Manufacturing Greatness | Productivity | Retention | Profits | Continuous Improvement | Safety | Workforce Development | Labor Challenges | Skills Gaps | Industry 4.0

Welcome to Manufacturing Greatness with Trevor Blondeel, where we work with organizations to manufacture greatness by leveraging resources you already have to achieve greater retention, productivity, and profits. To learn more, visit www.manufacturinggreatness.com and click here to subscribe to Trevor's monthly newsletter. Now, let's jump in! Talk is cheap. To lead a team, you have to roll up your sleeves and do the work. In this episode, Mark Whitten joins the podcast to share real-world lessons on manufacturing leadership, accountability, and authentic leadership for Operations Managers, Production Managers, Manufacturing Managers, and Shift Supervisors. We dig into communication skills, growth mindset, and trust building, plus what it really takes to show up consistently, lead by example, and drive stronger engagement and performance on the shop floor. 0:35 – Feedback from listener Danny; "I appreciate these truths from experience" 1:16 – Mark Whitten introduction 2:21 – Your actions and how you show up. It is about leading by example 3:04 – Early influence on what leadership looks like & the burden of leadership 3:28 – Talk is cheap 4:55 – Retaining credibility and trust 6:32 – Getting people onboard to make changes 10:08 – The balance in leadership 12:14 – Value and impact of '1:1 meetings' and setting expectations 15:26 – The simplicity of effective leadership 17:38 – Executing the '1:1 meetings' 20:30 – Delaying tough decisions and the impact on your credibility 26:08 – Why many leaders fail to recognize the value in leading by example 27:31 – Exercising your leadership potential 29:45 – If you choose leadership… 31:12 – Summary & Canadian trivia

Welcome to Manufacturing Greatness with Trevor Blondeel, where we work with organizations to manufacture greatness by leveraging resources you already have to achieve greater retention, productivity, and profits. To learn more, visit www.manufacturinggreatness.com and click here to subscribe to Trevor's monthly newsletter. Now, let's jump in! buck stops here. In this episode, Brian shares why manufacturing leaders must keep their head up, stay aware, and take full accountability for the culture and results around them. We explore manufacturing leadership, accountability, strategic thinking, and communication skills for Operations Managers, Production Managers, Manufacturing Managers, and Shift Supervisors. Brian breaks down how awareness, authentic leadership, and growth mindset help leaders strengthen trust, improve engagement, and drive performance on the shop floor. :50 – Brian Leising introduction 03:13 – How Mindfulness has contributed to Brian's success 05:36 – Servant leadership 06:00 – "How are you going to turn this thing around?" P.R.O.U.D. 09:34 – Listening to understand, not just respond 12:00 – Modeling, Accountability, and Humility 14:24 – Rewarding aspects of being Mindful 15:50 – The fight to retain your Integrity 17:34 – The problem with blame. Accept responsibility and ownership 20:55 – The "Buck Stops" here 21:45 – Your decision is: to Stay or Go. If your decision is to Stay, own it. 23:39 – Transparency and alignment in communication of the What & Why 25:24 – Brian's One Thing 27:25 – A 'money pit' and advice for an up and coming leader 28:49 – Contributing to Core Values & Beliefs 29:30 - Close

Welcome to Manufacturing Greatness with Trevor Blondeel, where we work with organizations to manufacture greatness by leveraging resources you already have to achieve greater retention, productivity, and profits. To learn more, visit www.manufacturinggreatness.com and click here to subscribe to Trevor's monthly newsletter. Now, let's jump in! With over 20 years in HR across automotive, pharmaceutical, and wood products manufacturing, Dave joins the podcast to share insights on manufacturing leadership, workforce engagement, and authentic leadership for Operations Managers, Production Managers, Manufacturing Managers, and Shift Supervisors. We talk communication skills, accountability, and trust building, plus how leadership at every level connects to culture, retention, and getting real results on the shop floor. :40 – Listener feedback: Kim reminded us that just being aware that sometimes we're very hard on ourselves and that it's okay, to not get everything done, nor show up as that person that's always doing the right thing, because that's how we learn. Our journey is more like the golf game, just trying to hit the green more often 02:16 – Introducing new co-host and guest for today Dave Baker 04:07 – The practicality of why Mindfulness in manufacturing matters 06:00 – Mindful contrasts of being masked and not masked 08:31 – Presentation to a CEO making no eye contact and the resulting impact 12:00 – Mindfulness of the blue-collar worker 'pulling handles' at 3:00 a.m. 17:36 – That 'silly certificate' 18:57 - The money left on the table in the absence of discretionary effort 20:29 – A funeral and a tie. Underestimating the impact you have on people. That estimation that you have on others is what's called mindfulness. 22:45 – Work the shutdown? Nope, and here's why 23:48 - The one thing: pay attention to what you say how & how you say it 25:49 – What would be done all over again? Stepping forward to make mindful changes to facilitate positive employee relations to get better results 29:32 – Summary 30:05 - Closure

Welcome to Manufacturing Greatness with Trevor Blondeel, where we work with organizations to manufacture greatness by leveraging resources you already have to achieve greater retention, productivity, and profits. To learn more, visit www.manufacturinggreatness.com and click here to subscribe to Trevor's monthly newsletter. Now, let's jump in! Join us as Michelle Maldonado joins the podcast to unpack unconscious bias and how it directly impacts hiring, engagement, and attracting the right talent. In this episode, Michelle, founder of Lucenscia, shares insights on manufacturing leadership, emotional intelligence, and authentic leadership for Operations Managers, Production Managers, Manufacturing Managers, and Shift Supervisors. We explore difficult conversations, communication skills, and trust building, plus how mindfulness, self awareness, and compassion help leaders address bias, strengthen culture, and improve workforce retention. Michelle makes uncomfortable topics approachable while offering practical strategies to lead with clarity and intention on the shop floor. 2:30 – Unconscious bias – we all have it! Beliefs that we have about a person or group or conditions that we are not even aware of. Great examples and explanation, self awareness development. 7:45 – We each are either racist or anti-racist. And, here's why: silence and inaction can equate to enabling, and this depends on your comfort level to speak up. Hiring for diversity, and on boarding for assimilation does not help. Be curious and engaging in conversation. Bias sneaks in when we scan for threat, we are hard wired that way. In groups vs. out groups. Stretch yourself to also be in the company of people who think differently and have different experiences. 12:30 – To make a difference, depends on your comfort level to speak up. One of the original meanings of the work competition come from the Latin word Competere. The original meaning was everyone striving together towards a common objective, and over the centuries, we have twisted this to in order for me to win, you have to lose. There is room for everyone at the table. 14:40 – make an edit 16:00 – Any meaningful societal change in history did not happen at the top, it came from the people. We can all take a step – do one thing - or make a commitment to change one percent of whatever you are doing. It does take all of us, collectively to generate change. At some point we need the CEO or leader at the top to be modelling and be all in. In supportive, not judgemental ways. Consistent modelling. 20:00 – Context is crucial, each person has to evaluate how they can contribute and what are they comfortable with. 21:45 – You can be a good person and still hold bias, Michelle explains micro-aggressions and how they work. The offence is measured at the ear of the listener, and not at the mouth of the speaker. Intention does not always match impact. 25:00 – What to do when you become self-aware that you have said the wrong things. You need to be in conversations. 27:40 – The difference between mindfulness and meditation – they are different, but related. The purpose of being mindful meditation or practicing it, is to help our selves be grounded, focused, clear, and aware as well as to be compassionate, properly self-managed and high performing, filling up the well. Mindfulness is to be present with what ever is happening with yourself, others and your environment. If you are not aware of yourself, the level of awareness of others is probably low. Mediation is another way of saying a focused attention practice. 36:00 – Michelle explains the Institute for Organizational Mindfulness where she serves on the board, and where we serve as the ambassadors for Manufacturing! It is all about how we bring mindfulness to the workplace, built by people who have come from business. IOM provides resources and courses to cultivate that skill set within yourself. Join the effort by signing up for free here www.iomindfulness.org/membership and be part of the community membership program getting access to exclusive member content, webinars, news, and more. How to contact Michelle or learn more about her work: [email protected] the information about what it means and how it works. in/MichelleLMaldonado www.Lucenscia.com

Welcome to Manufacturing Greatness with Trevor Blondeel, where we work with organizations to manufacture greatness by leveraging resources you already have to achieve greater retention, productivity, and profits. To learn more, visit www.manufacturinggreatness.com and click here to subscribe to Trevor's monthly newsletter. Now, let's jump in! Connor Swenson joins the podcast to challenge how manufacturing leaders think about productivity and performance. In this episode, Connor shares insights on manufacturing leadership, emotional intelligence, and growth mindset for Operations Managers, Production Managers, Manufacturing Managers, and Shift Supervisors. Drawing from his experience teaching productivity and mindfulness programs at Google, we explore communication skills, accountability, and authentic leadership, plus how redefining productivity helps create healthier teams, stronger engagement, and better results on the shop floor. 2:40 – Multi-tasking – technology has a huge role to play in what we can do, however combining two cognitive tasks – switch tasking is different and actually slows you down, it can take you 23 minutes to get back on track according to studies by Gloria Mark. Office workers checking phones every 5 minutes, open our phones 50 to 80 times a day. 5:30 – How to get things done with an open door policy? Productivity is very personal, Connor explains how Google managed and best practices. Blocking time in your day and making clear expectations. How that creates greater productivity through entire day, less meetings! 11:48 – The Make Time program, defaults are all around us. Recognize and adjust – Larry Page felt that every person at the meeting over the total of 7, diminished the effectiveness of the meeting. They are not for status updates. Explains Asynchronous communication. 14:20 – If an agenda is not set out 24 hours ahead of time you don't need to go – (I Love that!). Great advice on how to be more productive! 17:50 – Search Inside Yourself – the case for skeptics of mindfulness in the workplace – connecting to the broader scope of emotional intelligence. Training yourself in self-awareness by practicing mindfulness. Based on the foundation of Daniel Goldman and his book Emotional Intelligence and neuroscience. Your software can change your hardware. (Connor goes deep here check it out if you are a skeptic like I was!) 26:30 – Willpower – the dangerous idea, is it as real or as important as we think? Research is leading to the environment structure being more important. 31:15 – The Infinity Pool – these apps are just never ending, like ESPN where they are designed to make it easy to consume more and more great content. Technology is not evil, however they are designed to make it fun and keep you engaged. Try deleting the app?? 36:28 – Space to pause – the STOP method, Stop, Take a Breath, Observe how you feel and proceed. ##Control your response You can hear from Connor on his weekly newsletter, One Percent Wisdom, where he shares simple, sustainable tactics and strategies you can use to develop your mind and better your work 🧠 or follow connect with him on one of these platforms. Website: connorswenson.com Newsletter: connorswenson.com/newsletter Twitter: @crswenny LinkedIn: profile Email: [email protected]

Welcome to Manufacturing Greatness with Trevor Blondeel, where we work with organizations to manufacture greatness by leveraging resources you already have to achieve greater retention, productivity, and profits. To learn more, visit www.manufacturinggreatness.com and click here to subscribe to Trevor's monthly newsletter. Now, let's jump in! What kind of leader does it take to go from team member to owner and president of three manufacturing companies? In this episode, Jesika Young of Cimtech joins the podcast to share insights on manufacturing leadership, growth mindset, and authentic leadership for Operations Managers, Production Managers, Manufacturing Managers, and Shift Supervisors. Jesika breaks down how to earn a seat at the table, her three C's for building the right culture, and why communication skills, accountability, and trust building matter at every level. We also talk mindfulness, leadership presence, and what it takes to drive performance while being recognized by Influential Women in Manufacturing. 2:25 – What Jesika does different – put the team first, and all things will fall into place. 'No one person is above the team' Bo Schembechler 4:07 – Jesika's background – how this made her what she is today 6:25 – The three C's to a team culture, being collaborative, communication, and consistently – they key to their growth 8:30 – 2M to 20M in annual revenue manufacturing plants, are forecasted to be the growth space for woman to have ownership in manufacturing. If that number grows by 2.5% per year, one third of manufacturing could be owned by women by 2030. (From article published by Frances Brunelle) 9:53 – Jesika's biggest struggle – getting a seat at the table, still a struggle today! Always being one to raise her hand, working hard has earned her a presidents role at the Metro Manufacturing Alliance, a group for manufactures by manufactures. 13:08 – Advice for other's – nothing is not earned, woman still need to perform. Things need to change and evolve – example is the flex time – involved the team and there was a great morale and productivity boost. Not the whistle blowing break time, think outside of the box! 17:00 – You are with your team more than your family, enough trouble outside the four walls so work together – Rank everyone on Safety, Quality and being a good team member. Being accountable, dependable, innovative and showing initiative. 19:00 – Performance evaluations come with personal incentive plans 21:05 – A fourth C could be Celebration! Recap on the success and build on it. 26:00— Managing the ego, make yourself aware of your strengths, and consistently stay in my lane. Built a team with the strengths that I do not have. 28:42 – Sit down, absorb what you got, and think and act with intention to better yourself. Follow Jesika here;anks Trevor, that certainly captures it. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jesikayoung/ https://www.facebook.com/jesika.k.young https://twitter.com/JesikaYoung Cimtech website: www.cimtechmachine.com

Welcome to Manufacturing Greatness with Trevor Blondeel, where we work with organizations to manufacture greatness by leveraging resources you already have to achieve greater retention, productivity, and profits. To learn more, visit www.manufacturinggreatness.com and click here to subscribe to Trevor's monthly newsletter. Now, let's jump in! We're excited to welcome our first international guest, Deiric McCann, joining us from Ireland. In this episode, Deiric, Head of International Development at Genos International, shares insights on manufacturing leadership, emotional intelligence, and authentic leadership for Operations Managers, Production Managers, Manufacturing Managers, and Shift Supervisors. We explore communication skills, trust building, and leadership presence, plus how emotional intelligence and charisma directly impact engagement, accountability, and the bottom line on the shop floor. 1:05 IOM.The Institute of Organizational Mindfulness. Trevor talks about this institute and the benefits of the IOM. Join the effort by signing up for their free community membership program. By joining you'll get access to exclusive member content, webinars, news, and more! www.iomindfulness.org/membership 1:55 Mindfulness Manufacturing introduces Deiric McCann. 4:00 Challenges.Deiric explains the challenge of the name "Emotional Intelligence' his own and others struggles with this title. He never had a really good definition of Emotional Intelligence that inspired people or turned them on. He and his colleagues came up with a definition that made sense to them and others. 9:25 Charisma. Trevor asks the question can you be charismatic and not be emotionally intelligent? Deiric discusses his findings writing his book and the challenge of finding a definition for charisma and what Leadership Charisma means. 15:26 People, people, people. Trevor talks about technology and people. Deiric shares his insights and experiences with technology and people and how it has always been people, people, people. Sharing how technology has been introduced into organizations and how people can worry about this and the role emotional intelligence plays in all of this. 22:25 Advice. Mike asks, what advice would you give to someone who is interested in Leadership?Deiric states, to focus on developing the ability to work more effectively with people. Two ways to develop emotional intelligence read a lot of books and start to pay attention to the way you show up, develop a mindfulness practice. Develop a self-awareness to tune into yourself and others. Start working on your emotional intelligence. https://www.capgemini.com/research/emotional-intelligence/ 27:27 One thing to leave the listeners.Deiric talks openly about the pandemic and how this snuck up on all of us and how big of threat it was and is. He talks about building up the resiliency with the people he works with to handle these challenging times. What we are seeing is an epidemic of stress in people over this. People are just not talking about it. He openly talks about it being normal to be stressed, it's a normal natural reaction on how do we deal with this adversity. The moment you say this is normal this is natural you take a lot of pressure off of yourself. 32:03 What was the first concert you ever attended?An Irish group called Aslan. Deiric explains his memories of this and other musical bands. 33:10 Stranded on an island what band or artist do you bring with you?James Taylor.

Welcome to Manufacturing Greatness with Trevor Blondeel, where we work with organizations to manufacture greatness by leveraging resources you already have to achieve greater retention, productivity, and profits. To learn more, visit www.manufacturinggreatness.com and click here to subscribe to Trevor's monthly newsletter. Now, let's jump in! Terry is a third generation President and CEO of a family built CNC distribution business and founder of Champion Now, an organization dedicated to changing people's perception of manufacturing for the better. In this episode, Terry joins the podcast to share insights on manufacturing leadership, growth mindset, and authentic leadership for Operations Managers, Production Managers, Manufacturing Managers, and Shift Supervisors. We talk communication skills, trust building, and accountability, plus how passion, people-first leadership, and long term thinking help reshape manufacturing culture, improve engagement, and attract the next generation to the shop floor. 2:56 The human interface. Terry discusses the human element and how this has always been a constant. The human interface in buying and selling components is still consistent today, 40 years later since Terry has started. 5:40 Automation and computerization. Terry talks about where he sees Manufacturing going and how manufacturing companies were not very good at marketing their companies, good at marketing their products not their companies. They have not marketed the jobs or careers within their company very well. 8:05 Everything starts with integrity. Terry talks about never deciding based on a financial gain or loss it has always been on integrity and honesty and running a company on these virtues. What has happened over the years there has not been as strong of a mentoring program for the younger people. 10:20 look for somebody who is a good person. Terry talks about looking for people who are good to the core and want a relationship. People want a job but they truly want to have a relationship at their work. There is way too much jumping around. Terry discusses Manufacturing day and the importance of promoting this to show videos and films and invite people into the facilities. This helps to show what todays manufacturing offers. 13:25 Show up early, stay late and tell the truth. Terry talks about the 3 things that he promotes and finds important to help the younger people in a career. The importance of taking the time to live by these helps create a career rather than a job. Terry talks about how he has lived these 3 virtues within his own business. 17:31 Champion now. Terry talks about Champion now, 'Change How American Manufacturing's Perceived In Our Nation". In 2012 founded he founded the organization with the sole purpose of changing perceptions of manufacturing for the better. Helping the younger generation understand the great careers offered in manufacturing today. 22:23 There's an opportunity. Terry talks about woman in manufacturing and how we need to be advocates of this. He talks about being fortunate of meeting and working with woman in manufacturing even within his own business. Being more aware and being more open to this can make the difference. 25:56 Relationships make the world go around. Terry talks about the importance of relationships and the role this plays in manufacturing and within his own business. 27:20 First concert. Terry's first concert, Bad Company. And if stuck on an island one artist to take with you? Dan Fogelberg would be my choice. https://championnow.org/product/podcast/ Copy and paste the link to access information on Terry's book. You can follow and reach Terry at the following social media platforms Twitter feeds @Championnow @terrymiverson @iversonandco Facebook pages Iverson & Company C.H.A.M.P.I.O.N. NOW

Welcome to Manufacturing Greatness with Trevor Blondeel, where we work with organizations to manufacture greatness by leveraging resources you already have to achieve greater retention, productivity, and profits. To learn more, visit www.manufacturinggreatness.com and click here to subscribe to Trevor's monthly newsletter. Now, let's jump in! What does it take to progress your career as a woman in manufacturing while running production on the shop floor? In this episode, Diana Soares joins the podcast to share her 30 year journey from loading parts to leading plants through continuous improvement. We explore manufacturing leadership, growth mindset, emotional intelligence, and authentic leadership for Operations Managers, Production Managers, Manufacturing Managers, and Shift Supervisors. Diana breaks down why relationships, communication skills, and staying mindful matter more than being purely technical, plus shares real lessons on trust building, accountability, and navigating change. Expect practical takeaways, a few laughs, and insights you can use to make your next day better. 00:55 Introductions, Mike and Trevor welcome Diana to the Mindfulness Manufacturing podcast. 4:27 It's a man's world, isn't it? Diana speaks openly about a comment made to her after asking a question. Being a woman in a manufacturing environment and the challenges she faced in the beginning. Diana talks about working very hard, her main goal at that time was to learn everything and understanding the equipment, doing every job as a focus when she started. 6:58 Is everything okay, you don't smile? This comment made by a team member took Diana back and really made her think. Diana's body language had the team members thinking she was upset and this changed things for her. I had to show them that it is fun and I had to shift focus to be not only on the equipment but to ensure I spent time on the people. The team member that asked this question brought the mindfulness out in me and made me think about this. 10:07 How do you become more intentional? Diana explains ways of being more intentional as a leader. Be authentic! Be open to listen to feedback and don't be afraid to step back, listen to the people and be true to yourself and you can make it anywhere in any role. 11:37 Do you remember the broom one Mike? Diana talks about an experience that she encountered a long time ago, first starting out. I asked a team member to clean up and sweep and he said to her "I don't' get paid to sweep". Diana didn't know what to do and headed for Mike's office in a panic. Diana and Mike took the time to role play the situation and practice on how to handle it. Doing this helped to build Diana's confidence and as time moved on with more role playing she became very good at handling all different situations. 15:46 We also had fun! Mike opens the conversation with Diana, even during the stressful times we always laughed and this helped me so much. Diana speaks about when we had to get the work done we did it and we genuinely cared about each other, we we're a team and when we could we always had fun and this helped so much during chaotic times. 16:30 Hotspot. Diana openly discussed about Mike putting her on the tougher areas, the "hot spots" She recalls one time being out on Line 12 a very strong male dominant team, we reduced from 18 to 11 and Diana thought how am I going to do this? Diana speaks about taking the time to learn every station and this gained me a ton of respect. Diana had people bringing her coffee and drinks and really warming up to her. At the end, we produced more parts with less people and the team ended up being just amazing! 20:02 Short notices and coming to help others. Diana shares her experiences on being asked to go to other divisions to assist with operations and helping to improve the numbers. Another time she was asked to go to another plant and not to focus on the equipment, she was asked to help with the people and ultimately the culture. 3 months of talking with the people! Another experience was going to a plant the unfortunately experienced a fire and help them rebuild and get production going. The corporate world knew who Diana was and the value she offered! 22:34 So what do you do different? Diana had an AGM ask her, "so what do you do different'? How do you get the numbers? Diana's reply was I don't know and I truly didn't know. It was natural to be myself and be there working with the team, be yourself and be authentic. Wherever Diana went the results followed and therefore those questions got asked. Mike explains Diana's ability to build a relationship was so great and worked very well and this is how she built teams and achieved results. 27:10 You put me and a co worker on opposite shifts. Diana shares a time when Mike put herself and another co worker on opposite shifts to achieve results. The chemistry Diana had with this other leader was like no other. The two of them created a one team culture across two shi

Welcome to Manufacturing Greatness with Trevor Blondeel, where we work with organizations to manufacture greatness by leveraging resources you already have to achieve greater retention, productivity, and profits. To learn more, visit www.manufacturinggreatness.com and click here to subscribe to Trevor's monthly newsletter. Now, let's jump in! 1:48 What was it really like working in that culture?Scott explains what it was like working for Horst and the type of transparency and culture he focused on. Scoot encourages the listeners to listen to the podcast with him and Horst if you haven't yet as it will help understand some of the items he discusses. 4:07 Leadership approach, what was yours?We had a lot of successes and in many cases the guys were promoted into leadership because they were the best tool and die maker, best engineer but we didn't equip them to be prepared as a general manager. We were just go, go, go and growing. In this type of setting you better be a good listener! We had to empower and help each of these guys and girls and be open to learn to be able to adapt to those different functionalities. 7:30 Learning opportunities.Scott explains his strategy on helping the general managers to be great leaders. We had regular interactions with them, and we created this "Lean leadership Development program "We integrated the leadership expectation with lean learnings and functions. Lean gives you the tools right on the shop floor, focused on the people and the floor. 10:17 What's the how look like? Scott talks about the successful divisions and the only way this program was going to work is it had to start with me. I had to start with me and being open to change and being that humble learning leader. I had the most opportunity to change but it's tough as I had to expose my weakness. 12:35 How do lean and mindfulness go together?Scott talks about the humble learning leader and how my behaviors affect those around me. I learned a lot about how my behavior was affecting others around me, I was always late for meetings and taking calls when I was talking to others. So, it was a lot of self-reflection and making changes to be better. I had to make a conscious decision if I can't be on time then be early. 17:38 We would go to each division.Scott talks about the lean leadership transformation how himself and other leaders would visit each plant and learn and share what each of them were working on as part of their lean leadership journey. 19:02 Leaders model.Some general managers were open to change, and some were not, they would push back, and I looked at it that they didn't get it yet. Scott talks about his role helping the general managers understand the program. We would do a little bit of modelling certain things and sharing with others. 23:47 What were your results?Scott talks about the lean leadership program and the results from it. The was really good impact but keeping in mind lean is a very long journey. We had much more opened minded general managers. The financial crisis of 2008 happened, and everything went from long term to what is happening right now, and this pushed off the rails for a bit. I feel good about the impact the program had on the capabilities of the general managers. I don't think enough of the lean stuck and I didn't do enough aligning or creating measurable results. 33:00 Are you a chicken or are you a pig?As we wrapped up Scott explains the breakfast analogy that he referenced over the years "are you chicken or a pig" this refers to are you committed? In a breakfast the pig is 100 % committed and give its life for the greater good and a chicken is only partially in. The same commitment is in your work and everyday life. Are you a chicken or a pig?

Welcome to Manufacturing Greatness with Trevor Blondeel, where we work with organizations to manufacture greatness by leveraging resources you already have to achieve greater retention, productivity, and profits. To learn more, visit www.manufacturinggreatness.com and click here to subscribe to Trevor's monthly newsletter. Now, let's jump in! Enjoy part 2 and pick up where we left off on episode 14! 1:12 Do something small. Horst talks about being a Plant Manager and you are behind financially and on resources, do something small, take a small step and this is not expensive and is better than doing nothing. 2:59 You can't be a spreadsheet manager. You can't drive results from a spreadsheet, you have to help people hands on and be an inspired manager and help build the teams. I cannot promise anyone it is easy, in manufacturing as a leader it is challenging but very rewarding. 4:26 How did you manage your ego? Scott explains they helped each other keep it in check, talking and having frank discussions. Even though he is my boss I had to more than once have a heart to heart and kick each other in the butt. It goes back to our relationship and having different skills, we could move mountains and we did. Horst talks about bringing some ice cubes and cooling down, honesty and saying what you need to say. 7:40 A lot of it is around empathy. Scott tells a story about Horst. Horst didn't get angry much but when he did we knew it and we called it, "you used to lose your lips" your lips would tremble, we would talk about it and joke about it but that was always a cue for us and we would refocus. It's your job as a team to tell the leader when he is losing his lips or becoming angry, or driving off the cliff, if the leader is open minded and mindful, they will listen. This is key to a collaborative environment. 13:23 Alignment. Horst talks about alignment and you as a leader being aligned with the organization, shareholders and your boss that's basically ownership. If you are not you will eventually run into trouble. This applies for everybody. I would also focus on work life balance; I was mostly working so I would do that differently. Scott talks about work life balance and his experiences with this. 15:40 What is important for you? Horst discusses the importance of each of us truly knowing what is important to us "The purpose of life is happiness" so you should ask yourself are you happy? If you are not you should change it, it's your life! Do what make you happy! 19:54 Go slow to go fast. Sometimes you need to slow down and consciously make good decisions. Horst shares his experiences on the importance of stepping back when under stress, step away and make good choices. Most of the time we don't need to react right away, get all the facts and then make the move. You have to "Go slow to go fast"! 24:10 The 3-legged stool. Horst explains his vision and the analogy of "The 3-legged stool". We used this analogy of having 3 parts of your business, your customer, investor and people. It's important that all 3 legs are successful and to focus on each of them. One can be very strong but if the other legs are shorter or not as strong than your business is not balanced. Each of them needs attention and balance. The bottom line is you need a balanced business. There will be times when one leg is stronger or shorter but over time the responsibility of the Manager is to balance these. This applies to any business. 31:04 What are you guys doing now? Horst and Scott talk about their lives today and what each of them are busy at and enjoy doing. If you would like to learn more about Horst and his daughters business, check it out at https://dancingspirittours.com/.

Welcome to Manufacturing Greatness with Trevor Blondeel, where we work with organizations to manufacture greatness by leveraging resources you already have to achieve greater retention, productivity, and profits. To learn more, visit www.manufacturinggreatness.com and click here to subscribe to Trevor's monthly newsletter. Now, let's jump in! Horst Prelog and Scott Turner join the Mindfulness Manufacturing podcast as we explore how their backgrounds and accomplishments shaped their impact on manufacturing leadership. In this episode, we talk manufacturing leadership, growth mindset, and authentic leadership for Operations Managers, Production Managers, Manufacturing Managers, and Shift Supervisors. We cover communication skills, accountability, and trust building, plus how learning from experienced leaders helps strengthen culture, improve engagement, and drive better results on the shop floor. 3:42 A challenging undertaking. Horst spends time talking about taking over a successful organization and the challenges that go along with this. Explaining how important it is to have goals and everyone moving in the same direction with good alignment. Focus on the people and what is expected. 5:50 People and Different mindsets. We were great but how do we become greater? Horst references good to great and not to become complacent and giving good direction. 7:40 Hands on, Scott and I were hands on people! We established a clear vision of where wewanted to go, what is our mission on this journey and what are the values we are achieving to get there. We created a credo writing down our goals and what is important for everyone to have and understand. 10:04 A collaborative approach. Horst talks about collaboration as well asnon negotiables for the team and how important this is with leadership. 12:00 The credo! Horst explained the credoand how we wrote this down and handed it out to every person in the organization that created accountability and the team held us to it. Respect, trust, values and commitment, we decided on and we always helped each other. 16:21 I can't say that this is an easy thing to do. Horst talks about if you choose not to follow these values you will find trouble down the road. It's a slippery slope violating our commitments and how important it is to stick to it. 19:40 We changed the compensation model. Horst explains how he and Scott changed the compensationmodel so each person's compensation (bonus) was affected if there were challenges. This was not an easy undertaking but the right thing to do. 22:00 Howdo you handle that one plant who doesn't want to help the other plants? Horst explains how he would spend time talking with these plants and helping them understand and convincing them the right thing to do is help each other. There are certain percentages who don't want to, and we would ask if they would want to be a part of this team. The right seat of the bus and if you didn't want to be a part of it then exiting the bus. 25:27 Scott and I were a fantastic team! We worked so well together and as a leader you have to recognize what are your strengths and when do you need to fill in with people who can help you. 27:10 The learning environment, why is that so important? Horst and Scott talk about the importance of being a learning organization and without that you are limited. You always requirelearning; all businesses have to do this. Firing people is not the answer, no one is perfect, and you have to learn that hiring and firing is not the way, becoming a learning company is the way. Horst shares under his and Scott's leadership the different leadership learning programs offered.

Welcome to Manufacturing Greatness with Trevor Blondeel, where we work with organizations to manufacture greatness by leveraging resources you already have to achieve greater retention, productivity, and profits. To learn more, visit www.manufacturinggreatness.com and click here to subscribe to Trevor's monthly newsletter. Now, let's jump in! In this episode, Vancouver Canucks captain Bo Horvat joins the podcast to share insights on leadership, resilience, and mindset that translate directly to manufacturing leadership for Operations Managers, Production Managers, Manufacturing Managers, and Shift Supervisors. We talk about the transition from player to captain, what that shift requires from a mindfulness and accountability perspective, and how communication skills, trust building, and authentic leadership help teams stay focused under pressure and perform at a high level. 2:10 Being out of the game. Bo shares his thoughts on getting the team back in the mode once they return to the ice. Getting back to the team aspect again and in the same mindset, everyone is on the same page. Team bonding. 4:40 Promoted within the same group. Trevor asks how did you find going from player to the captain? Bo explains he had tremendous support from the players, the coaching staff and the city. Leading by example, it was challenging but if you have the right guys around you it makes all the difference. 6:50 Positivity. Bo talks about the importance of being positive and displaying that to the players, win or loss. He thinks it is so important to be this way even when you have bad days. It comes natural to him and if someone is down then it can disperse amongst the group and that doesn't make anyone better. 9:04 It's good to get away from it. Although I love the game, it's good for me to get away from it. I like to decompress and think about other things and coming home to my wife and dog. I don't like to sit in my hotel when on the road, I like to see the cities we are in, get out and do things. 11:54 The white noise. Bo talks about how he handles the media and passionate fans. Blocking out the white noise as his coach would call it and focus on the guys and listening to the coaching staff really helps with this. 13:20 The advantage of a small community. Bo talks about how the whole town of Rodney is like one big family and how that community has always supported him and his hockey career. This speaks to how I grew up and where I am today has to do with the community. 15:29 Grateful to wear the C. Bo talks about how happy he is to play for a Canadian team and how his dream of being drafted and playing in the NHL came true. Can't really think of anything he would change, very happy with where he is and his past. 17:00 Get to be yourself. Bo talks about living who he is and being himself. This is something he works hard at staying true to himself and not allowing his head get too big or take for granted where he is and how he got here. It's a great career but not a long one so I make the most of it and am grateful for what I have. 17:42 Role Model who's yours? Bo talks about his parents and how they did everything to get him where he is today. I wouldn't be where I am if it was not for them. Bo talks about surrounding himself with the right people is so important and how his wife is his rock and is so great for me to come home and talk to, it keeps me sane. 20:20 What was the first concert you went to? Nickelback, my parents took me to it, I was 15 and I loved it. 20:50 If you were stuck somewhere, who is the one artist you would take with you? That's a tough question, I like country music, I really like Eric Church. Bo talks about his diverse interest in music, lots of depth in Eric Church, great choice.

Welcome to Manufacturing Greatness with Trevor Blondeel, where we work with organizations to manufacture greatness by leveraging resources you already have to achieve greater retention, productivity, and profits. To learn more, visit www.manufacturinggreatness.com and click here to subscribe to Trevor's monthly newsletter. Now, let's jump in! 2:55 I've never spent so much time at home. Trevor discusses the challenges of changing habits and the time we all have right now and how that creates space. With space you have a chance to get to know the inner self more, understanding self-awareness. 5:27 Why are you going so fast? Trevor talks about the feedback given by Mike as to why Trevor was driving so fast. There is no reason to rush or speed. You can take that and apply it to your own life. What have you felt during these times and will it change to help you make a difference? Out of tough times comes good things and choices. 7:58 What do you see in yourself? Are you going fast? Have you asked for feedback from others to be better? Feedback should come from a point of caring and being genuine. 10:00 Time available, what do you do to get better? What fits for you to make your state of wellbeing, be the best for you? It's important to find your outlet and what really works to keep you stable. Once you find it, practice and be disciplined to do so. 12:15 The "What If's" Falling into the trap of the what ifs and what if this or that happens and the negative effects the what ifs can have on all of us. Take time to ask yourself if the what ifs are real and if they are then do something with it, if they are not then let them go. 15:03 Committed to have a better self. What can we take away during these times to be better? What's the good stuff you take with you when everything starts to move again? We all have negative thoughts especially during these times and that's okay. 17:10 I can spend some time to myself and that's okay. Learning things through these times that help us. Making use of technology and connecting worldwide with friends and family and what works for you to feel better. 19:04 The intent. Our intent always is, looking to provide questions and discussions that make people think and how it can help make you be better. When we talk about mindfulness how do you personally find your stability. How do you work to be better and minimize the chaos? One person can make a difference. 21:25 Can you just let it happen? We see something good coming out of this. What's worked for you, it's in you to develop yourself and help others. Thanks to all the front-line workers, very appreciative and thanks so much for listening.

Welcome to Manufacturing Greatness with Trevor Blondeel, where we work with organizations to manufacture greatness by leveraging resources you already have to achieve greater retention, productivity, and profits. To learn more, visit www.manufacturinggreatness.com and click here to subscribe to Trevor's monthly newsletter. Now, let's jump in! What a great connection with former NFL Pro Bowler Eric Wood. In this episode, Eric joins the podcast to share insights on leadership, accountability, and authentic leadership for Operations Managers, Production Managers, Manufacturing Managers, and Shift Supervisors. We talk about impacting others, communication skills, growth mindset, and what it takes to lead under pressure, along with a few football stories and real-world lessons that translate directly to building trust, engagement, and performance on the shop floor. 1:20 Eric Wood introduction and background. Listen as Eric talks about his NFL career and when his world was rocked and how God had different plans for him and his family. 3:18 Looked like one of the everyday members in the gym. Eric talks about humility and how he played a game where he got to throw a ball around for a living. Not taking himself too seriously and not holding himself in too high of a regard and staying grounded. 6:03 Servant Leadership. Eric talks about what he wants to see in a leader. Getting better or getting worse there is no grey area. Eric talks about taking time and getting to know his teammates and making friends and following a servant leader. 8:22 Trust. Mike discusses trust and how that impacts teams and relationships. Podcast 0, Eric's introductory podcast speaks from a place of authenticity and sincerity. Eric talks about how he got into his podcast "What's next with Eric Wood". 11:11 Receiving the news on your career coming to an end. Eric talks about his career ended and how he felt at that time. He took the approach of motivating himself and realizing he is starting in an industry he was not familiar with. Eric talks about doing a lot of inner work to be better and help to get through tough times. 14:08 Others oriented. As soon as it's about you, you are going to struggle in your life. Eric talks about helping others through community and church and controlling your mental being and being there for other people. 15:19 Walter Payton award. Eric talks about the Walter Payton award and what that means to him and the sport. How you treat people is completely within our control. Eric talks about how good it feels that his peers voted him in for the Walter Payton award. 19:00 Mindfulness. Eric talks about where he sees mindfulness going. More and more studies show how visualization and mindfulness play such an important part in our lives. 20:54 Float around on auto pilot. To be living based on routines we all have, meditation allows us to stop and look at doing things differently. Be intentional, do things that benefit you. Enjoy the moment and enjoy where you are in life. 23:15 Serving others. Eric discusses the way we share, and others share with all of us. Having a daily gratitude practice will fill you with peace and help uplift others around you. 24:56 Make an impact at home first. Eric talks about a life coach he has worked with in the past and the question of "are you making an impact at home first"? So much more value in taking the opportunity to make the impact in your own home. Just be home with family. 27:00 Trevor asks a few quick questions. 29:08 The ways to follow Eric Wood.

Welcome to Manufacturing Greatness with Trevor Blondeel, where we work with organizations to manufacture greatness by leveraging resources you already have to achieve greater retention, productivity, and profits. To learn more, visit www.manufacturinggreatness.com and click here to subscribe to Trevor's monthly newsletter. Now, let's jump in! For the first time, we recorded this episode from separate locations as we practiced safe distancing and continued bringing you meaningful conversations. In this episode, we focus on resilience in manufacturing, growth mindset, and emotional intelligence for Operations Managers, Production Managers, Manufacturing Managers, and Shift Supervisors. We talk about leading through uncertainty during COVID 19, managing fear, strengthening communication skills, and staying grounded when emotions run high. You will walk away with practical strategies to stay focused, support your team, and maintain perspective so performance and morale do not suffer during challenging times. 1:20. The topic today is resiliency. During these uncertain times keeping in mind we are not alone; we are in this together. How do we adapt to stress and the different landscapes we are in? With this comes growth and different ways of thinking and what will our world look like months from now. 3:30. If you don't like what your focused on change it! How do we do this? If you can focus on others, who can you help, who needs your help? Diverting your attention a lot of healing can come from that. Make best use of your day to be better! When you find meaning in your suffering it ceases to be suffering. 5:36 Labeling it is important. Once we identify something and label it we can focus on it and work through it. It's a good time to look deeper into self, ground yourself and look at what is important in your life. Look at one day at time. 8:00 It doesn't matter what your situation is, if you are working or not working, everyone has level of being uncomfortable. The fear is common for all of us, no better time for mindfulness and understanding our own emotions. Every one of us are capable of observing on our own emotions. 10:56 What will it be like in 6 months? We know great things will come from this, not totally sure what these are but it will happen. As the saying goes, you can go through it or you can grow through it! Looking for different ways, people are very giving right now! 12:24 The thinking for resiliency! We have the physical, how much sleep are we getting, exercise and finding ways to do new things. Making good use of our time, relationships and connecting with people, who needs that phone call? Using today's technology to see each other from all around the world. Use the different platforms that are available to all of us. 14:42 The only thing you can control is your reaction to what is happening around you! We are all human and accept the situation, diffuse the emotion and gain control over it. Have a little self-compassion. Don't be so hard on yourself. If you miss certain routines that's okay, get back on track and get back into your rhythm. 17:05 Watch a movie! Take the time to enjoy a movie, laugh and take your mind off of the everyday stress we are all faced with. Focus on what your in control of! Doing different things is so good during these times to help with these circumstances. 18:48 Social media. How can we use this to connect and express ourselves! so many different ways to spend our time!

Welcome to Manufacturing Greatness with Trevor Blondeel, where we work with organizations to manufacture greatness by leveraging resources you already have to achieve greater retention, productivity, and profits. To learn more, visit www.manufacturinggreatness.com and click here to subscribe to Trevor's monthly newsletter. Now, let's jump in! In this episode, the guys take time to reflect on what they have learned about authentic leadership through both success and failure. We explore manufacturing leadership, self awareness, and growth mindset for Operations Managers, Production Managers, Manufacturing Managers, and Shift Supervisors. You will hear practical insights on recognizing self awareness in others, strengthening communication skills, and showing up as your best self. We also talk trust building, accountability, and how authenticity directly impacts engagement, culture, and performance on the shop floor. 2:55 The ways we got better. We discuss our offsets and the benefits of this. Being different is good as you learn from each other and grow. Emotional Intelligence. 5:05 If you have to announce it your likely not practicing it! Ways to be more mindful and come from a place of authenticity. Saying your something all the time doesn't necessarily mean your living it! 7:00 Your a good dancer. Mike tells a story from his past on how he would use big words to try and impress people and all he was doing was confusing people. It is so important to be yourself and not dance around the issues. Always be real and yourself. 11:35 The Asshole Pill! Discussion on the feedback we both received years ago on being more of a hard leader on the people, and to take an "Asshole Pill"! Rather than sending a person away crying we talked through situations on how we could do things different and be a good leader for the people. 14:25 Being open to change, can I show up a bit differently for the better. Partnering with the right fit and we share experiences on growing and learning all the time. 15:30 Mike your just too nice, take the "Asshole Pill'. Mike shares his experience on reflecting on how to be assertive and respectful to the people. Are you willing to trade in your beliefs for something you are not? Can you sleep at night knowing your being something you are not? 19:25 The autopsy review. Mike shares a story of how we can all get into a mode of deflating others and ourselves. A leader's job is to help pull the person out of being defeated and inspire others to have a purpose. What can I do different to get a different result? Can't just be about coming in and building product has to be about giving people purpose. 21:15 Ask for help. Trevor explains his current partnership with an organization and the steps this owner is taking to be a better leader with self-awareness. 24:20 The top of the organization and the willingness to want to make a change for the better. Being open to change has to start at the top for it to work. 25:40 How do you have mindfulness without human connection. You will have people that you don't connect with and that's okay, be curious and learn from each other. Offsets are so important for all of us.

Welcome to Manufacturing Greatness with Trevor Blondeel, where we work with organizations to manufacture greatness by leveraging resources you already have to achieve greater retention, productivity, and profits. To learn more, visit www.manufacturinggreatness.com and click here to subscribe to Trevor's monthly newsletter. Now, let's jump in! Privileged to have Lianne Gallie join the podcast to share her journey of mindfulness across manufacturing Human Resources and now into teaching at the college level. In this episode, we explore manufacturing leadership, emotional intelligence, and authentic leadership for Operations Managers, Production Managers, Manufacturing Managers, and Shift Supervisors. Lianne shares practical insights on communication skills, self awareness, and channeling emotions with intention, plus how staying curious and people focused strengthens trust, engagement, and performance on the shop floor. 2:19. My growing up phase. Lianne talks about her discoveries around emotion and passion and how they can work for you or against you. 4:40. Passion the definition. Lianne talks about how she portrayed passion and how this was perceived by her Leader and others and the impact that had on her and her career. 6:00. Mindfulness, the moment to moment awareness. Knowing in the moment where you are at and the importance of talking through things. Accept and let it go! 8:37. I moved on. Lianne goes into detail and explains the valuable lesson she learned years ago from a not so favorable situation. 10:04. My message is not, not to be emotional. Be conscious of what you do and say and try to learn this early on. Be aware of your emotions and knowing when it is good timing to show them. 12:45. Gas or water, you decide. As a leader and being mindful we have a choice to help resolve situations or add to them. Do you know what's inside your bucket? Are you bringing gas or water, how are you showing up? 14:45. The importance of H.R. experience and operations experience. The group discusses the experiences and the power of having worked in H.R and also working in operations. The value of being well rounded and how this helps. 17:40. Lessons learned.Lianne explains the importance of learning from mistakes and how we don't have to answer questions right away. Take a moment to understand and then answer. 21:00. You don't have to be the first to finish the race. The group discusses how manufacturing can be very hectic and it's okay to take time to step back or away and ensure you are handling situations appropriately. 23:10. Dress for the job you want, not the job you have. Lianne opens up the discussion on the importance of this statement and how important it is to allow yourself to be you. 24:40. Employee involvement. The power of asking the employees to assist in problems and creating ownership at shop floor level. 27:45. Lianne's closing comments "One last thing woman need to think about".

Welcome to Manufacturing Greatness with Trevor Blondeel, where we work with organizations to manufacture greatness by leveraging resources you already have to achieve greater retention, productivity, and profits. To learn more, visit www.manufacturinggreatness.com and click here to subscribe to Trevor's monthly newsletter. Now, let's jump in! The legendary Brian Skerrett joins the podcast to share wisdom from his 40 plus year career integrating mindfulness and leadership development. In this episode, we explore manufacturing leadership, emotional intelligence, and authentic leadership for Operations Managers, Production Managers, Manufacturing Managers, and Shift Supervisors. Brian shares practical insights on self awareness, communication skills, and growth mindset, plus how making small individual changes today builds stronger leaders, deeper trust, and more fulfilled teams on the shop floor. 1:50 The beginning of Brian's career. Listen as Brian talks about his experience meeting the one and only Stephen Covey and the mindfulness journey. 4:00 Pushing yourself into a pretzel! Brian talks about the purpose of mindfulness and how it is meant to quiet the mind and create a healthy body. 5:40 EAP and the connection to mindfulness. Both management and employees were hurting, conflicts not being resolved, creating anxiety and frustration. That's when I introduced mindfulness practice and where do you put your attention. 8:20 You gave me a gift that I never opened until many years later. Trevor talks about meeting Brian and the approach to mindfulness. Brian talks about how most people have to go at mindfulness and come back to it many times until they grasp it. 12:16 Leaders intentionally creating conflict. What do you tell Leaders who operate this way? Creating an uncomfortable environment does not create a better environment. Brian shares how stress harms the body and the effects it has on us. Fight or Flight? Mindfulness allows us to avoid this type of behavior and not get hooked by the conflict and be present. 15:36 You're not chained there. You have options in how you handle things. It's only a gong show if you buy into the gong show. Mindfulness is key. 17:16 The speed of technology. Brian shares his experiences with technology over the years and how mindfulness plays into it. 19:00 Emotional Intelligence, it takes courage to embrace and stick with something. Learn how to adapt and advance your culture. 22:35 The sizes of our enterprises. The large companies have a hard time adapting to challenges and mindfulness. Working with the highest level and having an impact on the organization. Brian shares some great quotes and perspectives on leadership. 25:48 The bosses who listen to feedback. Brian explains the importance of a boss allowing others to give feedback to them and the impact and the need. Today it doesn't happen often enough. 27:42 It's around trust. It's a fundamental piece if a solid team, how do build trust, maintain trust and this is something that is sadly lacking. 29:22 Mistakes and failures. Brian talks about the leadership style of making mistakes and the learning opportunity. It's important in terms of people learning. 31:28 What things are like at home versus what things are like at work. Brian talks about the connection between home life and work life and the importance of these two. People have to have a life of their own and have a balance. Spending too much time working and not enough time at home. 34:35 Legacy. Brian describes what legacy means to him. How companies can push you until you are dry, and some are more in tune to the employees needs and got good results, they cared.

Welcome to Manufacturing Greatness with Trevor Blondeel, where we work with organizations to manufacture greatness by leveraging resources you already have to achieve greater retention, productivity, and profits. To learn more, visit www.manufacturinggreatness.com and click here to subscribe to Trevor's monthly newsletter. Now, let's jump in! Today we're joined by JC Wilkinson, VP of Business Transformation at Vivid Impact, to share practical insights from two decades of operational, financial, and consulting leadership. In this episode, JC joins the podcast to talk manufacturing leadership, strategic thinking, and authentic leadership for Operations Managers, Production Managers, Manufacturing Managers, and Shift Supervisors. We explore communication skills, accountability, and growth mindset, plus how operational discipline, continuous improvement, and people-focused leadership come together to drive better decisions, stronger engagement, and measurable results on the shop floor. 1:10 Transformation. Growing a company on what matters most and what matters least. Listen how J.C. explains the challenges of execution and how everything starts with the Leader. Leadership is commitment, devotion and alignment. 5:35 Leadership, hours on the floor. It's important the leaders are on the floor. J.C. explains how the process of tracking the number of hours each leader dedicates to the shop floor. He talks in detail about leading with humility and developing a culture of respect. 8:40 Language and people. We start at the top and establish a cascading effect right through to the operator, linkage is very important. 10:57 Measurement drives behavior. Safety, People, Quality and Cost, the people are super critical, the hiring of the right people in the hiring process is the most important thing. 13:34 Turnover. Check first to see, am I treating my external customer better than my internal customer? J.C. explains the impact the book, "The Dream Manager" had on him and how they incorporated this into their work place. 15:04 Emotional connection. We asked the team members, what are your dreams, what are your aspirations? We put out a culture survey to capture data, with questions such as, "what can the organization do to help you be a better version of you"? 17:10 Leadership alignment and consistency. Common challenges, managing through the chaos and fighting fires. J.C. explains the importance of standard work and how that helped to bring clarity and control to the work day. 22:15 People wanting leadership positions. Clarity, expectations are so important to people seeking leadership positions. When we are faced with problems, we always bring it back to, "how is this helping our customers"? 24:20 What do you look for in an employee? We established a criteria matrix comprised of skills and behaviors. We use a role descriptor not a job description and a team-based hiring approach. We quantify each candidate.

Welcome to Manufacturing Greatness with Trevor Blondeel, where we work with organizations to manufacture greatness by leveraging resources you already have to achieve greater retention, productivity, and profits. To learn more, visit www.manufacturinggreatness.com and click here to subscribe to Trevor's monthly newsletter. Now, let's jump in! Welcome to part two with Andrew De Haan, automotive manufacturing culture builder and toolmaker with a passion for people and leadership. In this episode, we continue the conversation on manufacturing leadership, emotional intelligence, and authentic leadership for Operations Managers, Production Managers, Manufacturing Managers, and Shift Supervisors. Andrew shares his 30/50/Green framework, a bottom up reapplication of manufacturing focused on customer impact, people, and return on investment. We talk accountability, communication skills, trust building, and why working harder is not the same as getting better results. Expect practical insights on aligning effort with outcomes while staying grounded in his leadership mantra: do what is right, do your best, and treat people the way you want to be treated. 14:30 Always important to be self-aware. Knowing who we are is more important than what others think. Every time you step into a new role you have a new opportunity to reflect on what worked and what didn't. 16:00 Like to have a good time. No one takes on a new role with the idea of failure in mind, but it happens. If we feel we can influence or change or situations and there is a return on it then we should do it, if we can't it is time to move on. 20:13 What to look for meeting people, 3 quick evaluation tools. Does the individual know what they are talking about? Can I trust them, which is purely instinctive, first impressions are important. And do they care about me personally, do they have the ability to build a relationship? 27:20 The salty email she thought she would get fired for. Always representing the values of the organization are so important, being direct and clear to help build people, coach mentor and guide. 30:40 When and how to speak your mind – awareness of others. I have always been very vocal, always spoke my mind maybe when I shouldn't have. A little more tact would have been far better for me. We learn from our mistakes, reflection helps.

Welcome to Manufacturing Greatness with Trevor Blondeel, where we work with organizations to manufacture greatness by leveraging resources you already have to achieve greater retention, productivity, and profits. To learn more, visit www.manufacturinggreatness.com and click here to subscribe to Trevor's monthly newsletter. Now, let's jump in! Today we're joined by Andrew De Haan, a culture builder in automotive manufacturing and a toolmaker with a deep passion for people and leadership. In this episode, Andrew shares insights on manufacturing leadership, emotional intelligence, and authentic leadership for Operations Managers, Production Managers, Manufacturing Managers, and Shift Supervisors. We talk mistakes and successes, communication skills, trust building, and growth mindset, plus Andrew's simple leadership mantra: do what is right, do the very best you can, and treat people the way you like to be treated. Expect practical takeaways, real stories, and a few laughs along the way. Part 1 4:55 Neutral to Positive or completely negative. The instant feeling we get when starting a conversation with a person, are they thinking like a victor or a victim. WE know this in the first part of a conversation with any individual. 6:30 Be confident in who you are. Self awareness and confidence both have a very important part within a Leadership position. Be confident in what you represent, helping the organization and helping solve problems, talking about the facts are good leadership qualities. 7:20 You can't be 100% technical. Andrew talks openly about the balance of technical skills and people skills. Explaining the role each plays as a leader and the importance of how both play a role in manufacturing. 9:10 Need to know who you are and add value to people's lives. Being self aware and clearly knowing yourself are key items to helping the people around you. 12:05 Focus less on me and more on others. Spending time understanding the importance of helping others and less time focused on yourself is the job of a Leader. 13:45 Still about results. At the end of the day, results are what matter! 17:30 Culture of Engagement. Gaining the trust of your people and instilling a sense of pride creates a culture of participation and engagement. 18:30 Frogger – an easier way to get across. Watching people take a shortcut to get to the other side of a very busy highway made me realize I needed to do something different with my leadership team. Taking the time and having the patience and not looking for short cuts are essential to Leading a team.

Welcome to Manufacturing Greatness with Trevor Blondeel, where we work with organizations to manufacture greatness by leveraging resources you already have to achieve greater retention, productivity, and profits. To learn more, visit www.manufacturinggreatness.com and click here to subscribe to Trevor's monthly newsletter. Now, let's jump in! Welcome to part one with Bill Priamo. In this episode, Bill joins the podcast to share manufacturing leadership insights shaped by his unique maintenance background and people-first mindset. It's rare Bill opens up like this, so we go deep on communication skills, authentic leadership, and growth mindset for Operations Managers, Production Managers, Manufacturing Managers, and Shift Supervisors. We talk about balancing technology development with real human connection, why trust building matters on the shop floor, and how staying curious helps leaders drive engagement, accountability, and team performance. 2:30 Technology development verses the connection with people 7:45 Why are we not following the standard work? 9:35 How you say it and how you do it, and the message sent is not always in how it is received - self-awareness 11:30 Set the tone - sing a song - don't try to change the world, change yourself 15:00 Crowd control - keep things in perspective when the pressure is on 19:00 Walk slow - be present 23:30 Sharp elbows - developing into how Bill stopped being what people expected him to be and start being who he is - Authenticity

Welcome to Manufacturing Greatness with Trevor Blondeel, where we work with organizations to manufacture greatness by leveraging resources you already have to achieve greater retention, productivity, and profits. To learn more, visit www.manufacturinggreatness.com and click here to subscribe to Trevor's monthly newsletter. Now, let's jump in! Part 2 with Bill Priamo - more great discussions! 1:00 - The fear of dealing with people 5:00 Try harder - does not work - those who Bill used to think were soft, actually had a lot to offer 9:00 Timing on when to send your message, positive or negative 13:50 Awareness of others 17:20 Mentors and why they are key - Bills favourite books - Give and Take by Adam Grant and Change Your Questions Change Your Life by Marilee Adams 21:00 The man who is always right will never know when he is wrong 24:00 Bill's final reflections - instilling confidence in others

Episode 1: Mike Hillman and Trevor Blondeel are excited to launch their new manufacturing podcast. This episode provides information about how and why they decided to develop this resource. Each episode will feature an interview with manufacturing leaders on the topics of leadership challenges.