The Leadership Contrarian

In this episode of The Leadership Contrarian, Michael explores a hard truth many leaders overlook: most managing problems are actually hiring problems in disguise.

Discover why hiring the right people starts long before the interview, how unclear roles lead to micromanagement, and the hiring principles that help build a loyal, high-performing team. If you want to spend less time managing and more time leading, this episode is for you.

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#Leadership #Hiring #LeadershipDevelopment #BusinessLeadership #CompanyCulture #TheLeadershipContrarian

In this episode, Michael shares a hard lesson from the early years of Half a Bubble Out, when a hire who looked right on paper created years of cultural friction that affected far more people than anyone realized.

That experience revealed a powerful leadership principle: hire, train, and fire to your Core Values.

If you're building a team, growing a company, or trying to protect the culture you've worked hard to create, this conversation will challenge the way you think about your core values and how they relate to hiring, accountability, and leadership.

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In Episode 007 of The Leadership Contrarian, Michael Redman, CEO of Half a Bubble Out, shares a deeply personal story that reveals what leadership really looks like when life doesn't go according to plan.

When a sudden health crisis hits his family, everything accelerates—decisions, emotions, responsibilities—and the reality becomes clear: leadership isn't just about performance in stable moments. It's about what holds you steady when everything shifts at once.

This conversation explores resilience not as a concept, but as something built over time—through faith, relationships, and the margins you create long before a crisis arrives.

In this episode, you'll learn: • Why resilience isn't something you create in the moment • What leaders are actually carrying during seasons of uncertainty • The role of faith and daily grounding in staying steady • How relationships and inner circles strengthen your capacity • Why financial, time, and structural margin matter more than you think

This episode is for leaders who want to grow their capacity before the storm hits—so when it does, they're not trying to hold everything together for the first time.

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In episode 006 of The Leadership Contrarian, Michael Redman, CEO of Half a Bubble Out, explores why leadership formation doesn't stop at the office door—and why the pressure leaders face at work often reveals what's been formed (or unformed) at home.

Michael offers an encouraging and deeply practical message: four simple, proven relational disciplines practiced in marriage and family life that quietly strengthen leadership under pressure.

These aren't marriage tips. They're formative practices—habits that shape presence, connection, repair, and posture when stress exposes what we truly believe and value.

Drawing from decades of marriage, leadership, research, and lived experience, this conversation explores:

• Why compartmentalized leadership eventually breaks down
• How stress reveals formation in our closest relationships
• Four relational disciplines practiced at home that shape leadership everywhere
• The crossover between marital health and leadership capacity
• Why pressure doesn't build character—it reveals it

This episode is for leaders who want to grow capacity without performing, fixing, or carrying everything alone—and who recognize that the health of their closest relationships quietly determines the strength of their leadership.

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Michael Redman | The Leadership Contrarian CEO of Half a Bubble Out Business & Leadership Development

In episode 005 of The Leadership Contrarian, Michael Redman explores how our cultural picture of leadership has evolved—from the lone hero archetype to the kind of leadership required in today's organizations.

Classic movie heroes like John Wayne taught us that leadership meant strength, certainty, and independence. But stories like Star Wars revealed a different kind of leadership—one where very different people must learn to trust each other and work together to overcome challenges.

Modern leadership isn't about the lone hero riding in to save the day. It's about bringing people together, building trust, and helping teams succeed collectively.

This episode introduces two of the five relational capabilities that research has shown to be foundational to effective leadership: Caring Connection and Fostering Team Play.

Michael reviews how trust, honesty, and shared responsibility can transform both culture and performance.

If leadership today requires more than grit and determination, the real question becomes: what skills actually allow leaders and teams to thrive together?

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#LeadershipContrarian #BusinessLeadership #LeadershipDevelopment #TeamLeadership #ThoughtLeadership

In Episode 004, Michael explains why he chose to call this newsletter The Leadership Contrarian, and why the name points to something much deeper than branding.

Michael names a growing reality facing leaders today: the Formation Gap. It's the widening divide between the weight leaders are being asked to carry and the formation they've actually received to carry it well.

As the world grows more volatile, faster, and less trustworthy, leadership has increasingly been reduced to shortcuts—tools without wisdom, performance without endurance, and success without stewardship.

This episode explores:

• What the Formation Gap is and why it's growing
• The three forces creating pressure on modern leaders
• Why much of today's leadership advice is incomplete—or harmful
• What Formation-First Leadership really means
• Why leadership must be formed internally, relationally, and tactically
• Who this work is for—and why it matters now

This is a call to whole leadership that endures without costing you your integrity, your family, or your inner life.

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— Michael Redman | The Leadership Contrarian CEO of Half a Bubble Out Business & Leadership Development

In Episode #003 of The Leadership Contrarian, Michael Redman, CEO of Half a Bubble Out, explains why leadership can't be reduced to performance, personality, or hustle—and why sustainable leadership requires something deeper, more human, and more integrated.

This conversation introduces the five core elements of Creative Leadership—not as tactics, but as parts of an internal operating system that allow leaders to grow results without burning out their lives, teams, or values.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• What Creative Leadership really means
• Why leadership breakdowns aren't about effort or intelligence
• The five core elements that sustain healthy leadership over time
• How trust, awareness, authenticity, systems, and execution work together
• A simple question every leader should be asking right now

This framework is for leaders who want to build something that lasts—without sacrificing their integrity, relationships, or joy in the process.

👉 Subscribe to The Leadership Contrarian email newsletter: https://www.halfabubbleout.com — Michael Redman | The Leadership Contrarian CEO of Half a Bubble Out Business & Leadership Development

In Episode 002 of the The Leadership Contrarian, Michael Redman, CEO of Half a Bubble Out (HaBO), explores why leadership feels harder right now—and why that's not your imagination.

We're living in a VUCA world: Volatility. Uncertainty. Complexity. Ambiguity.

Drawing from a formative experience in 1980 and more than 20 years of working with leaders, Michael unpacks:

• What VUCA really means (and why it's personal)

• Why yesterday's leadership tools no longer work

• How resilient leaders stay grounded when everything feels unstable

• Why internal capacity—not external control—is the key to leading well in chaos

This episode isn't about reacting faster or doing more. It's about becoming a steadier, more human, and more effective leader—without adding more to your plate.

If you're navigating constant change, pressure, and uncertainty, this message will meet you right where you are.

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— Michael Redman | The Leadership Contrarian CEO of Half a Bubble Out Business & Leadership Development

Welcome to Episode #001 of The Leadership Contrarian — a new weekly series from Michael Redman, CEO of Half a Bubble Out.

In this first episode, Michael shares why this message feels overdue—and why leaders were never meant to live or lead divided lives.

After more than 20 years working with business owners and leadership teams, one truth has become clear: A healthy business starts with a holistic life.

This episode explores:

- Why leadership can't be siloed from life, faith, or family

- The cost of a divided life

- What it means to lead with integration, resilience, and purpose

- What you can expect from The Leadership Contrarian moving forward

If you're a leader craving more alignment, capacity, and sustainability—this series is for you.

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Michael and Kathryn define the term holistic in a business context and share examples of how holistic thinking can improve your company's growth. If you often find yourself working 'in the weeds' of your business, and want a new perspective, then this episode is for you!