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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 the vision thing, diagnosing team dependency, unlocking your team's potential, leading your team, and just what it is that you, the leader, should be doing.

From Jesse Lyn Stoner: I Think We Have a Vision. It Must Be Around Here Somewhere.
"Does your organization have a vision? If you answered, “I don’t know” or “We do, but I’m not sure what it is,” don’t feel alone – you are in the majority. Although many organizations have a vision statement, often it’s filed away somewhere or framed on the wall collecting dust."

Wally's Comment: Jesse Lyn Stoner points out something that many of us have noticed: there are far more vision statements than there are visions that guide everyday action. That's not a good thing. If the only vision your team has is "our mission is to get through the day" then it's time for a change.

From Steve Roesler: Managers: Diagnose Dependency
"Whenever you try something new it's worthwhile to consider what you've been doing and how that might get in the way."

Wally's Comment: If it's time to change, things will go better if everybody helps out. That won't happen if you've created an environment where your people depend on you for everything. You need to unleash them and you start with making some changes in how you work.

From Terry Starbucker: 7 Keys To Unlocking Your Team’s Potential
"Building a great team around you is one of those leadership skills that can make or break you. It’s one thing to get all the “right people on the bus” (to steal a Jim Collins phrase), but it’s quite another to get the team to create an unstoppable collective force that can achieve greatness. Unfortunately, sometimes it’s just a bus going to nowhere. Because you couldn’t find the right “keys” to unlock the team’s potential."

Wally's Comment: Now you're ready, or maybe not. Terry Starbucker shares some ideas on how to turn that bunch of people into a team that performs.

From Gordon Clogston: Team Leadership in Action
"I recently engaged a general contractor (Ken Hansen, Hansen Builders, Inc.) to manage a remodeling effort we are working on. Though I have been managing projects in the high-tech/training industry for many years, my knowledge with respect to construction is a little weak. I knew I would need help managing the project and more specifically managing all the subcontractors such that the project could be accomplished on task, on time, and on budget. And so the search for a general contractor began. After reviewing my options I selected Ken Hansen’s company for several reasons not the least of which was his years of experience doing the kinds of work we needed done; but also because of his willingness to educate me along the way so that I could function more independently in future. What I was not expecting was the opportunity to observe team leadership in action."

Wally's Comment: Lessons on how to work with your team members are everywhere. Gordon Clogston learned something by watching how Ken worked with his team.

From Nina Simosko: Leaders – Only Do What You Can Do
"Many of us are challenged by our inboxes, by our list of priorities and the demands that are placed upon us by our colleagues, teams and business stakeholders. Leaders are no different. Except in the way that we respond. You see, leaders only do what leaders can do. Or more precisely, leaders should do what only they can do"

Wally's Comment: One more thing before we go. You wake up every morning with the choice of dozens of things to do. Nina Simosko has solid advice about how to choose the most important ones.

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 innovation and investment opportunity, the latest "next economy," the business of art, performance reviews, and an important leadership conversation.

How I Select Posts for this Midweek Review

The five posts I select to share in my Midweek Review of the Independent Business Blogs are picked from a regular review of about sixty blogs I check daily and an additional twenty-five or so that I check occasionally. Here's how I select the posts you see in this review.

They must be published within the previous week.

They must support the purpose of the blog: to help leaders at all levels do a better job and lead a better life.

They must be from an independent business blog.

As a general rule, I only select posts that stand on their own, no selections from a series.

I reserve the right to make exceptions to the above.

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.

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.