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, Karin Hurt and David Dye, Ken Downer, Ed Batista, and Kate Nasser.

From Frank Sonnenberg: Problems Are Best Addressed Before They Arise

“Why can folks magically fix a problem when their back is up against the wall, yet they can’t (or should I say, won’t) take steps to prevent it from becoming a problem in the first place. The fact is, if you don’t pay attention to things that matter, you’ll ultimately pay the price.”

From Karin Hurt and David Dye: How to Help Your Team Think Bigger

“The other day we were chatting with a group of senior leaders deeply committed to building a courageous culture. They shared a frustration we hear all the time: ‘Our managers think too small! How do we help people REALLY CONSIDER what they’re doing–to look for better ways to work smarter? They do their work, but we can’t seem to help them think bigger?’”

From Ken Downer: he 18th Mile: It’s Not the Finish Line Leaders Should Focus On

“Most people know that a marathon is 26.2 miles long. Successful runners also know that it’s a mistake to focus solely on that distance. Smart leaders can benefit from similar thinking. Whatever marathon we are running with our teams, to get to that distant goal, it’s not the finish line we should focus on, it’s the 18th mile. Here’s why.”

From Ed Batista: Make Feedback Normal. Not a Performance Review

“the persistence of performance reviews need not prevent you from ‘making feedback normal’ in your organization. What might that look like in practice? It’s a topic I’ve explored numerous times over the years”

From Kate Nasser: Achievement: What You Smartly Don’t Choose is Key

“Many say you must have an action plan for achievement in life and work. Yet they don’t often mention that successful people also avoid doing certain things that hold others back. As I reflected on my journey through two careers and then starting a business, I realized that my achievement was based on what I did AND smartly chose not to do. Here are some key choices of what not to do. I wish you much success.”

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.

The 347 tips in my ebook can help you Become a Better Boss One Tip at a Time.

Just promoted from individual contributor? Check out my ebook, Now You’re the Boss: Making the Most of the Most Important Transition in Business.