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 leadership posts by Dan Rockwell, Todd Ordal, Kate Nasser, Lolly Daskal, and Ed Batista.

From Dan Rockwell: Why Self-Care isn’t a 4-Letter Word

“You say, ‘Take care of yourself.’ How can you practice what you tell others?”

From Todd Ordal: Why Did You Succeed?

“It’s also valuable to understand what happened when you succeed. Not to claim the title of genius, but to learn. Perhaps you just danced in front of a rainstorm, but there are often things to learn and replicate.”

From Kate Nasser: Leaders & Teams: Empathy Starts with Questions Not Statements

“Leaders and teams, remember that empathy starts with questions not statements. I write about this today, because some people think that empathy is something they can’t develop. This is false. Others ask me how they can develop it. The answer is simple. To develop empathy. ask questions instead of making statements. Here’s why and how.”

From Lolly Daskal: How The Best Leaders Overcome Their Own Defense Mechanisms

“Here are the top ideas I share with my executive leadership coaching clients for overcoming their own defense mechanisms:”

From Ed Batista: Don’t Take the Bait

“Some bait is set out deliberately, because some people really are trying to trap us: The jab at an old scar, not fully healed. The renegotiation of previously resolved issues. The inflammatory remark, the thinly veiled insult, the bad faith accusation.”

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.