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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 recognition, trust, performance management, delegating, and planning.

From Fistful of Talent: It's Recognition Not Rocket Science
"Why is it so hard for managers to get it right?! My brother was recently recognized by his boss and was so insulted by the gesture that he started looking for a new job the very same day. As with most recognition, it's meant to make the employee feel good, build morale, and keep them around longer, but this boss blew it and he's not alone."

Wally's Comment: One of my father's favorite lines was that everyone was put here by God for a purpose and that some (he would smile about this point) "are here to serve as horrible examples." Marisa Keegan gives you some advice on recognition, starting with one of those horrible examples.

From Leadership Tangles: You Can’t Hurry Trust . . . You Just Have to Wait
"There is an old song first sung by the Supremes, and later by Phil Collins and others, called “You Can’t Hurry Love.” The lyrics often run through my mind when I am working with leadership teams. Only the problem isn’t love. It is trust. You really can’t hurry trust. As an organizational consultant and executive coach, I have often been hired to help teams who are struggling to perform optimally. More often than not, I find that there is a fundamental trust issue within the team."

Wally's Comment: Trust is like trees. You can't do much to make a tree grow faster. You can create the right conditions, but the tree will take its time. You can destroy trust or trees in seconds, but to grow them? Well, you just have to wait.

From Simply Lisa: Eliminating the Static in Performance Management
 "Supervisors are responsible for performance management. The best supervisors address performance willingly, especially when that performance is poor."

Wally's Comment: When supervisors make performance management part of their everyday work, things usually go well. If not, not.

From Random Acts of Leadership: When Delegation Becomes Abdication
"Clearly there is a big difference between delegating and abdicating in definition.  However, all too often I see the two being confused in practice.  And when it does it is disempowering, ineffective, and degrades trust.  It also undermines our ability to hold people accountable with honor and respect which further undermines the health of our relationships and our organizations."

Wally's Comment: Susan Mazza outlines how a good idea can turn into a bad idea with all the best of intentions.

From the Simplest Thing that Works: Plan and Let Go
"Today Patrick and I are making beer and bread. Both processes involve an approach that works well in lots of situations, I find.  First, you plan and prepare carefully, making sure you have the right materials, and combining them in a specific way, under optimal conditions. Then, you let the ingredients work together to create a new thing. You stop messing around with them and allow them to combine and evolve."

Wally's Comment: One thing that hardly anyone ever teaches American bosses is how to let go. Well, now there's a post on it.

Wally's Working Supervisor's Support Kit is a collection of information and tools to help working supervisors do a better job. It's based on what Wally's learned in over twenty years of supervisory skills training. Click here to check it out.