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 leadership reflection, analyzing March Madness, coaching, becoming a positive force in a negative workplace, and clearing the path.

From Lolly Daskal: Leadership Reflection: The Strength to Change Ourselves

“In life we must learn to first assemble the inner, than the outer.”

From David K. Waltz: The Madness Isn’t Over Yet!

“We have come to the end of the time period US sports fans refer to as ‘March Madness’ – 68 collegiate basketball teams have competed in a single elimination tournament – and UConn has been crowned ‘national champion’. In the past we have used this event as a reason to perform a statistical project (see Who WIll Be in the Final Four – Lessons From an Analytical Journey). This year we’ll do things a little different.”

From Kevin Eikenberry: Coaching Can Be Simple

“This picture won’t mean much to you, but to the small group I spent two days with in Houston this week, it means a lot.  On the morning of the first day of our intimate training session on Coaching, the group had consumed our entire carafe of water pretty early.  When the staff came in to check on us, I asked for two carafes per table, because we were obviously thirsty.”

From Karin Hurt: 9 Ways to Be a Positive Force in a Negative Workplace

“My German Father-in-law would call trying to fix this negative workplace, Furzen gegen den Donner,  ‘farting against thunder.’  I’ve got to admit, the description I got on the other end of the phone was pretty bad:  little to no recognition, development, or teamwork…combined with long hours, limited resources, lots of finger-pointing, and the uncertainty of a new acquisition and consolidation.”

From Chris Edmonds: Clear the Path

“It’s possible that your work environment has hurdles and hindrances that inhibit team members from doing the right things the right way the first time.”

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 included Using Business Model Innovation to Reinvent the Core, walk-in health care is a fast-growing profit center for retail chains, On Galaxy S5 Launch, Smartphones Have Become The Model For Innovation Everywhere, A Reality Check on Women’s Progress in the Workplace.

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.