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 Jesse Lyn Stoner on organizational change, Karin Hurt on building employee confidence, Terry “Starbucker” St. Marie creating a leadership juggernaut, Mary Jo Asmus on passion and persistence, and Ed Batista with a power and influence primer.

From Jesse Lyn Stoner: Organizational Change Can Start Wherever You Are

“The assumption that organizational change has to start at the top is wrong.”

From Karin Hurt: 7 Ways to Build Confidence in Your Employees

“Yes, building confidence takes time and energy. Trust me, it’s worth it. Turning around confidence will rank high on your personal lifetime leadership achievement awards. No one will call it out, but you’ll know, and so will they. You may find out years later. Building confidence creates long-term impact for the employee, for the team, and for your company.”

From Terry “Starbucker” St. Marie: Assembly Required: 12 Steps To Building A Leadership Juggernaut

“I was lucky to have been part of something pretty special – a team that blossomed into one of the highest performing groups in our industry. But it wasn’t all luck. There was some work, some ‘assembly’ involved.”

From Mary Jo Asmus: Passion needs persistence

“Leadership for most of us isn’t easy since there are hurdles to jump over and obstacles in the way to success. There are lots of things you need along with passion in order to be a successful leader, but persistence comes in at a strong second place. Without persistence, you don’t get to express your passion. Without dogged determination your craving to be a great leader lies dormant all clouded over with excuses about the things you ‘should do’ but don’t.”

From Ed Batista: A Power and Influence Primer

“Much of my work as a coach involves helping leaders determine how they can most effectively wield power to best meet the needs of their organizations. And note that by power I mean not only the directive authority invested in their roles, but also the many forms of influence at their disposal. I often refer clients to the articles below, so I’ve compiled them here for easier access.”

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 finding the Sinkholes in Your Strategy?, reshoring, lean principles in the Digital Economy, what it’s like raising money as a woman In Silicon Valley, and what the future of work will look like.

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.