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 Karin Hurt and David Dye, Kevin Eikenberry, Lolly Daskal, Steve Keating, and Terri Klass.

From David Dye and Karin Hurt: Courageous Questions: How to Make It Easier to Get Better Insights

“Particularly during times of uncertainty and change, one of the easiest ways to know what’s really going on is to (1) get clarity about what you don’t know and (2) ask your team some courageous questions. Courageous questions are specific, vulnerable questions that get right to the root of the matter. Courageous questions help eliminate FOSU (fear of speaking up) and create the psychological safety your employees need to speak up and ask for what they need.”

From Kevin Eikenberry: Seasons of Growth

“Growth doesn’t occur in a linear way. We know that when we look at kids. They have noticeable growth spurts. Most plants don’t grow continuously, and certainly not at the same rate throughout their life. The same is true for us as leaders, professionals, and people. We go through seasons of growth. When we understand and identify that, we will ultimately grow closer and more predictably towards our potential.”

From Lolly Daskal: Why Are Smart Leaders Always Into Personal Development

“You may be great at growing a business, but if you aren’t willing to grow and change, you’ll never be an effective leader. You need to set an example of lifelong growth and learning through personal development. Here are just a few of the benefits:”

From Steve Keating: Are You a Doer Who Over Does It?

“I love people who have a ‘get it done’ mindset. Nothing happens until someone makes it happen and I think the world would be a better place if there were a few more ‘doers’ in it. But I struggle mightily with doers who can’t turn it off and who expect everyone else to be a doer like them.”

From Terri Klass: Is It Really True That Motivation Can Only Come From Within Ourselves?

“Working with leaders for many years as a facilitator and a coach has taught me a thing or two about motivation. For instance, when a senior leader asked me how to change the work ethic of an individual on their team, I was in disbelief. Although a leader may want to impose their values on others, that is not realistic. In the end, we need to reflect on what motivates us to action as well. “

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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