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 critical leadership battles, making enemies, your genuine leadership portrait, honoring questioners, and emergent leadership.

From Terry “Starbucker” St. Marie: 10 Critical Leadership Battles (And How You Can Win Them All)

“There are some moments in your career that leave an indelible imprint – moments that end up defining WHO you are.”

From Les Hayman: Leaders Build Enemies

“So, if political leaders need enemies, is the same true of business leaders?”

From Lolly Daskal: The Portrait of a Leader Must Be Painted in Genuine Strokes

“A genuine portrait is critical for your leadership brand as well as your professional success.”

From Mary Jo Asmus: Honoring those who question

“I was a curious child who sometimes got into trouble with my questions (I heard ‘children shouldn’t ask those questions’ or ‘you’ll learn about that when you grow up’). Not one to let what I was told dampen my curiosity, I began my career as a laboratory biologist, where asking questions is foundational to important insights.”

From Jesse Lyn Stoner: Emergent Leadership Topples the Pyramid

“Although Steve Jobs, Hilary Clinton, Ronald Regan, Sheryl Sandberg, and Howard Schultz have very different leadership styles, they all have one important thing in common – their role as a leader is to stand in front of their organization and lead the way forward. They are at the top of the pyramid. Some people see the Inverted Pyramid as an alternative.  In this view of leadership, the pyramid is turned upside down, and leaders see themselves at the bottom of the pyramid, serving the people.”

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 Rethinking Strategy in the Age of Digital Disruption, the music industry, robots, women in leadership, and workplace flexibility.

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.