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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 performance management, ethical behavior, setting goals, work-life synergy, and one way you may be sabotaging yourself.

From Dan McCarthy" A Performance Management Model
"As a follow-up to the recent post and comments "Are You Managing or Just Nagging?", here's everything you need to facilitate a robust dialog on performance management, with lots of room for grey areas."

Wally's Comment: I rarely choose sequels or posts that are part of a series for this collection, but there's an exception to every rule and practice. Dan recently had a great post titled "Are You Managing or Just Nagging ." The post above will stand on its own, but you'll get more from it if you also read Dan's earlier post.

From Chris Edmonds: Plot Your Path to Ethical Behavior
"That is a longer term solution. In the short term, what can you do to ensure you behave ethically – in your own eyes and in those who observe your plans, decisions, and actions – each day?"

Wally's Comment : Wondering about a particular action? Chris Edmonds has three questions you can ask yourself to test it against your ethical standards.

From Jesse Lyn Stoner: 7 Things I Learned About Goal-Setting in 1999
'In 1999 I decided to re-prioritize my life. My children were five- and ten-years old, and my career was approaching a peak. I travelled two to three days a week and worked an additional 30 hours a week in my home office. I squeezed work into every crack – joining a conference call while preparing breakfast, responding to email while my children played, and preparing program materials after they went to sleep."

Wally's Comment: There's an awful lot written about the power of goal setting and a fair amount is bunk. Here's a post that illustrates the power of goals setting as well as the way goals and life interact.

From Mary Jo Asmus: Three Surprising Tips to Getting More Done: Work-Life Synergy
"Some of us remember the days when we were excited about the possibilities for technology to save us time. Personal computers, cell phones, and the internet allowed us to have access to any information wherever we were, and allowed others access to us whenever they needed. We really believed that that all of this connectivity would make us more efficient."

Wally's Comment : Mary Jo Asmus is an effective executive coach, so she knows that having a life as well as a job is a far bigger challenge than it sounds. She suggests three things you can pay attention to that will make it, if not easier, at least more effective.

From Scott Eblin: Is being the “go-to person” holding you back?
"A big part of my work as a coach involves working with high-potential leaders in workshops, keynotes and webinars. One of my favorite questions to ask these audiences is, “How many of you think of yourselves or have been referred to by others as the ‘go-to person?’ ” Usually, about every hand in the room goes up. I asked that question as a flash poll in a webinar recently, and 98% of the 400-plus managers and executives on the line affirmed that they are the go-to people. It’s not surprising, really. Most people who end up in leadership roles have built a reputation for being go-to people."

Wally's Comment: Boy, did I see myself in this post. It's more proof of how things that make us successful in one situation can have the opposite impact in another. Good news, though, Scott Eblin has three suggestions for how to neutralize the curse of being the "go-to" person.

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 Sam Palmisano, JC Penney, Carrefour, internal competition, and social media.

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.

Also as a general rule, I do not select posts that are either a book review or a book report.

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. .

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.