gets. So you have to find your own way to find out what's going on and how you're doing.

4/8/09: Midweek Look at the Independent Business Blogs
Every week I select five excellent posts from the week's independent business blogs. This time, I'm pointing you to posts on strategic compensation, 3 Ps of communication, the future workplace, face-to-face communication, and the lost art of supervision.

Go with a winner
We promote people for just about every reason imaginable, except the ones that indicate they're likely to succeed. Here are three important questions to ask about anyone you're considering for a boss's job.

Book Review: 100 Best Business Books of All Time
100 Best Business Books of All Time by Jack Covert and Todd Sattersten is a book that will start discussions among business book readers.

4/11/09: In case you missed it
Every week, reporters around the continent write great business stories that don't make it onto your screen or into your local paper. And every week I scour newspapers around the continent to identify five of those great stories to enrich your weekend reading. This week I'm pointing you to stories about the effect of an auto bankruptcy, Home Depot, the insurance industry, a good manufacturing strategy, and five companies that at thriving.

My posts at Momentor

Taking Time off on Purpose

4/9/09: Top Career Posts this Week

My Three Star Leadership Letter was on "John Ruskin, C. Northcote Parkinson, and Technology."

This week's writing for clients included work on an information product, copy for a web site, a press kit, and a corporate profile. Can I do anything for you?

Telling your story

2009-04-05T15:32:00.000-04:00

I never knew my great-great-Grandfather, but I know his stories.

I know the story of how he came to the US to escape the consequences of his support of the Revolution of 1848.

I know the story of how he failed at almost everything until the Civil War got him into an artillery battery.

I know the story of his years as a mercenary.

I know the story of the house he built in Alsace, so big that they made postcards of it.

I know the story of my grandmother helping him flee to the US again, after World War I.

And I know the story of his ashes rocking between my then-boy father's legs in the carriage on the way to the Lutheran Cemetery.

I tell his stories because I believe that you're alive as long as they tell stories about you. I also tell stories about my parents and their parents. And I tell my clients' stories.

Stories are not just the way that human beings recall and make sense of complex information. Stories are also where we live.

A consulting firm asked me to write copy for their web site that would demonstrate their uniqueness. We told the story of how the founders met and why they went into business together.

When I'm writing copy for a client web site or marketing brochure, I create a "Reader Persona." It's the story of a typical reader of the copy that demonstrates why they will want to read what my client has to say and why they will want to buy.

When I'm thinking about how visitors will use a client's site, I create a "Web Use Vignette." It's the story of why and how a visitor will come to the site and what they'll experience there.

A marketing consultant engaged me to write an e-book that brought together his insights. We anchored every key point to incidents in the client's life and career.

Another client wanted a "statement of competency." Instead of the usual resume-like document we put together a collection of short stories about his customers and how they got good results using his product.

When I coach clients in speech making, I always tell them to organize around stories from their life. It's the stories that people remember from speeches and they remember the storyteller, too.

Stories will make your sales presentations and marketing materials and web site more effective. Stories will make your speeches powerful and memorable. Stories will make you and your business come alive.

What does it cost to have you do a book for me? How long does it take?

2009-04-01T21:23:00.001-04:00

Asking "how much does a book cost and how long will it take to write?' is a little like asking "how much does a house cost and how long does it take to build?" So, here are the variables. I've helped several folks through sorting out these issues. If you can describe these, you can get a solid quote from any professional writer.

The first big variable is the size of the book. That can be measured in pages or words. Printed business books run from about 100 pages and 35000 words to about 250 pages and 87500 words. E-books seem to run from 25 pages up to a max of 100 pages with word counts from 8750 to 35000.

The second big variable is starting point. I've had clients start from an idea. Others have come to me with an outline. Still others have brought manuscripts.

TIP: The more work you do ahead of time the more likely you are to get the book you want.

Another consideration is research. The more research I have to do, the more the book will cost.

To make this even more complicated, most of us writers have areas where we specialize. I specialize in business writing, mostly in general business, small business, management, marketing, motivation, strategy etc.

That means that if your book is in my area, I'll need to do less research on the topic. I've got files of research on my main areas of expertise.

TIP: Choose a writer who is familiar with your subject area. You'll usually get better work for less money.

There are several factors that will drive the price up. If you want me to do phone interviews or listen to lots of material, that adds lots of time. Written material takes less time and is easier to search and index.

TIP: Provide instructions and source material in written form if at all possible.

How long will it take to write the book?

This can vary from writer to writer, so here's how it works for me.

In my experience, it usually takes about two weeks to do the following.

Send you my project questionnaire
Receive the completed questionnaire and other material
Analyze them
Develop a preliminary project plan
Have a teleconference with you to hammer out plan details.
Draft a copy platform and reader persona to guide the writing
Draft a sample chapter so you can make sure the style is what you want.

After that I usually crank out about 10000 words a week on any single project. I've found that's a good pace to make sure there's time to review and plan as well as write.

TIP: Don't choose any writer unless you like the way they write. If I write for you, what I write will represent you in public.

TIP: Part of the ghostwriting partnership is chemistry. Choose a writer you get along with and feel good about. Credentials don't matter if there's no chemistry.

Those are the key variables. I'm willing to spend time with you on the phone to discuss your project and help you sharpen the description. Contact me using the form at the end of this link to set up a time to chat.

Creativity

2009-03-25T17:44:00.000-04:00

"Genius is ten percent inspiration and ninety percent perspiration"
-Thomas Edison

Edison knew what he was talking about. He held over a thousand patents, including the incandescent light bulb, the phonograph, movies, and more.

With all due respect to Mr. Edison, though, there's three parts to getting good ideas and then turning them into something useful. It will work for writing or anything else you're involved with.

Observation

Creative people don't just let the world go by. They observe it. And they're full of questions.

Good observation is where creativity starts. Act curious. Make notes about what you see. Seek out different perspectives.

Inspiration

If you're a human being, you can't help yourself. You're going to have ideas. It's what happens next that separates "creative" people from the pack.

Find a way to capture good ideas when you have them. Otherwise they will flit away like butterflies on the breeze.

A small digital voice recorder works great for this. So does a pocketful of index cards or a small notebook.

Perspiration

Now the work begins. You'll have lots of ideas, but you'll almost never have an idea that will work exactly the way you first thought of it.

Use your ideas to spark new ideas. Try combining different ideas in new ways. Ask others for their perspective.

Then test your idea. See how it works. Then try something new, based on what you've learned.

There's a story about the time when Edison was working on the incandescent light bulb. Depending on who's telling the story Edison had tried either several or several dozen or several hundred materials as a filament and not one had worked.

The "Wizard" was asked if all that failure didn't bother him. Edison's reply: "There's no failure. I've just found lots of things that don't work." Then he went on to the next trial.

That's perspiration. It builds on inspiration which grows out of observation.

Book Review: Made to Stick

2009-03-20T17:45:00.001-04:00

Andy is an expert on hardwood flooring. When he put together the web site for his store and flooring service, he filled it with detail.

You would find description of all types of wood flooring. There were details on the effects of humidity on flooring and what types of installation worked above and below grade. There was information about different products, different installation techniques, and the many rules and trade-offs for maintaining your floor under a variety of conditions.

Andy thought it was the best web site in town. He even got an award from a consumer group for having an informative web site. The only people who didn't seem to like the site were the visitors.

Andy should have read Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die by Chip Heath and Dan Heath before he approved the copy for his site. Then he would have known about the Curse of Knowledge. He would have learned that sometimes less communication is better communication.

Made to Stick is the book to have if communication is important to your success. It can help you evaluate your own communication. It can help you evaluate what's going up on your web site or how memorable a brochure is.

The book is organized around six chapters. Each one covers a different quality of an idea that is "made to stick." Here they are.

Simplicity is boiling an idea down to its core. I think of it like boiling down a soup so it gets more intense and flavorful. Defining the essence of your message is the first step in making it sticky.

Unexpectedness is what captures people's attention. As Frank Zappa said, "Loud and soft, that's entertainment."

Concreteness is what our brains are wired to remember. If you can examine something with your senses, it's concrete. It's usually specific people doing specific things.

Credibility in your message helps people believe you. The best proof offers testable proof that people can try out for themselves.

Emotions are what attach us to each other or to an idea. Every good salesperson knows that most people buy an idea emotionally first and then check their choice by rational means.

Stories are the way that human beings have remembered and made sense of complex situations since we first began talking. When I draft a Web Use Vignette that describes who will visit a site and what they will do there in story form, we discover a lot about the experience that detailed analysis and a feature list can't match.

All of that was in the first edition of this book, which came out a year or so ago. For the new edition, the authors added three chapters to help managers, teachers and the rest of us make the ideas we share as sticky as possible.

Communication is important for all of us. That's why a well-thumbed copy of Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die should be on your bookshelf.

Landing Pages

2009-03-18T16:10:00.000-04:00

A landing page is a page on your site that a visitor reaches following a specific link. The link could be from an ad or an article or an email or another web site.

To some extent, every page on your site is a landing page. That's because Google indexes pages and not sites. What makes a landing page special is that it's designed to be at the end of a specific link.

Some landing pages are set up to capture leads. Others are sales pages. Here are some guidelines for writing landing pages.

Make sure the headline on the page tells your visitor that they've come to the right place. Tie the headline and the anchor text together.

Don't start selling too fast. The first thing people do is orient themselves. Give them time to do it.

You can write long copy or short copy, but don't write any more or less than you need. Most effective lead generation copy is short. Most effective web sales copy is long.

Make your landing page a single purpose tool. Every extra thing you try to do dilutes your effectiveness.

Reasons to write a book

2009-03-16T17:47:00.000-04:00

I ask potential book ghostwriting clients a lot of questions. One of them is: "Why do you want to do this?" There are some reasons that make sense to me.

I want to establish my reputation as an expert. If that's your goal, you're more likely to achieve it by publishing a book with a regular publisher. That means finding an agent and writing a book proposal before you write the book.

I want a business card that they won't throw away. Not only will they keep your book, if you autograph it, they are more likely to keep it in a prominent place.

I want to hand them the book instead of saying the same things over and over. Roland Boreham, former CEO of Baldor Electric Motor, wrote his excellent book, The Three-Legged Stool, to explain his values to people at Baldor and to their customers.

I want to make money. If you want make money from book sales, about the only way that happens is if you have a way to sell lots of books yourself.

But a book can be the key to making money on other things. You can create workbooks, reminder cards, and all kinds of products that can be used with a book. You can generate speaking and consulting engagements based on a book.

Even, "Because I want to" can be a good reason. One of the most satisfying ghostwriting projects I ever did was for a man who wanted something to leave his kids that would remind them of what was important to him.

At the end of the day, there's no one good reason to do a book. But it is important that you know why you're doing the book. And it's important that you're realistic about what the book can do for you.

The Magic of the Zero Draft

2009-03-14T13:27:00.000-04:00

For years I thought that you started writing with the first draft. Then I met Peter Drucker.

He lived near a friend of mine and was kind enough to let me visit one evening. I asked a lot of questions. One was about what work process he used to turn out some of the clearest prose written in English. He described the "Zero Draft."

The Zero Draft, according to Peter Drucker is the draft before the first draft. It's not what some call a "mind dump." A mind dump is when you just write down everything you can think of about the subject.

The Zero Draft should be more structured. You should have an outline of sorts. You should have done some research. And you start writing.

The purpose of the Zero Draft is to identify what you need to change before you do your first draft. As you write it, you discover that you don't have some information, or that your reasoning is a little weak, or that your material doesn't flow the way you thought it would.

After the Zero Draft you go back and do some more research. Now your questions are sharper and more focused. You rework the outline. You might copy down some especially good phrases.

You don't edit a Zero Draft. You don't revise it. You learn from it.

We don't need good writing

2009-03-12T13:39:00.002-04:00

I've been writing seriously now for almost fifty years. I've made part of my money writing for over forty. Yesterday was a first.

Let me set the stage. I get most of my new clients in two ways. Some come because they're referred by someone else. Others come because they've seen something I wrote and contact me.

Sometimes, I enter competitive bidding for a project. I had submitted a bid on a project for writing marketing materials. I didn't get the work. Here's what the company soliciting bids told me.

"We don't need writing this good, so we're going with a lower bid."

I've had people tell me my bid was too high before. I've had people tell me that they preferred a different style. But I've never had anyone tell me that my writing was too good.

Web copy, marketing materials, white papers, and information products all represent your company to customers and prospects. When they hold your brochure in their hand or see it on the screen, the writing is usually all that represents your company at that moment.

Wouldn't you want the best you could get?

What's the difference between a contract book and a ghostwritten book?

2009-03-11T13:31:00.000-04:00

I was talking to a prospective client the other day and she wanted to know the difference between a contract book and one that's ghostwritten. The terms are a little loose, but here's my understanding.

Ghostwriting means that I write the book for you and your name appears on the cover. A lot of my e-book work is like that. Sometimes the ghostwriter gets a "with" or "as told to" credit on the cover and/or title page.

A contract book is one where no one's name appears on the cover. My first books, back in the early 70s were contract books on business topics. More recently, I've written contract books for major corporations to distribute to their customers and staff.

How Business Writing is Different

2009-03-10T16:10:00.001-04:00

If you tell people you're a writer, they automatically think you're someone like John Grisham or Danielle Steele. Those are great writers. But they don't do what business writers do.

When you write for business, you write with a purpose. And that purpose is to meet the needs of two different groups.

What do your readers want?

When readers come to your web site or pick up a piece of your literature, they've got one of two goals in mind. They want to solve a problem or answer a question.

Business writing needs to flag down the reader with a promise that will happen. Then it must solve the problem or answer the question.

What do businesses want?

My business clients use my writing to achieve one of three goals. They want to increase revenue, decrease expenses, or make things work better.

So when I solve a problem or answer a question for a reader, I have to do it in a way that achieves one or more of those business goals.

I might show a reader how to solve a problem by buying a product. That should increase revenue.

I might show a reader how to solve that same problem without calling customer service. That should decrease expenses.

I might show someone who works for the business how to follow a process. That may make things work better.

The art of business writing is helping readers while you meet business goals. John Grisham and Danielle Steele just make up stories.

Planning to write is not writing, but ...

2009-03-09T11:17:00.002-04:00

Writing instructors tell would-be writers to beware. "Thinking about writing is not writing," they say. Neither is planning to write.

That's great for would-be writers. But if you hire someone to write for you, you want that professional writer to plan just a wee bit. Here's how I do it.

When you come to me with a writing project, the first thing I do is prepare a Project Questionnaire. Each one is unique, but they have several things in common.

I want to know who will be reading the piece. Because I'm a business writer, I'll also want to know what you want to be different for those readers when they're done reading. What do you want them to do? Why should they? I'll also ask about your objectives, whether you have customer testimonials or success stories to share, and more.

I want to know how this piece fits into your business. Is this a credential? Is it "the business card they won't throw away"? Or will this piece lead your customer into your sales channel the way many web pages do?

After I analyze your responses on the questionnaire, I draft two documents for your review. One is a Copy Platform and the other is a Reader Persona.

A Copy Platform lays out the plan for the copy. We define who the reader is, what we want him or her to do, and the benefits we'll present to the reader for doing what we want. This is the logical plan for the copy.

A Reader Persona is a description of a typical reader in the primary audience. The idea is to narrow the audience to a single person. Only one person at a time will read what I write. I want to write for that person.

If the project is writing copy for a web site, I may write a Web Visit Vignette. This document describes a typical visit to the site. I write it in narrative form.

The Reader Persona and Web Visitor Vignette are written as stories. Stories are rich sources of understanding. My clients often discover new things about their customers from these documents.

When the planning documents are done, it's time to start writing. That's when it makes sense to listen to those instructors. Only writing is writing. But good planning makes your writing better.

If you'd like a sample of a Copy Platform, Reader Persona, or Web Visit Vignette, just request one via email.

Making the Numbers Dance

2009-03-06T10:31:00.001-05:00

Statistics are a great way to enrich the quality of your arguments. Use them effectively and you add big-time value to your writing.

Here are some tips on how to do a better job of using statistics. But before we get to them, we need to define some terms.

Data are raw facts or individual statements. These are like individual dance moves.

Information is data with context or comparison. This is like dance routine.

Knowledge is information with guidelines for application. This is like a full scale dance program that tells a story.

When you use statistics to support your argument, you will start with data, or information, or knowledge. You add value by doing one of two things. You can "transform up" or "deconstruct down."

Transform up.

If you have a bit of data, transform it up to information by adding context and you add value. Transform information into knowledge by adding guidelines for use.

Deconstruct down.

If you come upon a piece of knowledge you can add value to your presentation of it by telling your readers about the information or data that underlie it. Share context, statistics or the methodology used to develop the knowledge. Share background information.

It's the same for information. Add value by sharing the data that underlie the information and how it was gathered.

Transforming and deconstructing are simple tools you can use so that the numbers in your writing dance. That makes your writing more interesting and informative at the same time.

Web Writing Tips

2009-03-05T19:50:00.001-05:00

The first business web pages appeared in the mid-1990s. Since then we've learned that good writing for the web is the same as good writing anywhere. But there are things you should pay attention to online that wouldn't matter much in print.

Good Web Writing is Good Writing

Your writing for the web should meet all the basic criteria for good writing. Good writing is understandable. Do the following to make it easier for your web visitors to read and understand your message.

Write lots of simple, declarative sentences. They're easier to read than fancy, convoluted sentences. The additional benefit is that simple, declarative sentences are usually shorter and take up less screen real estate.

Use appropriately simple vocabulary. That will vary from site to site. Follow Einstein's advice that "Everything should be made as simple as possible, and no simpler."

Write short paragraphs. They increase readability and make scanning easier.

Use concrete examples and stories. Humans naturally communicate using stories. The stories on your site will probably be what visitors remember most.

Use charts and graphics to help get your point across. Sometimes a picture, chart, or diagram really is worth a thousand words.

Do Some things Just for the Web

In addition to the things you do to make writing understandable in the physical world, there are some things you should do to be understandable in the web environment.

Each chunk (web page) of text should contain a complete conceptual unit. That means many web pages will be shorter than pages in print. A complete article that flows naturally should be a single web page even if it would take many print pages.

Write so that your copy can be scanned. Use subheads to help readers scan your whole piece. Use strong topic sentences to allow readers to scan paragraphs and get the gist of your message. Use boldface to call attention to important words and phrases.

Put your important material at the top of your page. Most visitors won't scroll down the page, so make sure they see what you think is important.

Use links to increase the overall amount of information available without increasing page length. One great thing about writing on the web is that you can put definitions, explanations, and source material on separate pages that are just a link away.

People who want to see them can click over. Other readers can keep going without a break.

Write page titles so they make sense when seen out of context. Make sure they describe your piece.

Write page descriptions so they make sense when seen out of context. Make sure they describe your piece and use keywords and key phrases that readers may associate with your material.

People punch keywords and key phrases into search engines when they're searching the web for information. Help they ones you want to visit your site find you by incorporating keywords into the copy on your page. Put them in the title, in subheads and in the copy, especially toward the top of the page.