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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 solutions that work, leading a team, leadership reminders, human predictability, and what's ahead.

From Lisa Haneberg: Solutions Should Fit the Context
"As managers, you have goals for how you would like your team, culture, processes, or results to improve. What often gets in the way is that proposed solutions don't fit the context."

Wally's Comment: Just as the punishment should fit the crime and the reward should match the performance, solutions should fit the context. Lisa Haneberg describes how we can unwittingly suggest solutions that won't work and how, wittingly, we can do things differently and more effectively.

From Bret Simmons writing at LeaderLab: Leading Teams of Individuals
"Good team leaders understand that to be successful, they not only have to lead the group as a whole, but also have to provide leadership for each and every individual within the group. A study of 60 leaders and 203 team members just published in the Journal of Applied Psychology entitled “Exploring the Dual-Level Effects of Transformational Leadership on Followers,” is unique in the fact that it examined leadership at the individual and group level simultaneously. Most empirical studies do one or the other, but rarely both at the same time."

Wally's Comment: This post is important for two reasons. First, it addresses a real issue in training for bosses. There's focus on accomplishing the mission (helping the team succeed) but not much on caring for the people (helping the team members succeed). Better balance should result in better bosses. Second, Bret Simmons reviews research that underscores why it's important for bosses to do both.

From Paul Thornton writing at Great Leadership: Leadership - Off the Wall
"W. Clement Stone began as a shoeshine boy and became a multimillionaire. He credits his success to three words: Do It Now. He required everyone who worked for him to write those words on index cards and post them in their work area. Over the past twenty years I have collected and analyzed many of the quotes leaders post on their office walls or keep on their desks. Many of these quotes are the guiding principle they followed to achieve success. Here are my top 15."

Wally's Comment: Paul Thornton performs a public service by sharing the reminders that several leaders kept in view in their offices. Mine says, "What's the boss's bottom line?" and it's in Paul's book. But I bet you'd rather know what was on Bill Gates' desk. For that, you have to read this post.

From Mary Jo Asmus: From predictability to potential
"There is a lot about human beings that can (and should) surprise us. Our organizational experience, modeled during the machine age with its’ high level of predictability, has led us to believe that people are predictable, too. And so this becomes the lens through which we view others: “He has an attitude problem and just cannot work on team”, or, “She is a high performer, but couldn’t possibly step up to a position in the C-suite”. Yet there are many stories that show that, with the right attitude on the part of the leader, human predictability is a myth. Here are some of my favorites:"

Wally's Comment: People are not parts and their career paths are not predictable. Mary Jo Asmus illustrates why sorting people into bins early in their careers may stifle the potential of late developers. Reminds me of why my mother wouldn't let my sister or me take the IQ tests so much favored when we were in elementary school. Quoth mom: "They want to pigeonhole you, but you're not a pigeon."

From Art Petty writing at Tanveer Naseer's blog: The Great and Perilous Leadership Journey Ahead
"While there’s much about leading others that remains consistent over time, the environment in which we lead changes constantly. For experienced and developing leaders, the emerging environment is likely to offer a Dickensian world filled with Best of Times opportunities and Worst of Times challenges. Now might be a good time to revise your thinking on your role as a leader and to begin cultivating the skills and experiences required for success during the exciting and perilous journey ahead."

Wally's Comment: This is a wonderful, rich post by Art Petty. Don't skim this one. Read it when you can give it the time it deserves.

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 Zappos after the acquisition, praise and punishment, automated decision making, strategy questions.

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.