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, Karin Hurt, Chris Edmonds, Jesse Lyn Stoner, and Mary Jo Asmus.

From Terry “Starbucker” St. Marie: The 7 Things A Leader Must Do To Build The Perfect Team

“On paper, and in your head, you have the best team in the world – and yet, things are not clicking. You feel like you have the ‘right people on the bus’, but right now, it’s just a bus going to nowhere. What to do?”

From Karin Hurt: 10 Things to Do When Your Team’s Not Listening

“Her call touched me deeply. She was trying so hard…to establish the right vision, to key in on the important behaviors, to scaffold and develop…and her team just wasn’t listening. Perhaps you’ve been there too. You’ve got vision. You care deeply. You teach. You repeat yourself. But no one seems to ‘get it’?”

From Chris Edmonds: The Cost Of Waiting

“A bit of a wait won’t hurt, will it? With fingers crossed, you rely on luck and hope. Let’s say you’ve decided to defer getting your furnace repaired. ‘It’ll last another year,’ you tell yourself.”

From Jesse Lyn Stoner: Do you serve your team or are you a self-serving team member?

“We all engage in self-serving behaviors occasionally. After all, we’re only human. BUT if you are consistently focused on yourself instead of your team, it’s time to take a hard look in the mirror. You can’t count on your boss or one of your teammates to let you know. Often people will complain behind your back, but are afraid to confront what’s going on.”

From Mary Jo Asmus: Inspiring others with what can be

“As I’ve grown up and know the trials that leaders go through with ongoing organizational change, I’ve come to appreciate the power of ‘what can be’ in envisioning a better future. That vision, when seen in a positive, forward-reaching way and uncoupled from a past of ‘we tried that and it didn’t work’, can draw others along in a way that can appear effortless and magical.”

That’s it for this week’s selections from independent business blogs. If you liked this piece you may enjoy my regular post on “Leadership Reading to Start Your Week” points you to choice articles from the business schools, the business press and major consulting firms about strategy, innovation, women and the workplace, and work now and in the future. Highlights from the last issue include the biology of corporate survival, a rust-belt revival, the mindset needed for digital change, why male-founded startups are receiving more venture capital, and making collaboration across functions a reality.

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.

If you’re a boss, you should check out my Working Supervisor’s Support Kit.