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 Mary Jo Asmus, Karin Hurt, Jesse Lyn Stoner, Art Petty, and Susan Mazza.

From Mary Jo Asmus: Go beyond listening to make others feel heard

“You’ve discovered the importance of really listening to those who support you, and that’s great. Listening is a powerful tool for leaders, but making sure that people feel heard is even more powerful.”

From Karin Hurt: 8 Secrets to Creating a Collaborative Culture

“I’ve never met someone who would admit to preferring drama over collaboration. And yet, most cultures have too much drama, too little collaboration. What’s up with that?”

From Jesse Lyn Stoner: How to Be a Leader People Want to Follow

“People follow leaders by choice. You can get compliance through imposing your authority, by coercion or manipulation, but you won’t be trusted and respected.”

From Art Petty: Assessing Power and Politics in Your Organization

“Much of the writing about leadership leaves out two of the most critical topics: power and politics. That’s a problem, because the political environment defines the playing field and those with the power dominate the organization’s agenda. Ignoring these facts of organizational life is a formula for futility.”

From Susan Mazza: Coaching Lessons From A Reality TV Show

“When it comes to reality TV, I’m not a fan. That is, except for The Voice.”

A personal note. I love the Voice. I’ve been thinking about doing a blog post about it, but now I don’t have to because Susan’s post is just so perfect.

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 reinventing the company, reinventing the trucking industry, organizational models for breakthrough innovation, why women compete with each other, why flexible working is good for business, and why an “attitude of gratitude” isn’t enough.

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.