From the Independent Business Blogs: 7/30/14

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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 on whether you’re wired to lead, MBWA, becoming a leader worth following, lessons from experience, and making the most of your vacation.

From Susan Mazza: Are You Wired to Lead?

“Skills are, of course, necessary if you want to lead others over time and do it effectively. Nonetheless, if you have a purpose for leading and a strong desire to lead, you can develop the skills you will need.”

From Karin Hurt: When MBWA Becomes Oh Crap Here They Come

“Nothing could be easier than getting out amongst the troops, wandering around and listening, right? MBWA,or management by wandering around, is one of the truly great management techniques. So why do so many executives royally screw it up, leaving a path of fear and intimidation that takes local management months to recover? Most execs I know who fumble this easy move, start with good intentions: they want to be visible, to demonstrate commitment, to reinforce priorities, to inspect what they expect, and to be helpful. But their poor execution causes their noble goals to backfire.”

Wally’s Comment: Karin knows her stuff. This post reminded me of two of mine, “The Idiot from Corporate” and “How to Wander Effectively.”

From Lolly Daskal: Become The Leader Worth Following

“Here are some ways that these true leaders go about their work and lives. Ask yourself which of these things you’re already doing and which you need to work on:”

From Jesse Lyn Stoner: My Leadership Lessons as Executive Director

“This is the last week as the Executive Director of the Berrett-Koehler Foundation. My involvement began two years ago when Steve Piersanti, president of Berrett-Koehler Publishers, asked me to help create a new organization that would further their mission in a way beyond what a publishing company could do.”

From Tanveer Naseer: How Vacation Time Can Make You A Better Leader

“When you’ve been writing a blog for 5 years as I have starting this month, one of the things you appreciate as being a key factor behind your longevity in this sphere is the importance of taking a vacation break to employ the 3 R’s – rest, review, and reflection.”

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 thoughts on teaching leadership at Stanford, the furor over “factoryless” manufacturers, a big data system that boggles the mind at UPS, how women define success, and preparing your workforce for tomorrow.

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.

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What People Are Saying

Karin Hurt   |   01 Aug 2014   |   Reply

Wally, how fun to see how closely our writing aligned! Loved both of your posts. We are clearly on the same wavelength.

Wally Bock   |   04 Aug 2014   |   Reply

I thought so, too, Karin. I think it comes from the experience of both visiting and having been visited. Thanks for adding to the discussion.