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 Karin Hurt, Suzi McAlpine, Lolly Daskal, Jesse Lyn Stoner, and Mary Jo Asmus

From Karin Hurt: How to Become the Best ___________

“No one becomes the ‘best organist’ without hours and hours…and hours…spent obsessing over and replaying the difficult runs. His comment showed that he was well on his way to becoming the best he could be. If you’re looking to become the best _______ (insert your audacious goal here,) follow Vince’s example.”

From Suzi McAlpine: Why “How Are We Going?” Conversations Are A Leader’s Best Friend

“But, if I was to be a fly on the wall in most organisations, conversations about working relationships and how they are fairing, would be far more scarce. Rare even.”

From Lolly Daskal: What Legacy Are You Leaving?

“We may never see our own obituary, but like Alfred Nobel, we all have the opportunity to craft a legacy that is aligned with our best self. How can you create a legacy to be proud of?”

From Jesse Lyn Stoner: What Is Collaboration and Where Does It Begin?

“Collaboration is different from cooperation or coordination in that you collaborate around a shared vision, and something new is created as a result of your joint effort.”

From Mary Jo Asmus: Trust yourself first

“Much has been written, talked about and studied regarding trust in the realm of leadership. Yet very little is said about how leaders can develop it aside from ‘Do what you say you will do’. That’s good advice, but it’s not enough. In the spirit of self-deception, we all think that we’re trustworthy; we may not recognize small signs we give out that erode trust. If I asked your boss, peers and direct reports if they trusted you, its highly likely that at least some of them don’t – yet.”

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 big data decision making, TV transformed, six building blocks for creating a high-performing digital enterprise, why we need quotas to fix the lack of female engineers, and what it’s like to work at a company with no bosses.

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.

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