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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 delegation, the engaging leader, Toyota, work and life, and the workplace of the future

From All Things Workplace: Managing: You're Still In It Together
"One of the joys experienced by a new manager is having an array of people to call on to "get it done." One of the challenges experienced by a new manager is having an array of people to call on to "get it done." I can't think of a role that's more challenging than managing, at any level. One of the traps, though, is a mistaken sense of what delegation is all about."

Wally's Comment: It's those pesky people again. Steve Roesler reminds us that you've got to consider humans and human nature when you're assigning work.

From Management Excellence: 5 Ideas for Improving Your Ability to Engage as a Leader
"Some leaders move through their days like a flat rock skipping over the surface of a pond. They are focused on personal efficiency and speed, and the faster they move and the more decisions that they make, the better they believe they are doing as leaders."

Wally's Comment: This post matches up well with the one just above. Art Petty uses some great imagery to compare how some bosses try to get by on their authority and decision making. Good try, but it's not enough. You've always got to work with people.

From the Performance Improvement Blog: Don't Throw Lean Out With Toyota's Bathwater
"I’ve been wondering (see post) how Toyota, the world-wide, benchmark manufacturing company for quality and a leader in promoting continuous improvement (The Toyota Way), suddenly finds itself responsible for the recall of millions of cars, payer  of a major fine to the U.S. government, and the brunt of late-night TV humor."

Wally's Comment: Stephen Gill notes that many writers are taking Toyota's current troubles as "proof" that their success of the last couple of decades was some kind of sham. Those lean techniques still work. From my perspective, what got Toyota in trouble was that it lost focus on them and started thinking about getting bigger and bigger.

From Work. Life Balance: Work Life and the Laws of Physics. What?
"Do you see the people subordinate to you (could be your staff, could be your kids) as human capital, mechanisms that need to be constantly managed and controlled or they will swiftly drift into laziness or worse, wrong-doing?  Or do you see them as organisms, whole, active, unique and self-regulating?"

Wally's Comment: This is a great post about how work might look in the not too distant future, viewed through the work/life balance lens. It's worth reading slowly and then moving on to my next pick.

From Principles of Failure: Why “Management” Is Becoming “Leadership”
"Too often we think of management as simply being “how human productivity is harnessed”. But it’s just one way and perhaps not the best way. Like the vacuum tube computer, it had its time of usefulness but perhaps we have moved, or are moving, past it."

Wally's Comment: Here's another set of ideas on what the workplace and management might be like in the future. The basic premise is that conventional management as we've known it will disappear because it won't work anymore. So what will replace it? You'll have to read the post to find out Siddhartha Herdegen's thoughts.

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" which features five choice articles from the business schools, the business press and major consulting firms. The last issue had pointers to articles about success stories from tough times, simplification in growth strategy, less may be more in product lines, social media, and re-inventing leadership.

And be sure to check out Weekly Leader where I'll try to get you thinking about The Question of the Week.

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.