Winning starts with small steps! If you want to climb a mountain or run a marathon, you can’t get there just by thinking about the peak or the finish line. You have to put in the time, establish a routine, and put one foot in front of the other in your path toward success.
This is a lesson I’ve learned with the Mindfulness Manufacturing podcast, which recently reached its 100th episode! When my team and I started Mindfulness Manufacturing in 2019, the goal was never to hit certain milestones, find sponsors, or earn money. For us, “winning” meant releasing an episode every two weeks. We also always wanted to put listeners first by giving them podcasts filled with valuable insights and stories about mindful leadership in the manufacturing industry.
While I’m proud of this 100-episode milestone, I’m even prouder of the journey the team and I took to get here. Along the way, here are three key lessons we learned for what it takes to win the day.
Lesson #1: Build Momentum
In the early days of the podcast, it was tempting to release episodes as quickly as we could. But by sticking to our every-two-weeks schedule, we were able to bring care, love, and value to each episode, and set a pace that allowed us to create quality episodes. It serves as a reminder that winning doesn’t always mean doing something fast.
Lesson #2: Set a Routine
To reach our goals with Mindfulness Manufacturing, we also had to develop a routine. This meant working to get guests scheduled and episodes recorded well ahead of their release date, which lead to some moments of stress and overwhelm. However, forming a consistent routine around scheduling, recording, and producing episodes allowed us to hit our goals.
Lesson #3: Pay Attention to Preparation
Another part of our routine was preparing for each podcast. We did this learning about each guest through their website, LinkedIn account, or reading their book or listening to their own podcast or another podcast they’ve appeared on. By making preparation part of the routine, we were able to come up with curious discussion questions and show up with confidence.
A Moment of Gratitude
Thanks to everyone who has supported the Mindfulness Manufacturing podcast throughout the years! In particular, thank you to:
- Jim Ray, who got the wheels turning
- Mike Hillman, who helped get Mindfulness Manufacturing off the ground
- Dave Baker for serving as an awesome co-host
- Libby Kennedy and Jonathon McDermott, the podcast’s behind-the-scenes team/li>
A big thank-you also goes out to all the guests, who’ve been so generous with their time and helped us reach our goal of creating meaningful, insight-packed episodes. We’d like to especially thank Eric Berdan, the guest for our special 100th episode on the timely theme of “winning” the day.
Thanks to everyone for all the support, and we’re looking forward to bringing you more Mindfulness Manufacturing content!
At Manufacturing Greatness, Trevor Blondeel works with manufacturers to connect the top to the shop. If you’re ready to improve your own organization, contact Trevor to learn how Manufacturing Greatness can help you build stronger leaders and develop a dynamic, high-performing workplace.