Independent business blogs are blogs that aren’t supported by an organization like a magazine, newspaper, company, or business school. Those people provide lots of great content, but they don’t need any additional exposure. In this post, every week, I bring you posts of quality from excellent bloggers that don’t get as much publicity.

This week, I’m pointing you to posts by Terry “Starbucker” St. Marie, Kate Nasser, Steve Keating, Ken Downer, and Lolly Daskal.

From Terry “Starbucker” St. Marie: Why Great Leadership Means Leading Your Way Out Of A Job

“Over the course of a long leadership journey you occasionally get to experience one of those extraordinary days that you remember, and draw on as a valuable lesson, for the rest of your business life. This is the story of one of those days.”

From Kate Nasser: Presuming Fear Patronizes People

“Presuming fear in people patronizes them and shows your weakness. Consider these moments where you might presume others are afraid. How does it make them feel? Comforted or demeaned?”

From Steve Keating: Everyone Needs Encouragement

“This post has a pretty simple title. I’m hoping that everyone who reads this knows that unarguable fact. Knowing it isn’t enough. If you’re a leader you must actually provide encouragement to your people”

From Ken Downer: Demotivation: 7 Ways You Might Be Killing Your Team’s Spirit

“A team’s spirit means everything when it comes to productivity, engagement, and satisfaction. But sometimes, despite our best intentions, the way we lead can become a source of demotivation. Here are seven things you might be doing that deplete your team’s morale, and what you can do to get them motivated again.”

From Lolly Daskal: How to Be The Best Role Model

“Chances are, at some point you’ve worked with a leader whose example is still with you today. Maybe it was a leader who showed confidence when everyone else was frazzled, who stayed calm under intense pressure. Or a boss who deftly handled whiners and complainers, or a mentor whose patient guidance set you on the path you’re still following.”

That’s it for this week’s selections from independent business blogs. If you liked this piece you may enjoy my curation posts on this blog. Every Tuesday, “Leaders and Strategies in Real Life” helps you learn about leadership by studying what real leaders do. On Fridays you can wrap up your week with “Weekend Leadership Reading” consisting of choice articles on hot leadership topics culled from the business schools, the business press and major consulting firms.

How I Select Posts for this Midweek Review

The five posts I select to share in my Midweek Review of the Independent Business Blogs are picked from a regular review of about sixty blogs I check daily and an additional twenty-five or so that I check occasionally. Here’s how I select the posts you see in this review.

They must be published within the previous week.

They must support the purpose of the blog: to help leaders at all levels do a better job and lead a better life.

They must be from an independent business blog.

As a general rule, I only select posts that stand on their own, no selections from a series.

Also as a general rule, I do not select posts that are either a book review or a book report.

I reserve the right to make exceptions to the above.

Here, on Three Star Leadership, I post things that will help a boss at any level do a better job and live a better life. At the The 360 Degree Feedback blog, I join other bloggers with posts on leadership development. And, at Wally Bock’s Writing Edge, I share tools and insights to help you write better.

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