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Manufacturing Greatness

Manufacturing Greatness

  • Solutions
    • How I Work With You
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      • Emotional Culture Index
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Book Reviews

How the Mighty Fall: And Why Some Companies Never Give In

March 18, 2022By Trevor BlondeelBook Reviews, Culture, Leadership No Comments
How the Mighty Fall: And Why Some Companies Never Give In

How the Mighty Fall: And Why Some Companies Never Give In | Author: Jim Collins, 2009 | What’s It All About? Have you ever met someone who looked perfectly healthy, then been shocked when you learned they were struggling with an illness? The same thing can happen with organizations—they look great on the outside but … Read More

Mindset: The New Psychology of Success

February 4, 2022By Trevor BlondeelBook Reviews, Leadership No Comments
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success

Mindset: The New Psychology of Success | Author: Carol Dweck, 2006 | What’s it all About? Have you ever watched someone achieve great success in an area you’re still working on? How did it make you feel? Years ago, when I first started my own business, I would look at others with thousands of social … Read More

Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know

January 11, 2022By Trevor BlondeelBook Reviews, Leadership No Comments
Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know

Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know | Author: Adam Grant, 2021 | What’s it all About? With North America more divided than ever, this is perhaps one of the most relevant books of 2021. It provides a perspective and reset that we could all use. Many of us strive for the … Read More

How Emotions are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain

November 19, 2021By Trevor BlondeelBook Reviews, Empathy No Comments
How Emotions are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain

How Emotions are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain | Author: Lisa Feldman Barret, 2017 | What’s it all About? In my workshops on emotional intelligence, I often see clients setting goals that revolve around better managing their emotions in difficult situations. By reading this book, I gained a deeper understanding of how our … Read More

The Infinite Game – A Bold Framework for Leadership In Today’s Ever-changing World.

February 17, 2021By Trevor BlondeelBook Reviews, Leadership No Comments
The Infinite Game –   A Bold Framework for Leadership In Today’s Ever-changing World.

The Infinite Game – A Bold Framework for Leadership In Today’s Ever-changing World. | Author: Simon Sinek, 2019 | What’s it all About? This is the 3rd book report I have done on Simon!  Building off of his previous concepts, there are two games you can be in.  The one most of us are more … Read More

NEVER SPLIT THE DIFFERENCE – Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It

October 5, 2020By Trevor BlondeelBook Reviews, Leadership No Comments
NEVER SPLIT THE DIFFERENCE –  Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It

NEVER SPLIT THE DIFFERENCE – Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It | Author: Chris Voss, 2016 | What’s it all About? This is one of the most practical reads as you can actually apply skills and get immediate results. You can stop reading this book report now and get straight to it! Chris Voss … Read More

The Advice Trap: Be Humble, Stay Curious & Change the Way You Lead Forever

August 4, 2020By Trevor BlondeelBook Reviews, Leadership
The Advice Trap: Be Humble, Stay Curious & Change the Way You Lead Forever

The Advice Trap: Be Humble, Stay Curious & Change the Way You Lead Forever | Michael Bungay Stanier, 2024 What’s It All About? We want to be helpful, tell others what we know, and share our ideas with others. But while you’re interacting with your team or others in your life, your intentions might not … Read More

The Energy Bus – 10 Rules to Fuel Your Life, Work and Team with Positive Energy

July 17, 2020By Trevor BlondeelBook Reviews, Culture, Leadership
The Energy Bus –  10 Rules to Fuel Your Life, Work and Team with Positive Energy

The Energy Bus – 10 Rules to Fuel Your Life, Work and Team with Positive Energy | Author: Jon Gordon, 2007 | What’s it all About? George wakes up Monday Morning to a bad day that starts with a flat tire and gets worse after that!  As you can guess, he ends up taking a bus … Read More

Extreme Ownership — How U.S. Navy Seals Lead and Win

June 15, 2020By Trevor BlondeelBook Reviews, Leadership
Extreme Ownership — How U.S. Navy Seals Lead and Win

Extreme Ownership – How U.S. Navy Seals Lead and Win | Authors: Jocko Willink and Leif Babin, 2015 | What’s it all About? These guys just blew me away.  I consumed this book through audio; loved their voices and how they told their story.  The way they run the Navy Seals has so many basic principles … Read More

The Power of Now – A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment

May 19, 2020By Trevor BlondeelBook Reviews, Leadership
The Power of Now – A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment

The Power of Now – A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment | Author: Eckhart Tolle, 1997 | What’s it all About? Eckhart Tolle is like no other, an interesting dude to say the least.  Born in Germany and now a resident of my home country Canada, almost 20 years after writing the Power of Now his impact … Read More

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Mindfulness Manufacturing

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Our show is about providing listeners with real stories that come from a place of experience, transparency, and authenticity. Most importantly it’s about what we learn from these stories and applying Mindfulness in our everyday work and personal lives.
Our intention is to create an environment where people can learn through open honest discussions on how we apply Mindfulness. Although our experiences and stories come from time in a manufacturing environment hence the title “Mindfulness Manufacturing”, we still see our discussions and topics relatable to any organization or profession.

154 Break the Blame Cycle: Approaches to Solving Problems with Maggie Harlow
byTrevor Blondeel

If you want to change your results, you need to change your approach. These words of wisdom come from Maggie Harlow, the co-owner of Signarama Downtown in Louisville, Kentucky. With years of experience in the custom sign manufacturing industry, Maggie doesn’t just talk about leadership—she lives it. She’s also a keynote speaker and speaks on a range of topics, including visionary leadership, gratitude, and finding new approaches to problem-solving.

In this episode, Maggie shares more about her background in the sign industry and offers practical, transformative insights on what it really takes to balance quality, speed, and culture in a high-mix, low-volume environment.

3:06 – In high-stress environments, creativity and craftsmanship keep people engaged 6:08 – It is important to have communications between all departments  7:00 – When systemic issues occur, remember that it may be a focus issue, not a people problem 8:14 – Quality is the most important thing 9:17 – As a leader, if you want something to improve or change, you need to bring it to your team’s attention 10:28 – When leadership is present on the shop floor, it shifts perception 11:41 – To get sales and production to truly collaborate, you may need a cultural shift 13:09 – To find healthy balances between departments, have honest conversations  14:35 – Focus on ownership, not blame 15:26 – When breakdowns occur, it’s often because team members don’t understand each other’s realities  17:44 – Give your team space to try, fail, and grow within safe boundaries  20:00 – For honest problem-solving, assume everyone is doing their best

Connect with Maggie Harlow Find her on LinkedIn Visit her speaking website Learn more about Signarama Downtown

154 Break the Blame Cycle: Approaches to Solving Problems with Maggie Harlow
154 Break the Blame Cycle: Approaches to Solving Problems with Maggie Harlow
October 15, 2025
Trevor Blondeel
153 Closing the Generational Gap: What Manufacturing Leaders Must Get Right Now with Michelle McCullough
October 1, 2025
Trevor Blondeel
152 Why Your Team Lacks Motivation and How You Can Improve It with Jim Pancero
September 17, 2025
Trevor Blondeel
151 You Think People Don’t Want to Work in Manufacturing? You’re Asking the Wrong Questions with Chad Littlefield
September 3, 2025
Trevor Blondeel
150 Lessons from the Pentagon: Commanding Our Chaos with Angela Billings
August 20, 2025
Trevor Blondeel
149 No Manual for Leadership: Building Loyalty, One Story at a Time with David Semersheim
August 6, 2025
Trevor Blondeel
148 Keep Talent, Crush Risks: The Power of Transparent Accountability with Christopher Santomassimo
July 23, 2025
Trevor Blondeel
147 You Are Not a Machine: Leading with Energy That Lasts with Kathy Oneto
July 9, 2025
Trevor Blondeel
146 Manufacturing with Meaning: How Vision Motivates Results
June 25, 2025
Trevor Blondeel
145 Big Freakin’ Change: Leading Manufacturing Through Uncertainty with Cara Moeller Poppitt
June 11, 2025
Trevor Blondeel
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