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 Dan Rockwell, Ed Batista, Kate Nasser, Jesse Lyn Stoner, and Mary Jo Asmus.

From Dan Rockwell: A Leadership Lesson from Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer

“Rudolph was a treasure waiting to be discovered.”

From Ed Batista: Seeing What’s Not There (The Importance of Missing Data)

“Data both illuminates and obscures. Our first task is to turn on the lights and see what’s revealed. But our next task is to peer into the shadows and see what’s hidden.”

From Kate Nasser: 5 People Skills Realizations to Recast Success in New Year

“Success with interactions is rarely random. We are taking in information and gaining people skills insights as we interact with others. What people skills realizations have you gained during this year? Here are five that will recast all of our success for the New Year!”

From Jesse Lyn Stoner: Do an Ethics Check to Navigate the Gray Zone

“It’s easy to know what’s ethical when your choices are clear-cut.”

From Mary Jo Asmus: Listening to make a difference

“I have been obsessed with the simple act of listening for a long time. Not because I’m good at it (I’m not) or because it’s an essential part of my craft (it is). I’ve always known that my preoccupation has to do with the fact that like many of you, I’ve recognized that the times I’ve felt listened to are rare.”

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 rise of emergent organizations, the future of oil, keep innovation management simple, three measures for destroying the glass ceiling and promoting more women to CEO, shifting megatrends and how they will affect the workplace, and future jobs, future work, and multi-generational workforce.

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.