So what's difference in today's writing success? Luck? Yes, but it's self-created luck. Better writing? Sure, I'm a better writer today than I was in my twenties. But, that's not it. It's discipline and determination. There are days when I'm not in mood to write, but writers write, and I write. There are days when marketing my column to another publication or getting one more rejection seems overwhelming. Those days I take a deep breath before giving myself a kick and moving on.

People who are winning at working have discipline and determination. They demand more of themselves. They push themselves to do project when they're not in mood, make phone call, brush off rejection, or learn skill they're missing. They know there are few career lightning strikes in world they live in.

(c) 2005 Nan S. Russell. All rights reserved.

Sign up to receive Nan's free biweekly eColumn at www.winningatworking.com. Nan Russell has spent over twenty years in management, most recently with QVC as a Vice President. She has held leadership positions in Human Resource Development, Communication, Marketing and line Management. Nan has a B.A. from Stanford University and M.A. from University of Michigan. Currently working on her first book, Winning at Working: 10 Lessons Shared, Nan is a writer, columnist, small business owner, and on-line instructor. Visit www.nanrussell.com or contact Nan at info@nanrussell.com.

A supervisor develops a rapport with, and looks after interests of, workers. The supervisor becomes coach, protector, friend, and nurturer of workers. A supervisor needs to be diligent in use of workers physical and emotional resources.

A supervisor might say to workers,"The company is on a tangent to come down on anybody who misses work or comes in late, so I'm asking everyone to make an extra effort to get to work on time until this blows over. They have also been complaining about a few mistakes we made, so can anyone think of a way we can double check our work to keep them off our back?"

What goes on behind closed doors.

It seems like manager is a stern taskmaster, while supervisor is a good, kind person. But behind closed doors, manager and supervisor have conspired together and are playing that familiar game "bad cop, good cop", where "bad cop" threatens and intimidates suspect, while "good cop" sympathizes with and befriends suspect.

The manager is feeding supervisor all inside information about organization and company's objectives. The supervisor is feeding manager all inside information about workers' problems and performance issues. Together, they formulate a plan to get maximum performance from workers and meet company's objectives.

The supervisor might say to manager, "I'll tell Betty that I explained to you about her personal problems, but you said if she misses one more day of work you'll fire her."

The manager might say to supervisor, "Start packing some of equipment we don't use every day, but if anyone asks, say it hasn't been decided yet if our department is going to move to Ohio."

Out on floor.

The workers are performing well because their supervisor is a good guy who understands their personal problems and looks after their interests. Occasionally, supervisor has to deliver some bad news to workers, but it's not supervisor's fault. Blame it on "bad cop" manager.

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