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 Suzi McAlpine, Kevin Eikenberry, Dan McCarthy, Julie Winkle Giulioni, and Mary Jo Asmus

From Suzi McAlpine: A bit of advice on giving advice

“Every week, my mum tells me that I should ‘pick some olives off the olive tree in our back garden and preserve them.’ It’s a good idea. I want to take her up on this suggestion because doing so would make her happy. And preserving olives would make me feel like Martha freakin’ Stewart. I really want to take her advice, I really do. But I never pick the olives.”

From Kevin Eikenberry: The Power of a Safety Net

“Over the years we have worked frequently with Cirque du Soleil, and I’ve learned much while working with them. Perhaps the biggest thing I’ve learned didn’t happen in a workshop or a meeting. It came to me as I watched one of the shows. And now, every time I watch another show (or watch a show again), this lesson is front and center for me throughout.”

From Dan McCarthy: How Leaders can Ignite Innovation

“Becoming a leader that drives innovation doesn’t always require learning new skills – it often means stopping innovative-killing behaviors or practices. Here are 10 things a leader can do to create an environment where employees are encouraged to be innovative:”

From Julie Winkle Giulioni: Leadership Advice…for the Ages (ALL Ages)

“For years, managers have been schooled in how to adapt their approaches to the wildly different expectations employees bring based upon when they were born. But the truth is that regardless of birth dates, there are some profound commonalities that—if understood—provide powerful leadership advice… for all ages.”

From Mary Jo Asmus: Transforming your leadership takes more than intention

“I’ve seen this success happen in the leaders I work with. Those who practice the new behaviors they want have the best chance of transforming from good to great leaders. Intention isn’t enough; you must take a few extra steps to assure that your success will be achieved:”

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 how to gauge a C.E.O.’s value, two articles on the future of construction, how to foster curiosity and creativity in the workplace, why women lack confidence and why they don’t need it, and the ROI of working human.

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.