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
Big Freakin’ Change: How to Gain Confidence by Stepping Out Before You Are Ready | Cara Moeller Poppit, 2025 What’s It All About? This book lives up to its name. Big Freakin Change: How to Gain Confidence by Stepping Out Before You Are Ready is a bold, honest guide for anyone who feels stuck—and doesn’t know what … Read More
Leading with Vision: The Leaders Blueprint for Creating a Compelling Vision and Engaging the Workforce | Simon Vetter, Bonnie Hagemann, John Maketa, 2017 What’s It All About? In manufacturing, too many leaders are caught up in metrics and KPIs, yet struggle to connect people to a bigger picture. That disconnect shows up in engagement, retention, … Read More
Say Less Get More: Unconventional Negotiation Techniques to Get What You Want | Fotini Iconomopoulos, April 2021 What’s It All About? Have you ever shown up ready to collaborate and negotiate, only to find the other person you’re dealing with is being competitive or combative? It’s a frustrating situation, but in her book Say Less, … Read More