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 Ken Downer, Scott Eblin, Kate Nasser, Lolly Daskal, and Todd Ordal.

From Ken Downer: No Finish Line: Finishing is Not Always the Point

“As leaders and achievers, getting stuff done is second nature to us. Whatever the task, we recognize a starting point and an ending point, and we do our best to move as quickly as possible through the part in the middle. We might think that the faster we can do that, the more successful we are. But the checkered flag is not always at the end of life’s races.”

From Scott Eblin: Nine Ways to Be an Energizing Online Leader

“That means this is a good time to take a look at where you can up your game as an online leader and communicator. Strong communication skills have always been an important factor in leadership effectiveness. That’s still true during the work from home era that has taken root this year. It’s just that some of the skill sets are different now.”

From Kate Nasser: These Virtual People Skills Dissolve Distance

“With today’s mega trend of working from home, your virtual people skills dissolve the distance between you and your peers and leaders. Whether you are leading virtual teams, collaborating to get work done, or meeting online, virtual people skills are absolutely essential to your success.”

From Lolly Daskal: Do You Need to Learn To Be Better With People?

“Interacting and connecting with others is a critical factor in leadership—and among most other fields, as well. Some people have a gift for being with others easily and instinctively. But for many people, it doesn’t come naturally. If you struggle with carrying out interpersonal interactions , it may help you to know that it’s made up of specific skills you can learn and practice and master. Here are some of the most important areas you can work on:”

From Todd Ordal: Luddites in Management

“I’ve had a few recent inquiries from bright, talented people who want coaching. They’re all in significant roles that can bring tremendous value to the company. Unfortunately, they work for Luddites who won’t pay for coaching. In fact, their efforts to ask for mentoring from their boss resulted in a cold shoulder and comments such as, ‘I shouldn’t have to coach you!'”

That’s it for this week’s selections from independent business blogs. If you liked this piece you may enjoy my curation posts on this blog. On Fridays you can wrap up your week with “Weekend Leadership Reading” consisting of choice articles on hot leadership topics culled from the business schools, the business press and major consulting firms.

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.

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