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 on not thinking too much, intuition, micro-goals, leading for the future, and the language of leadership.

From Lolly Daskal: A Wise Leader Does Not Think So Much

“All of us are guilty of getting caught up in too much thinking, too much analysis, too much data. By nature leaders tend to be overthinkers, and we can become victims of staying too much in our head. A wise leader brings to bear not only knowledge but wisdom, and sometimes wisdom tells us not to think too much. Thinking is good, but when does too much mind become a hurdle?”

From Les Hayman: How Much Should We Rely on Intuition?

“The dictionary defines intuition as ‘a natural ability or power that makes it possible to know something without any proof or evidence: a feeling that guides a person to act a certain way without fully understanding why.’ This definition of intuition actually bothers me a bit, based as it is on a ‘natural ability or power’. Many people do seem to think of intuition as being some sort of sixth sense, or as some sort of magical power, but our ‘gut feels’ are generally formed out of our experiences, skills and knowledge. This means that intuition alone is unlikely to always result in good decision making, but it does mean that we should not write it off completely as a way of supporting the decision making process, as long as it matches our true areas of expertise.”

From Ed Batista: Think Small (The Value of Micro-Goals)

“We all have accomplishments we’re striving for, milestones we hope to reach, behaviors we want to do more of (or less of)–and setting goals can help motivate us along the way. But research shows that goals have complex (and sometimes counterproductive) effects–while they can help us to get started and persist in our efforts, they can also diminish our sense of fulfillment and leave us demoralized. One way to manage this challenge is to distinguish between a long-term goal–a large target at which we’re aiming over time–and the smaller-scale, day-to-day experience of our pursuit of that goal.”

From Mary Jo Asmus: Leading the Future in the Present

“We need leaders who are models of what it means to be great organizations that live the future now. Yes, I know it sounds crazy but you must lead without waiting for the future to arrive. What this means is that you must be agile, adaptable, and willing to change in anticipation of what’s required tomorrow, next year, or even five or ten years out. This requires you to see and act beyond the vision and strategic plan.”

From Tanveer Naseer: The Language Of Leadership

“These days, we talk a lot about the benefits of embracing diversity in the workplace. Of how intermingling people of different cultures, beliefs and nationalities can allow us to tap into the diversity of thoughts, ideas, and perspectives that go with these unique demographic elements.”

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 CEOs with staying power, the sharing economy, big-bang disruptions, helping women get back in the game, and workers in the Age of Amazon.

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 better and live a better life. At Results vs
Activities, I join other bloggers with posts on talent development.

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