An Everyday Reminder of Impermanence Earlier this month, I stayed at a hotel while I helped a client. After a few days, I built up a bit of a rapport with the manager working in the lobby. As I walked into the hotel one day, I asked her how her day was going. “Same old, … Read More
In a recent article, I talked about why curiosity is a real superpower on the manufacturing floor. Even when a leader has great intentions or productive feedback, they may struggle to communicate with their team if they don’t have a curious mindset. Stay Curious or Shut Down Conversations?: A Case Study For example, look at … Read More
Who doesn’t love feeling like a superhero?! As a leader in the manufacturing industry, it feels great to be able to swoop in to solve a problem, offer a new solution, and get productive results. However, your team doesn’t always need a superhero. Oftentimes, what they need is an empathetic, curious leader who focus on … Read More
“Put on your own mask before assisting others.” If you’ve recently been on a plane, you probably heard this phrase during the pre-flight safety instructions. If there is an emergency that requires oxygen masks, you’re encouraged to put on your own oxygen masks before helping others. If you lose consciousness from a lack of oxygen, … Read More
On the manufacturing floor, you probably take steps to protect your employees from physical harm, like offering safety training on certain equipment or having clearly marked emergency exits. But are you doing enough to ensure psychological safety for your team, too? What Is Psychological Safety? The term “psychological safety” was first coined by Harvard business … Read More
On the manufacturing floor, there are always going to be dozens of different, diverse personalities. When people with different—or even conflicting—personalities need to engage with each other, and it can cause conflicts that drain the energy of the team, create frustration, and lead to low productivity or high turnover. However, it’s still possible for a … Read More
“My team just has too much connection!” Throughout my years of coaching and advising manufacturing leaders, this isn’t a statement I often hear. In fact, it’s usually the exact opposite. When there is a disconnect between leaders and their teams, it leads to communication challenges, poor culture, halted productivity, and a lack of trust throughout … Read More
When you have a big success as a leader, it’s all too easy to pat yourself on the back, congratulate yourself on a job well done, and take all the credit. On the flip side, it’s also incredibly easy to blame others at the first sign of trouble. If you find yourself taking credit for … Read More
The Barriers to a Growth Mindset In a book I read recently, I learned more about the two types of mindsets: growth mindsets and fixed mindsets. It got me thinking about the importance of being opened minded, but how open-mindedness alone isn’t always enough to set you up for success. It can actually cause you … Read More
“Emotional intelligence” has become a buzzword lately. With a growing emphasis on culture and shortages of supply of our talented workplace, curiosity about emotional intelligence is likely to grow. An interest in emotional intelligence is probably why you opened this article, so let’s dive back into our series on emotional intelligence and how it helped … Read More