“How do I reduce turnover in my organization?” “Why do I keep losing my best team members to the competition?” “How do I grow the skills I need to inspire and guide my team?” As a leader in a manufacturing organization, questions like these might weigh on your mind every day. But you might struggle … Read More
An Everyday Reminder of Impermanence Earlier this month, I stayed at a hotel while I helped a client. After a few days, I built up a bit of a rapport with the manager working in the lobby. As I walked into the hotel one day, I asked her how her day was going. “Same old, … Read More
In a recent article, I talked about why curiosity is a real superpower on the manufacturing floor. Even when a leader has great intentions or productive feedback, they may struggle to communicate with their team if they don’t have a curious mindset. Stay Curious or Shut Down Conversations?: A Case Study For example, look at … Read More
Who doesn’t love feeling like a superhero?! As a leader in the manufacturing industry, it feels great to be able to swoop in to solve a problem, offer a new solution, and get productive results. However, your team doesn’t always need a superhero. Oftentimes, what they need is an empathetic, curious leader who focus on … Read More
“Put on your own mask before assisting others.” If you’ve recently been on a plane, you probably heard this phrase during the pre-flight safety instructions. If there is an emergency that requires oxygen masks, you’re encouraged to put on your own oxygen masks before helping others. If you lose consciousness from a lack of oxygen, … Read More
On the manufacturing floor, you probably take steps to protect your employees from physical harm, like offering safety training on certain equipment or having clearly marked emergency exits. But are you doing enough to ensure psychological safety for your team, too? What Is Psychological Safety? The term “psychological safety” was first coined by Harvard business … Read More
On the manufacturing floor, there are always going to be dozens of different, diverse personalities. When people with different—or even conflicting—personalities need to engage with each other, and it can cause conflicts that drain the energy of the team, create frustration, and lead to low productivity or high turnover. However, it’s still possible for a … Read More
“My team just has too much connection!” Throughout my years of coaching and advising manufacturing leaders, this isn’t a statement I often hear. In fact, it’s usually the exact opposite. When there is a disconnect between leaders and their teams, it leads to communication challenges, poor culture, halted productivity, and a lack of trust throughout … Read More
Using Empathy, Intention, and Communication: The Tools for Breaking Down Barriers for Women in Manufacturing Women only account for 43% of the total workforce. Their numbers are even smaller in the manufacturing industry, with women holding around 27% to 29% of manufacturing industry jobs. To make matters worse, this percentage has stayed the same since … Read More
The Steps to Embracing Your Rubber Band Resilience To learn about growth and resilience, look toward rubber bands! On a recent episode of the Mindfulness Manufacturing podcast, I welcomed corporate energy expert Kathy Parry for an energizing conversation about her ideas on “rubber band resilience” and how manufacturing leaders can embrace the strain that comes … Read More