Book Reviews

High Agency Human: Navigate Adversity and Live Big book review by Trevor Blondeel | Jenn Donahue, PhD, 2025 What This Book Means for Manufacturing Leaders For plant managers, operations leaders, and frontline supervisors, the expectation to improve production efficiency, employee retention, and team engagement never lets up, yet many struggle with internal self-doubt that impacts … Read More

High Agency Human: Navigate Adversity and Live Big book review by Trevor Blondeel | Vickie M. Lanthier, 2026 What This Book Means for Manufacturing Leaders On any given day, operations managers and shift supervisors are dealing with labor shortages, skills gaps, and constant pressure to improve production efficiency and manufacturing productivity. While most leadership development … Read More

Time Freedom: Rethinking Your Work and Money to Create a Life You Love Now book review by Trevor Blondeel | Brian Herriot, 2026 What’s It All About? Advanced readers sometimes get the opportunity to preview a book before it hits the shelves, and fortunately I was able to do that with Time Freedom: Rethinking Your … Read More

The Resilience Plan: A Strategic Approach to Optimizing Your Work Performance and Mental Health book review by Trevor Blondeel | Marie-Hélène Pelletier, 2024 What’s It All About? In manufacturing, we spend a lot of time talking about productivity, safety, and performance. What we don’t always talk about is the pressure leaders are under while trying … Read More

Cultivate: The Power of Winning Relationships book review by Trevor Blondeel | Morag Barrett, 2014, revised 2025 What This Book Means for Manufacturing Leaders In manufacturing, where operations managers and production managers are under pressure to improve manufacturing productivity, manage labor shortages, and lead through constant change, breakdowns in relationships often become the hidden constraint. … Read More

Thermostatic Leadership: The Quiet Power of Creating Balance and Influence | Sheri Miller Holt, 2025 What’s It All About? In manufacturing, leaders sometimes need to pick up a different tool and work through a challenge until everything flows smoothly and productively again. But what happens if you’re using the wrong tool, or trying to apply … Read More

Better Together: Embracing the Discomfort of Difference | Reggie Davis, 2025 What’s It All About? There are certain people I can learn from in almost any conversation. Reggie Davis is one of them! It’s easy to be dismissive of diversity, equity, and inclusion when you believe you don’t hold biases. I’ve always considered myself a … Read More

The Curiosity Curve: A Leader’s Guide to Growth and Transformation Through Bold Questions book review by Trevor Blondeel | Dr. Debra Clary, 2025 What This Book Means for Manufacturing Leaders For plant managers, operations leaders, and frontline supervisors expected to drive production efficiency, continuous improvement, and team performance, many default to having the answers instead … Read More

Command the Crisis: Navigate Chaos with Battle-Tested Public Relations and Communication Strategies | Angela Billings, 2024 What’s It All About? Command the Crisis is a no-nonsense guide rooted in the discipline and intensity of military communications — and it couldn’t be more relevant for the chaos of manufacturing life. Author Angela Billings, whom I met … Read More

Sustainable Ambition: How to Prioritize What Matters to Thrive in Life and Work | Kathy Oneto, 2025 What’s It All About? This book woke me up. In a world overloaded with productivity hacks and burnout culture, author Kathy Oneto charts a new course by saying you can stay ambitious — and avoiding burn out in … Read More