From the Independent Business Blogs: 12/15/21

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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 Frank Sonnenberg, Ken Downer, Kate Nasser, Steve Keating, and Todd Ordal.

From 50 Frank Sonnenberg: Signs That You’re a Train Wreck

“Some people are a train wreck about to happen. They’re greedy and self-absorbed, and they routinely make unforced errors. To make matters worse, they lack proper scruples and have a lousy attitude to boot. (Ugh.) It’s like they can’t seem to get out of their own way. Do you know anyone who’s a train wreck about to happen? Are you a train wreck?”

From Ken Downer: Running in the Rain: What to Think About When You Think About Quitting

“It’s cold and raining outside, but I’m supposed to go for a training run today. I really don’t want to. To get myself out the door, here are the kinds of things that go through my head, and ways we can all think about approaching any difficult task that we’d really rather not do.”

From Kate Nasser: Rethink Criticism: Is Your Criticism of Employees Actually Contempt?

“When it comes to leading morale, rethink criticism and how you give it. When you criticize employees, do they hear value or contempt? This is an important question that drives employee experience and satisfaction. The following list will help you rethink criticism and lead morale so much better.”

From Steve Keating: Fear School

“We talked about what they had done in the past and they told me that all new managers were required to attend what they called ‘Fear School.’ It was management training designed to help the new manager understand how to put the fear of God into their people. They had used their Fear School program for literally decades. They were now struggling with turnover and recruiting issues so they thought perhaps another approach might be in order.”

From Todd Ordal: Finish Wiser, Start Stronger: 13 Questions for December

“Pandemic or not, December is the right time to block out a day and look back to learn and forward to jump-start 2022. You can certainly do this alone, but I’d love for you to do this with your senior team. Yes, I’m sure you already have a ‘quarterly business review’ or some other type of annual planning meeting, but I also know that those become very tactical and judgmental. If you want to be more of a strategic thinker, this is your chance. Get it on your calendar!”

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. And, at my blog for part-time business book authors, I share tools and insights to help you write and publish a book you’ll be proud of.

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