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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 negative feedback, coaching, passing the leadership baton, evaluating behavior, and leading collaboratively.

From Steve Roesler: The Truth About Negative Feedback
"Employees want development and developmental feedback. Every legitimate, broad-based survey from the past 10 years confirms that as a fact. Here's the challenge: most managers aren't very skilled at developing people over the long-term."

Wally's Comment: Steve's right, most managers aren't good at developing people over the long term. Mostly that's a matter of lack of addressing the issue and not being evaluated on the work. Steve's post will help provide some information. Then it's up to you.

From Mary Jo Asmus: What Makes Executive Coaching Different?
"Engaging with an executive coach could make a very big difference for you. But it may not. Your results with an executive coach will depend on the skill of the coach and your willingness to embrace the coaching process with gusto. So you might prefer to spend your organization’s hard earned dollars on a workshop, a retreat, or other form of training. So why would you consider working with a coach over other options for your development? "

Wally's Comment: Coaching is all the rage these days. It seems like everyone is for it, but no one tells you why it might be good idea. Well, you don't have to wonder any more. Mary Jo Asmus outlines why using a coach can be the right development choice for you.

From Dan McCarthy: How to Pass the Leadership Baton
"It seems that very little has been written about how leaders should handle exiting their leadership position. Sure, you’ll find plenty lot’s of advice on resigning from a job, i.e., how to give notice, how to write a resignation letter, how to resign gracefully, etc… but I couldn’t find anything written specifically for leaders on this topic. I believe that there are probably some unique considerations for leaders when it comes to “passing the baton”. The following list of do’s and don’ts is based on my own personal experience, and certainly isn’t exhaustive, so please contribute to the discussion with your own comments. "

Wally's Comment: OK, you've been promoted, or perhaps you're leaving for those greener pastures you've heard about. Here's some good advice about how to make the handover of position as smooth and effective as possible.

From Laura Hunter the Alpha Mare: Behaviour – or Information?
"As someone who has learned to work more or less successfully with horses, I have learned to look at behaviour from a different perspective."

Wally's Comment: Here's a simple, but powerful insight: interpret behavior as a form of information. I'm going to try it.

From Gwyn Teatro: Leading Collaboratively…a 21st Century Necessity
"I don’t know about you, but when I was little, one of the things my parents were always on about was the importance of playing well with others.  In school too, I was encouraged, along with my classmates, to work together to complete projects and participate in sports events. Then, in adulthood I got a job and for some reason, the emphasis there was not about that.  It was more about doing what I was told.  It was about individual survival and competition.  And somehow, while civility remained (for the most part anyway), a spirit of collaboration, where people shared information and resources freely to achieve something important together was rare."

Wally's Comment: Let's see. More and more workers are knowledge workers. And those workers increasingly work independently. And they've got a quiver full of great communication tools. And they can find a job elsewhere. Hmmmm, maybe there is something to this need for collaborative leadership.

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 workplace civility, superstar salaries, the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission, best companies for leadership development, and the state of talent management.

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 .

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 offer you my 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.