When there’s a leadership shift in a manufacturing organization it leads to major change—and brings its own unique challenges like new team dynamics, cultural shifts, and general growing pains. With the right approach, a change in leadership can also lead to valuable opportunities for growth.

Just ask Joe Carrothers and Kristin Rivait from SWT Group. Joe is the president of SWT Group who moved from being the CFO to being the president of the organization, and Kristin is SWT Group’s HR director who worked closely with Joe during this unique leadership transition. In this story-filled episode, Joe and Kristin give a peek behind the scenes of SWT Group’s leadership transition. They give a honest look at both their success and struggles, offer insights on building trust and advocating for a stronger culture, and share why curiosity and patience are the keys to turning a leadership transition into an opportunity for transformative change.

1:07 – Some leaders struggle with being results-focused and being seen as unapproachable by teams
2:02 – During a time of transition, executive coaching can be a valuable tool
2:54 – How do you quantify the ROI of people-focused initiatives?
6:15 – If you want to grow and learn, you need to be willing to have tough respectful conversations
8:26 – Shift away from pre-formulated answers to truly listening and responding
11:17 – Patience and curiosity are key ingredients to a strong partnership
16:29 – When there is transparence and humility at the top of an organization, it contributes to a more accountable and open culture
18:00 – By being present on the floor as a leader you create a stronger sense of unity and collaboration
21:51 – It is important to be your authentic self and build true relationships with your team
28:13 – In times of leadership transition, practice patience and perseverance

Connect with Joe Carrothers and Kristin Rivait

Learn More about SWT Group

On the manufacturing floor, you have dozens of everyday opportunities for negotiation, from talking with a team member about an upcoming pay raise to trying to get a better deal from a supplier. In your everyday negotiations, what can you do to say less, get more, and make effective changes?

You need to master the art of negotiation—and in this episode, guest Fotini Iconomopoulos is here to share the tools you need to know. Fotini Iconomopoulos is a master communicator and negotiator based in Toronto. She’s also the author of Say Less Get More: Unconventional Negotiation Techniques to Get What You Want. In this episode, she shares more about the power of negotiation and share actionable insights for unlocking your negotiating greatness.

1:00 – Learning how to negotiate and communicate is an important skill for manufacturing leaders

3:20 – Negotiation plays a key role in many manufacturing scenarios, like working with suppliers and retailers

4:25 – Be mindful of negotiation opportunities in your everyday interactions

6:44 – Negotiation isn’t just about getting your own way, but about changing the thinking of another person

7:00 – To improve your negotiation skills, stay curious and ask questions

7:34 – When negotiation, think about your own emotions and the emotions of the other person

9:19 – Practice striking the balance between logic and emotions in your negotiations

15:12 – Use language that aids cooperation and mutual benefit

18:54 – Opening with an extreme can set you up for a success negotiation, but be sure to consider the ethics involved

21:37 – People are often motivated more by what they might lose, rather than what they stand to gain

22:22 – Silence can also be a powerful tool in negotiations

Connect with Fotini Iconomopoulos

Vist her website

Learn more about Say Less, Get More

Read my book report

When your manufacturing organization is experiencing a crisis, the last thing you want to do is add more oil to the fire! But in a technical industry like manufacturing, many people don’t have the skills they need to safely and effectively address a dangerous situation, like how to de-escalate a conflict or communicate a safety issue to their team.

Carol Cambridge is here to help bring more safety to your organization! Carol is an authority on workplace violence, active shooter, and workplace conflict. She’s also the founder of the Stay Safe Project, where she teaches others how to navigate fear and use their critical thinking skills to get through an emergency or crisis.

In this episode on safety and crisis management in manufacturing, Carol breaks down why critical thinking plus such a big role in creating a safer workplace, and shares some insights manufacturing leaders can use to handle conflict, address threats, and create a safer workplace for all.

2:23 – In manufacturing, there can be a lack of critical thinking skills, and this plays a big role in crisis management
5:43 – When someone feels unsafe at work, they may be reluctant to report threats
8:22 – There is a different between “tattling” and “reporting”
15:41 – When a potential threat occurs, form a team to handle it, rather than simply leaving it to HR alone to address
18:54 – When you have clear communications and focus on making your employees feel safer, it creates a culture where people can report potential threats without fear
21:18 – Learn to recognize the behavioral signs that might indicate a potential for violence or distress
23:16 – When it comes to confliction resolution or handling heated conversations, timing is key

Connect with Carol Cambridge

Learn More About The Stay Safe Project

Connect on LinkedIn

In manufacturing, we’re all familiar with stress. But did you know that a lack of challenges and too much comfort can also have a negative impact on your health, mindset, and productivity? This is the core concept Paul Taylor presents in his great book Death by Comfort: How Modern Life is Killing Us and What We Can Do About It. As a former British Royal Navy crew member and a current Ph.D. candidate in applied psychology, Paul has in-depth knowledge about stress, resilience, and performance.

In this episode on stress, comfort, and psychological safety, Paul draws from his own experiences and research to delve deeper into why discomfort and challenging situations build confidence and resilience, plus shares some of his favorite methods for rethinking how you perceive stress and engage with your team.

2:20 – In manufacturing, stress can be inevitable, so you need to find the right level of stress in your environment
3:36 - You can use principles from physical fitness and apply them to stress management
7:11 – To stay healthy and keep a productive mindset, you need to balance stress and recovery
11:54 – When you practice self-efficacy and do hard tasks, it builds your confidence
16:21 – Uncomfortable yet necessary conversations play a key role in workplace environments
17:38 – To change and improve how you give feedback and have challenging conversations, use the SBI (situation-behavior-impact) model
18:36 – Use the OARS model for motivational interviewing to encourage open questions, affirmations, reflective listening, and summarizing
24:58 – Take time to understand your purpose and the impact of your work
24:58 – Don’t overlook the role of accountability in psychological safety

Connect with Paul Taylor
Visit his website
Listen to The Paul Taylor Podcast
Buy Death by Comfort on Amazon or at your favorite bookseller
Read my book report on Death by Comfort

To find improved cost-savings and better team dynamics, there’s a solution—more creativity! In the technical world of manufacturing, creativity isn’t always a priority, but in this episode of Mindfulness Manufacturing, guest Dr. Amy Climer is here to show why deliberate creativity is the key to driving improvement and cost savings.

With a Ph.D in Leadership and Change, Dr. Climer is a speaker, trainer, and coach who teaches teams how to innovate on demand. She is the author of Deliberate Creative Teams: How to Lead for Innovative Results written to help leaders understand how to increase creativity in their teams. She also hosts The Deliberate Creative™ podcast and she is the designer of Climer Cards, a creativity and teambuilding tool.

1:00 – In manufacturing, finding cost savings is often a challenge
5:33 – Through creative problem solving, plants can find improved cost savings
10:50 – To introduce more creativity in your organization, focus on team purpose, team dynamics, and creative process
17:14 – Creative abrasion occurs when a team can disagree on ideas, not personalities
21:54 – Switching up your language as a leader can play a role in encouraging creativity
24:00 – To find solutions through creativity, be deliberate

Connect with Dr. Amy Climer
Visit the website for Climer Consulting
Connect on LinkedIn
Read my book report of Deliberate Creative Teams

Are you really doing root cause analysis (RCA) or only scratching at the surface of your organization’s problems? When a problem occurs in a fast-paced industry like manufacturing, you want to find the root problem—and you want to find it as quickly as possible! But if you’re not taking some mindful time to ask the right questions and understand the human element beyond your issues, you might be missing deeper, more sustainable solutions.

Learn more about the world of RCA in this episode of Mindfulness Manufacturing with seasoned RCA expert Bob Latino! Influenced by his father, who pioneered research on equipment, process, and human reliability while working for Allied Chemical (now known as Honeywell), Bob profound understanding of both the technical and human aspects of failure. He is passionate about championing progressive leadership mindsets and helping leaders understand and improve systems, rather than simply assigning blame.

In this episode, Bob shares his insights on common challenges with RCA and shares tips leaders can use to move beyond simply fixing broken equipment to creating sustainable reliability through better understanding of human performance.

1:48 – RCA has a PR problem, and is typically only associated with technical failure rather than human factors
6:00 – To improve sustainability and reliability, consider how you approach accountability and blame
7:19 – When an organization is stuck in crisis mode, it looks very different from an organization with experienced reliability
11:32 – “What does right look like to you?” is a great question to ask when a problem occurs
15:41 – Understanding the difference between proactive and reactive approaches can help you shift your mindset when it comes to finding solutions
18:05 – Reliability and maintenance are different departments, as they have different focuses
22:04 – With improved reliability, you can address issues like high turnover and poor leadership retention

Connect with Bob Latino
Find him on LinkedIn, where he shares extensive content
Visit the Prelical Solutions website

In manufacturing, mental health is not always at the forefront. But when you don’t pay attention to your team’s mental wellbeing, it can negatively affect your entire organization, leading to big issues from disconnected teams to high employee turnover. In this episode, find the insights you need to transform your organization’s approach to mental health with guest Adam Nemer. Adam is a former CFO and senior operations leader, whose own mental health struggles inspired him to start Simple Mental Health, an organization that partners with leaders to bring stigma-free mental health culture to their organizations.

In this episode, Adam shares impactful stories from his own mental health journey and offers great insights for how leaders can support their teams, implement stronger mental health practices, and play a transformative role in breaking down mental health stigmas in the world of manufacturing.

1:00 – In manufacturing, one out of every five employees struggles with a diagnosable mental illness
7:58 – To promote better mental health in your manufacturing organization, learn to recognize the signs of mental health struggles, like changes in appearance, behavior, or performance
8:35 – Be aware of team members who might be showing up for work, but aren’t mentally engaged
12:25 – To improve mental health at work, you need to have deep conversations that go beyond just talking about work
16:20 – When your employees are unhappy or struggling with mental health issues, it can lead to a massive drop in productivity, as well as high turnover
21:46 – As a leader, there is power in sharing your own mental health experiences
27:45 – When leaders normalize discussions about mental health, it improves performance and transforms lives

Connect with Adam Nemer
Visit his website
Connect on Facebook and LinkedIn
Learn more on YouTube

In manufacturing, it seems like it’s always go, go go! But what if we could take a moment to pause, think, and act a little more thoughtfully and intentionally? Learn what can happen in this episode of Mindfulness Manufacturing with guest Darcy Luoma! Darcy is an author, consultant, and the creator of the Thoughtfully Fit approach, a dynamic and practical model for enhancing leadership capabilities, improving team dynamics, and navigating the complexities of leadership and teamwork.

In this episode, she shares a deep dive into her Thoughtfully Fit method, plus shares other tips and lessons leaders can use to strengthen their culture, connect with their team, and bring more accountability, intentionality, and thoughtfulness to their organization.

1:30 – Intentionally or unintentionally, culture is set from the top

2:39 – Using curiosity helps separate accountability from blame

4:21 – As a leader, you can help your team stay accountable by setting clear expectations and benchmarks

6:40 – Change your mindset to shift away from blame and toward solutions

8:26 – Don’t ignore your team’s dynamic, or else it can lead to issues like decreased morale and effectiveness

11:04 – By creating intentional space to address team dynamics and communicate styles, you’ll find better results

17:10 – Through a Thoughtfully Fit model, focus on pausing, thinking, and acting intentionally

21:31 – Practicing self-awareness as a leader can improve your team’s dynamics

23:20 – When applying Thoughtfully Fit principals, be consistent and practice even in small situations

Connect with Darcy Luoma

Visit her website

Take the Thoughtfully Fit quiz