Built Tough: Women Leading Manufacturing Becca and Jennifer
Blue-Collar BS · Brad Herda and Steve Doyle
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Show Notes
Two Gen X women who worked their way through male-dominated manufacturing share stories about earning respect, managing up, and why facts beat emotions every time. Becca and Jennifer reunite with Brad who used to manage them back when they all worked at Bucyrus to discuss leadership lessons.
Both women rose from early roles to director level positions Becca now leads marketing at Super Products making truck mounted vacuums, while Jen oversees materials management. Their journeys reveal how women succeed in heavy manufacturing through pragmatism, strategic thinking, and refusing to accept limitations.
Both emphasize that good leadership means listening, showing empathy within boundaries, teaching and mentoring, and never micromanaging. Jennifer's rule: if you come to her with a problem, bring at least one potential solution. She won't do your job for you but will remove roadblocks.
Highlights:
- Jennifer and Becca share stories about what it was like to work with Brad.
- State your worth during hiring negotiations - advocate for yourself from day one.
- Discussion on if manufacturing has changed for women in the last 20 years.
- How many men in the industry actually act as big brothers looking out for women in the field.
- Managing up requires making complex issues understandable to those above you.
- Gen Z candidates may not understand professional boundaries or realistic skill levels.
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