From Greenfield Site to Transformative Organization: Lessons from Launching a New Plant

What goes into launching a brand-new manufacturing plant? Spoiler alert: it’s a lot of work! But launching a greenfield site is about so much more than finding the right space or buying the right equipment—the success of your new plant also heavily depends on hiring the right team and building strong relationships.

Whether you’re involved in the launching of a greenfield site or just want to improve hiring and team building practices in your current organization, here are a few key lessons to consider along the way.

#1: Find a Team Who Challenges You

As a leader, it might sound tempting to hire a team who thinks and acts exactly like you do. But without team members who can respectfully challenge you or bring new ideas to the table, your team can suffer from disconnect, halted productivity, and a general lack of creativity and morale. Instead of hiring people who think exactly like you, look for people who can challenge you to grow your mindset.

#2: Create a Safe Space for Your Team

Once you’ve hired the right people, it’s up to you as a leader to create a space where they can thrive! If you want an environment where your team can honestly voice their opinions, create a safe space for them as leader. This means being authentic and vulnerable in your own communications, so you can set an example for the rest of your team.

#3: Show Up with Actions, Not Just Words

We’ve all heard the saying: talk is cheap! To really show up for your team, focus on your actions. Commit to shifting your mindset and behavior, and find actionable ways to change how you show up.

#4: Think About How You Respond to Adversity

It’s one thing to show up for your team on a perfect day, but how you show up in moments of challenges and adversity says a lot about your leadership. To navigate challenging moments, pay attention to your behavior. Monitor your emotions and behavior, use patience, and think before you act.

Learn More with Mindfulness Manufacturing

These great lessons all come from Daniel Knecht! Dan is the solar project director for NSG Group, one of the world’s largest glass manufacturers. In his role, he focuses on strategic projects to support the renewal energy market. He recently came onto the Mindfulness Manufacturing podcast to walk us through the journey of a greenfield site, plus shared insight manufacturing leaders can use to build and support their teams, improve their behavior, and bring transformative change to their organization.

To hear more from Daniel Knecht, check out his episode of Mindfulness Manufacturing here.

Mindfulness Manufacturing

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.

What’s the secret to retaining your team members and creating an organization where people love to work? DigiKey, an electronic component manufacturing organization in Thief River Falls, Minnesota has it all figured out—and Shane Zutz, DigiKey’s vice president of human resources, is here to share the stories and insights behind DigiKey’s success!

In this episode, Shane shares stories highlighting the importance of curiosity, empathy, and leadership presence, and offers simple-yet-powerful strategies manufacturing leaders can put into action to build trust, accountability, and stronger connections at their own plant.

5:12 – Building a better organization starts with being present and making personal connections

8:13 – If your organization is in a small community, making personal connections is extremely important

9:00 – To find curious ways to engage your team, one strategy is to create a list of questions to ask

13:30 – With a strong foundation, you’ll be better equipped to tackle challenges or crises

15:11 – There is a lot of value in simple gestures, like greeting your team in the morning

18:12 – Personalization goes a long way

22:41 Show care and concern for your team members

Connect with Shane Zutz

Learn more about Digikey

Connect with Shane on LinkedIn and reach out to get added to his newsletter

Thanks for Listening!

Thanks for tuning it to another episode of Mindfulness Manufacturing! To learn more about Trevor Blondeel and Manufacturing Greatness, please visit our website or contact Trevor here.