As I sit down to reflect on another year of serving Michigan's employer community, I find myself returning to a question that many of you have asked me: "What resources do you rely on to stay sharp as a leader?" The truth is, even after decades in this role, I'm constantly learning. And one publication that consistently delivers practical wisdom is Harvard Business Review (HBR). HBR recently published “Our Favorite Management Tips from 2025,” and I wanted to share the five that resonated the most with me.

1. Become a More Courageous Leader

Real courage in leadership comes from taking action even when fear is present. I've learned this lesson repeatedly when making difficult decisions. Courageous leadership means creating space for uncomfortable conversations and being willing to make decisions when all the data isn't in yet.

For those of you leading organizations through today's economic uncertainty, talent crisis, and evolving workplace expectations, courage might mean abandoning practices that worked for decades but no longer serve your teams. It might mean admitting you don't have all the answers and inviting your people to help chart the path forward.

2. Identify Your Core Values

It can be tempting to say yes to every opportunity, every partnership, and every initiative, but doing so can cause your organization to lose focus. Clarify what your organization truly stands for and make decisions based on those core values.  Ask yourself if saying yes supports a core value.

Does this opportunity advance your mission? Does it serve your customers? If not, it's a distraction. Write down your values – personal and organizational – and use them as a filter for where you invest your energy.

3. Be an Inspiring Leader

People don't follow organizations; they follow leaders who make them believe in something bigger than themselves.

Inspiration comes from the connection between daily work and meaningful outcomes. When I help our staff understand how their efforts directly support thousands of Michigan employers, that connection transforms their engagement. The same is true in your organizations. Employees need to see how their work matters. It might seem obvious to you, but sometimes they don’t see the bigger picture of how their work contributes to the overall goals of the organization.

4. Manage Overwhelm Before It Turns to Burnout

We're in an epidemic of leadership burnout, and no one is exempt from it. The always-on culture, the blurring of work and home, the weight of responsibility for others' livelihoods – it accumulates in ways we don't always recognize until we're in crisis.

HBR's approach to managing overwhelm is preventative rather than reactive. It's about building systems and boundaries before you're drowning. Delegation, saying no to non-essential commitments, and protecting time for strategic thinking rather than filling every minute with meetings is essential. Actively manage your capacity before it manages you.

5. How to Recover from the Emotional Drain of Leadership

Leadership often takes an emotional toll. Over time, ignoring that toll can manifest in declining health, strained relationships, or compromised decision-making. Emotional recovery is essential. HBR outlines three practices for emotional recovery.

Reflect: After a particularly challenging conversation or decision, pause and check in with what you're actually feeling. Ask yourself: What emotion is showing up right now? What is this feeling trying to tell me? Whether you journal, record voice memos, or talk with a trusted peer, the key is to process emotions rather than push them down where they can fester.

Reframe: When you're in the midst of emotional difficulty, it's easy to let that experience distort your self-perception or your view of the situation. Ask yourself: What can I learn from this? How could this challenge ultimately strengthen me or the organization?

Restore: You cannot lead effectively when you're emotionally depleted. Rebuild your reserves by disconnecting from work, engaging in activities that restore rather than drain you, learning something completely unrelated to your role, and reclaiming control over small aspects of your day. Find what works for you.

I'd love to hear which of these insights resonates most with you and what other leadership resources you're finding valuable. Feel free to reach out to me at mcorrado@aseonline.org.