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 Suzi McAlpine, Chris Edmonds, Lolly Daskal, Jesse Lyn Stoner, and Mary Jo Asmus.

From Suzi McAlpine: My Embarrassing Tale – And Its Lesson For Leaders

“I can’t stand it when people interrupt me. It stems from being the youngest kid in my family. I was constantly being talked over by my two older brothers and my parents.”

From Chris Edmonds: Deliver on the Promise of Servant Leadership

“The data is undeniable. Only 21 percent of employees feel strongly valued at work (TinyPulse). 72 percent of employees report that the most important factor in their job satisfaction is ‘respectful treatment of all employees at all levels’ – yet only 33 percent experience that respect (SHRM). Employees are leaving their jobs at the fastest rate since 2007 (US Department of Labor). Data alone doesn’t tell the story. Human experiences can.”

From Lolly Daskal: The 5 Times Your Leadership Is Guaranteed to Fail

“Done right, leadership is difficult. It brings great rewards, but at great risk. You have to put yourself on the line—so when you do, you want the best possible odds of success. In some situations, though, failure is all but guaranteed. Here are five of the most common. Get to know them so you can steer far clear.”

From Jesse Lyn Stoner: The 4 Dimensions of Trust

“Trust is the foundation of all relationships. Barriers come down, more gets accomplished, it’s more fun. People follow leaders by choice. If people don’t trust you, at best you’ll get compliance.”

From Mary Jo Asmus: Facilitating silence

“You need to have more meetings with less talking and more silence in them.”

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 what leadership looks like in different cultures, ensuring digital readiness in financial services, when art and science combine for innovation, fixing the gender pay divide, and five reasons why everyone is so busy.

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.