From the Independent Business Blogs: 8/9/17

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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 Lolly Daskal, Kevin Eikenberry, Kate Nasser, Mary Jo Asmus, and Jesse Lyn Stoner.

From Lolly Daskal: The One Time You Should NOT Express Positivity

“We know positive thinking and an optimistic attitude can actually change our reality for the better. In the words of the old adage, ‘Think good, and it will be good.’ A daily practice of gratitude and positivity can benefit you even when things get so bad that you can’t see a good outcome or any seed of hope. You can assure yourself that even if you can’t currently comprehend it, there’s a lesson or a stubborn thread of grace in there somewhere. There’s one situation, however, when positivity and gratitude don’t work—when, in fact, they can actually be destructive”

From Kevin Eikenberry: The Self-Aware Leader

“There are many characteristics associated with effective leaders; you can find those lists easily, or you can just make a list yourself. If you have read my writing much, you know that I believe that remarkable leaders are learners – that they must be learning to be successful in nearly every part of their role. I believe that an important part of our ability to be a learning leader is to be self-aware.”

From Kate Nasser: Hard Human Consequences of Taking the Easy Way Out

“Wouldn’t it be great if life and work were easy? Not always. There are hard human consequences of taking the easy way out. Consider these easy outs and the impact on leadership, teamwork, business, and relationships in general.”

From Mary Jo Asmus: Making mistakes okay

“If there is one thing that employees fear at work, it’s feeling shamed for mistakes they make. There is very little that is worse than feeling the sting of rejection from being called out on slip-ups. It can be a big deal that has a negative effect on someone’s performance and life for a very long time. And when others see someone else shamed, it makes them less likely to admit their mistakes.”

From Jesse Lyn Stoner: The Space Between Coaching and Delegating

“Your ability to develop a high performance team lies in your ability to recognize the space between coaching and delegating.”

Wally’s Comment: Jesse calls the moment when a boss gives up telling for allowing as “the bicycle moment.” That a perfect phrase for one of the most difficult parts of a boss’s job, knowing when to let go. I wrote about the entire process in “Delegate Don’t Dump.” I’ll use “bicycle moment” as the term for that important moment from now on. Thanks, Jesse.

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 why it’s ok for leaders to have a sense of humor, a business leader’s guide to agile, why we all need to prepare for a new era of innovation, how GE built an innovation lab to rapidly prototype appliances, True Ventures’ first female partner speaks up about being the only woman at the table, and whether open floor plans killing productivity.

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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Jesse Stoner   |   09 Aug 2017   |   Reply

Appreciate your comments and the fit between our articles. The “bicycle moment” is that moment of recognition that it’s time to transition between what you describe as “discuss and tell” and “discuss and allow.” Thanks Wally!

Wally Bock   |   09 Aug 2017   |   Reply

I remember an early Christmas when I bought a bicycle for my son. I put the bike together the night before but the plan was to put the training wheels on after we took the bike outside. Wben we got outside, Dave say, “I don’t need those, dad.” Then he climbed on the bike a rode away. I was all ready to be the protective and helpful dad, but it wasn’t necessary.