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 Kate Nasser, Ellen Weber, Lolly Daskal, Julie Winkle Giulioni, and Mary Jo Asmus.

From Kate Nasser: How Procedures Quietly Block Listening

“What can block great listening? Most people list the standard obstacles: external noise, internal thoughts, fatigue, stress, emotion, and so on. Yet there is one obstacle whose power to block listening often goes undetected. As a quiet hidden block it has power over behavior and results. It’s a management people skills misstep that we need to eliminate.”

From Ellen Weber: Q & A for Mental Reboot

“Imagine a back to school challenge that draws on your unique brainpower? Or a new opportunity to re-start an old habit in a fresh way, with rejuvenating mental benefits?”

From Lolly Daskal: The Test Every Great Leader Must Pass

“Most leaders are too busy to spend much time reflecting on that question, but it really is important to check in once in a while—especially if results, achievement and excellence are important to you. Whether you’re a CEO, a vice president, director, team leader, neighborhood association leader, or parent, you can become a much more effective leader if you keep yourself on track. Take the test:”

From Julie Winkle Giulioni: Which Comes First?

“In preparation for an upcoming executive education session, I conducted a quick pulse survey earlier this month. I wanted to understand whether the leaders attending my training believe that there is a difference in the importance of career development to their employees based upon their current level of performance. And they do.”

From Mary Jo Asmus: When you need to really listen

“We could all become better listeners. Most importantly, leaders must learn to really listen.”

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 focus, the ingredient that most companies and many employees miss, three articles on the food business, the hidden landmine in big data, and when your gym is your office.

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.