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 Anne Perschel, Terry “Starbucker” St. Marie, Art Petty, Nina Simosko, and Mary Jo Asmus.

From Anne Perschel: The Six Principles of Personal Change

“When I begin working with clients, we talk about three commitments that serve as the foundation for personal change. I ask them to read and consider what each one means. Then sign them to indicate that they’ll do their best to keep each of the three commitments. No signatures, no deal.”

From Terry “Starbucker” St. Marie: The One Thing A Great Leader Has To Give Up (After Working Hard To Get It)

“I remember the first time I got it at age 22, a mere 4 months after I graduated from college, as a staff accountant at a public accounting firm. It was given to me reluctantly, out of sheer necessity, and it terrified me.”

From Art Petty: Beware Lazy Approaches to the Hard Work of Strategy

“Rumelt’s treatment on good strategy is both simple and elegant. He suggests focusing on developing the kernel of a strategy.”

From Nina Simosko: The Five Principles of Lean Leadership

“When it comes to innovation, there is much that we can learn from the lean approaches taken by startups. There is the rapid iteration, hypothesis testing and measurement, that builds a dynamic, responsive organization. There is the focus on releasing products and services as part of an iteration cycle. And there is the relentless focus on customers that I have long been an advocate for – what I refer to customer oriented thinking.”

From Mary Jo Asmus: Lighten up!

“The work you do as managers and leaders can be serious business. A constant focus of keeping your eye on the deadlines at hand can be stressful. Sometimes, you and your team need a break from the pressure no matter how important the project and deadlines you’re working with. How often do you intentionally create levity and laugh with your team?”

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 three steps for successful digital integration, leading in an increasingly VUCA world, why CEOs should care about smart automation, how the gender pay gap widens as women get promoted, and the next generation of social media in the office.

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.

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