Thermostatic Leadership: The Quiet Power of Creating Balance and Influence
| Sheri Miller Holt, 2025
What’s It All About?
In manufacturing, leaders sometimes need to pick up a different tool and work through a challenge until everything flows smoothly and productively again. But what happens if you’re using the wrong tool, or trying to apply the same tool to many different problems? If you’re using the same tool to fix all your machines, you likely won’t find productive results and you’ll miss out on opportunities to improve safety, quality, and efficiency.
This principal doesn’t just apply to machines. If you want to improve the way you connect with your teams, you need to get away from a “one size fits all” approach and truly master the unique tools you need to transform how you show up.
In her great book Thermostatic Leadership: The Quiet Power of Creating Balance and Influence, Sheri Miller Holt draws on her years of workshop experience to offer ideas you can apply right away in your own plant. It’s a short read, but full of actionable tools and techniques that have helped other leaders find repeated success. She also leans into the emotional intelligence side of leadership, touching on topics like self-awareness, being more aware of others, and defining what “good” looks like as a leader.
Thermostatic Leadership is only eight chapters and gets right to the point, so you can pick up this book and in less than an hour, be back on your shop floor using your new tools to drive meaningful action for your team.
Favorite Quotes
“Firmness ensures clarity and structure, while compassion fosters trust and understanding.”
Biggest Takeaway
Chapter four focuses on the skills of thermostatic leaders and the importance of asking yourself questions like “how often do I reassess my default leadership style to meet my team’s evolving needs?” Asking questions like this allows you to shift your mindset and show up as the leader your team actually needs. For example, reflective questions might guide you to focus less on deadlines and results and instead, focus on learning about your team’s current challenges and how you can help feel more supported. Shifts like these are game-changers and can help you find positive results.
This section also discusses the important of clear expectations and compassionate communications. It contains powerful reminders to frame feedback with objective observations, rather than immediately jumping to blame. One tip is to use “I” statements in accountable conversations. For example, say “I noticed the deadline was missed, and I’d like to understand why” instead of defaulting to judgmental questions like “why did you miss this deadline?” Questions like these will lead you to honest, more productive conversations and show you what you team really needs to thrive.