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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 planning and execution, process improvement, leadership, values, and reflection.

From QAspire: Quality of Planning = Quality of Execution: 7 Lessons
"Constant and comprehensive planning is the secret of many successful projects because planning provides a direction to the team. It helps in setting a precedence on what’s important. It gives a message and tells a lot about what matters to you on the project. Here are 7 most important lessons I have learned on effective planning:"

Wally's Comment: This is the first of two "practitioner posts" this week. I love it when a person who's learned to do something well shares his or her learning with the rest of us. Tanmay Vora is Director of Quality Assurance for an India-based software development company. He shares some things he's learned from a combination of study, reflection, and experience.

From the Curious Cat: Good Process Improvement Practices
"Good process improvement practices include: ..."

Wally's Comment: John Hunter is my go-to guy and gateway to all things process improvement. He's a systems thinker and a pioneer in using the net to share information that improves processes. If you're familiar with process improvement methodologies, you'll probably find something in this list to spark an idea. If you're not familiar with process improvement, this is a good primer.

From the Frog Blog: You need a real leader…
"Paul H. O’Neill, former Secretary of the Treasury and Alcoa CEO, said that if everyone in an organization can answer ‘Yes’ to the following three questions then you have a real leader at the top."

Wally's Comment: I almost didn't read this post because of the phrase "real leader." In general I find the phrase both elitist and unhelpful.

BUT … the post is worth your time. Paul O'Neill's record in both the public and private sectors makes him one of those people who speak with authority about leadership.

From Charles H. Green: Are your company values important enough to fire people over?
"Warning: Rant ahead. Odds are the company you work for will fire employees for serious criminal conduct. And maybe for sexual harassment, or BSIP (Behaving Stupidly In Public). But does your company fire people for VVs (values violations)? You know, values like respect and integrity (from Enron’s values list), or performance, innovation, progressive, and green values (from BP’s Lubricant Business)."

Wally's Comment: This rant is fun. It will prod you to think, too. Oh, yes, and you'll pick up phrases like "BSIP" that you'll be able to use to spice up your own writing and conversation.

From Mary Jo Asmus: Where Are the Rewards for Reflection?
"We get rewarded from the external world for moving forward. So that’s what we do. We move forward. We stay busy. We take action. And…..we resist reflecting. What are the rewards for reflection?

Wally's Comment: If you want to get better at what you do, reflection will help you get better more rapidly. It's a paradox. 

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 leaders as teachers, sticking with your plan, IBM and Apple, Chief Innovation Officers, and the Global Innovation 1000.

Here, on Three Star Leadership, I post things that will help a boss at any level do better and live a better life. At Results vs Activities, I join other bloggers with posts on talent development. My blog at the Toolbox for HR is People and the Changing Workplace .

Find out more about my latest book, Ruthless Focus: How to use key core strategies to grow your business or just jump right over to Amazon and buy a few copies.

If you're a boss, you should check out my Working Supervisor's Support Kit.

And be sure to stop by at Weekly Leader where I'll try to get you thinking about The Challenge 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.