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, Terry “Starbucker” St. Marie, Mary Jo Asmus, Lolly Daskal, and Julie Winkle Giulioni.

From Karin Hurt: A Better Way to Address Performance Issues

“Once you label someone as disengaged, it’s difficult to see them any differently. The truth is the percentage of employees who ‘just don’t care’ is actually very low in most organizations. I find that what looks like disengagement often stems from the confidence/competence cocktail.”

From Terry “Starbucker” St. Marie: Do Leaders Need To Be Liked To Be Successful?

“Which takes us to the corollary to liked: to belong. I always equated being liked to full acceptance into the tribe. That sense of security, of belonging. Conversely, during those times I was shunned, and not part of a desired tribe, I felt isolated. Alone. Lost.”

From Mary Jo Asmus: Putting stuff into perspective

“Preparation is a good thing, but now I know that worry isn’t worth the effort. I want to say goodbye to this worry habit that no longer serves me. So I’ve been working hard to replace it with perspective. I can’t do a lot about the crazy big stuff in the world, but I can turn off the news for a few days. I can keep my car in good repair, help my children when they need it and take my dog to the vet regularly. I can also spend daily moments reflecting on all that is good in my life.”

From Lolly Daskal: Why You Should Play on Your Strengths–Not Focus on Your Weaknesses

“Most of us can name all the things we don’t like about ourselves. And we’ve probably also gotten feedback on ‘areas for improvement’ (which usually feels a lot like outright criticism). The result? We work on overcoming our weaknesses instead of playing to our strengths.What would happen if we reversed that pattern?”

From Julie Winkle Giulioni: Closing the “discretionary effort” gap

“Be honest. If you had a gas or water leak, you’d fix it. If an investment was draining your portfolio, you’d sell. So, why are so many smart leaders willing to accept ‘discretionary effort’ as an inevitable feature of — and drain on — business today? Why do we allow employee energy — a precious natural resource — to routinely be wasted?”

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 the three foundations of effective CEOs , podcasts hit a profitable stride after a decade, the most innovative companies don’t worry about consensus, when women manage men who don’t respect women, and Tom Peters on leading the 21st-century organization.

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.