Mindfulness Manufacturing – Details, episodes & analysis

What goes into launching a brand-new manufacturing plant? A successful greenfield site is about more than finding the right space or getting the right equipment—you also have to pay attention to the people you’re hiring and the tone you’re setting as a leader.

In this episode, take a journey through the steps of a greenfield site with 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. In this story-filled episode, Dan talks about his unique experiences of launching a new plant for NSG, and shares insight other manufacturing leaders can use to build and support their teams, improve their behavior, and bring transformative change to their organization.

4:04 – While manufacturing requires many technical skills, it’s still all about people and connection

4:55 – If you’re a technically minded person, you might need to shift your behavior to form stronger connections and learn to lead through others

5:22 – At a new plant, choosing and building a new team is an important part of the process

6:13 – As a leader, you want to hire a team who can respectfully challenge you, not just people who think exactly like you

7:27 – Changing how you show up for your team starts with authenticity and vulnerability  

9:45 – Show up for your team with action, not just words

10:23 – Even with a large team, you can form great connections through intention and curiosity

12:54 – At a new plant, it’s imperative to set the right tone

14:38 – Manage your emotions and use patience to navigate challenges and connect with your team

19:09 – How you show up in a moment of adversity says a lot about you as a leader

20:05 – You lead how you’re led, so be aware of behaviors you might have picked up from others

20:40 – Take responsibility for your role as a leader in your organization

21:53 – Hire the right people and invest in them

23:20 – You can’t successfully address every issue your team brings to you, but you can approach the issue with an open mind

24:14 – To get a better understanding of the pulse of your floor, create a safe space for your team

Connect with Daniel Knecht

Find him on LinkedIn

Learn more about NSG

In manufacturing, retention and recruitment are two of the biggest challenges. To attract great talent and keep your best team members, you need to set yourself apart from the competition—and you can start by improving your response times!

In this episode, join guest Jay Baer for a deep-dive into the tools and procedures you need to improve efficiency, strengthen your communications, and bridge the “uncertainty gap” in your organization.

Jay Baer is a researcher and advisor specializing in business growth and customer experience. He’s also a seventh-generation entrepreneur, the author of seven bestselling books, the creator of six multi-million dollar companies, and a popular tequila influencer and educator.

3:50 – There is a correlation between responsiveness and revenue

5:34 – People care about their time more than ever, which is why it’s important to respect the time of others

6:11 – Creating an efficient recruitment process is one way to be respectful of other’s time

7:43 – With a faster recruitment process, you won’t miss out on great talent

10:32 – Having an efficient system for replying and following-up cuts down on team anxiety and improves your culture

11:52 – You don’t always have to have the answer right away, but you can improve your relationships by giving a response

14:31 – As a leader, being responsive builds trust and helps you form better relationships within your organization

15:08 – Through responsiveness and strong communications, you can bridge the Uncertainty Gap

17:27 – People are trained to want more details and information

20:07 – Responsiveness should be a company policy, not an individual choice

21:40 – Find ways to continuously improve

23:57 – Customers will often go with the person who responds first, regardless of price

Connect with Jay Baer

Visit his website

Learn more about The Time to Win

Subscribe 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.

If you want to improve safety, quality, productivity, and results, the first step is looking toward improving connection. With more mindfulness and connection, your entire organization can thrive—and in this episode, guest Jon Gordon is here to show you exactly how you can improve connection and fight disconnect in your organization!

Jon is one of the top three leadership speakers in the world, and his talks on mindset and leadership have inspired hundreds of individuals and organizations. He is also the bestselling author of 28 books, including one of my favorites, The Energy Bus: 10 Rules to Fuel Your Life, Work, and Team with Positive Energy. In this episode, Jon delves deeper into some of the insights in The Energy Bus to share how leaders can use positivity and connection to improve results and combat difficult situations.

3:31 – You are always going to have to deal with negative people, or energy vampires, but overcoming them is a key part of your journey to connection

4:40 – Every negative person is a test for you to find your own power and resiliency

6:40 – We are meant to be connected, which is why disconnect and isolation leads to anxiety and other mental health issues

7:55 – The more united and connected you are, the stronger you’ll be as a team

10:10 – If you only focus on the results instead of the process, it can lead to disconnect and other negative outcomes

11:15 – Feed yourself with words of positivity and encouragement instead of listening to negative self-talk

12:30 – Understand the wound behind your negative thoughts, so you can find a way to speak truth to them

13:49 – By embracing opportunities to heal and grow, you become a stronger leader for your team

16:25 – A positive team starts with positive leadership

18:03 – Understanding the dynamics of your team can help you find ways to improve connection

20:23 – You need both love and accountability

22:48 – There will always been the need for difficult conversations, so find a way to deal with them and make them less difficult for you and your team

24:49 – You can’t be thankful and stressed at the same time

Connect with Jon Gordon

Visit his website

Learn More about The Energy Bus and his other books

Read my previous book report on The Energy Bus

Connect on LinkedIn and social media

Hear Jon's podcast with Alan Mullally

The buck stops here, as Brian shares why it is so important to keep your head up and look around! :05 – Introduction

:50 – Brian Leising introduction

03:13 – How Mindfulness has contributed to Brian’s success

05:36 – Servant leadership

06:00 – “How are you going to turn this thing around?” P.R.O.U.D.

09:34 – Listening to understand, not just respond

12:00 – Modeling, Accountability, and Humility

14:24 – Rewarding aspects of being Mindful

15:50 – The fight to retain your Integrity

17:34 – The problem with blame. Accept responsibility and ownership

20:55 – The “Buck Stops” here

21:45 – Your decision is: to Stay or Go. If your decision is to Stay, own it.

23:39 – Transparency and alignment in communication of the What & Why

25:24 – Brian’s One Thing

27:25 – A ‘money pit’ and advice for an up and coming leader

28:49 – Contributing to Core Values & Beliefs

29:30 - Close

Have some fun and listen in as Mindfulness Manufacturing introduces Dave Baker.  After spending more than 20 years in HR working in the automotive, pharmaceutical, and wood products industries, he knows what truly drives organizational culture, workforce engagement, and employee retention.  Listen in as Dave discusses the quality of leadership at all levels and how they connect, communicate, and support their team members in getting results! :05 – Introduction

:40 – Listener feedback: Kim reminded us that just being aware that sometimes we're very hard on ourselves and that it's okay, to not get everything done, nor show up as that person that's always doing the right thing, because that's how we learn. Our journey is more like the golf game, just trying to hit the green more often

02:16 – Introducing new co-host and guest for today Dave Baker

04:07 – The practicality of why Mindfulness in manufacturing matters

06:00 – Mindful contrasts of being masked and not masked

08:31 – Presentation to a CEO making no eye contact and the resulting impact

12:00 – Mindfulness of the blue-collar worker ‘pulling handles’ at 3:00 a.m.

17:36 – That ‘silly certificate’

18:57 - The money left on the table in the absence of discretionary effort

20:29 – A funeral and a tie. Underestimating the impact you have on people. That estimation that you have on others is what’s called mindfulness.

22:45 – Work the shutdown? Nope, and here’s why

23:48 - The one thing: pay attention to what you say how & how you say it

25:49 – What would be done all over again? Stepping forward to make mindful changes to facilitate positive employee relations to get better results

29:32 – Summary

30:05 -  Closure

Michelle Maldonado - Join us today, as we unpack Unconscious Bias, and this ties into the challenges of hiring and attracting the right staff.  This special guest makes uncomfortable conversations comfortable!  Welcome Michelle Maldonado! She is the Founder of Lucenscia (pronounced loo-SENSE-see-ah), a firm dedicated to human flourishing and mindful business transformation. She is a former attorney turned business leader and an internationally certified mindfulness and emotional intelligence teacher and practitioner. Michelle’s work focuses on leadership development at the pivotal intersection of mindfulness, unconscious bias, emotional intelligence, authenticity, and compassion, nestled on a foundation of neuroscience and research. She serves as faculty for 1440 Multiversity's Leadership Center, Daniel Goleman's Emotional Intelligence Coaching Certification program and Bill George's True North Leadership program. She has been recognized as one of the “12 Powerful Women in the Mindfulness Movement,” “Woman of The Year,” and a “Top Corporate Leader,” with her work featured in the Mindful Leader, the DQ Institute in association with the World Economic Forum, Mindful Magazine and Thrive Global. Michelle is a graduate of Barnard College and The George Washington University School of Law.

2:30 – Unconscious bias – we all have it!  Beliefs that we have about a person or group or conditions that we are not even aware of.  Great examples and explanation, self awareness development.

7:45 – We each are either racist or anti-racist.  And, here’s why: silence and inaction can equate to enabling, and this depends on your comfort level to speak up.  Hiring for diversity, and on boarding for assimilation does not help.  Be curious and engaging in conversation.  Bias sneaks in when we scan for threat, we are hard wired that way.  In groups vs. out groups.  Stretch yourself to also be in the company of people who think differently and have different experiences.

12:30 – To make a difference, depends on your comfort level to speak up.  One of the original meanings of the work competition come from the Latin word  Competere.  The original meaning was everyone striving together towards a common objective, and over the centuries, we have twisted this to in order for me to win, you have to lose.  There is room for everyone at the table.

14:40 – make an edit

16:00 – Any meaningful societal change in history did not happen at the top, it came from the people.  We can all take a step – do one thing - or make a commitment to change one percent of whatever you are doing. It does take all of us, collectively to generate change.  At some point we need the CEO or leader at the top to be modelling and be all in.   In supportive, not judgemental ways.  Consistent modelling.

20:00 – Context is crucial, each person has to evaluate how they can contribute and what are they comfortable with.

21:45 – You can be a good person and still hold bias, Michelle explains micro-aggressions and how they work.  The offence is measured at the ear of the listener, and not at the mouth of the speaker.  Intention does not always match impact.

25:00 – What to do when you become self-aware that you have said the wrong things.  You need to be in conversations.

27:40 – The difference between mindfulness and meditation – they are different, but related.  The purpose of being mindful meditation or practicing it, is to help our selves be grounded, focused, clear, and aware as well as to be compassionate, properly self-managed and high performing, filling up the well.  Mindfulness is to be present with what ever is happening with yourself, others and your environment.  If you are not aware of yourself, the level of awareness of others is probably low.  Mediation is another way of saying a focused attention practice.

36:00 – Michelle explains the Institute for Organizational Mindfulness where she serves on the board, and where we serve as the ambassadors for Manufacturing!  It is all about how we bring mindfulness to the workplace, built by people who have come from business.  IOM provides resources and courses to cultivate that skill set within yourself.  Join the effort by signing up for free here  www.iomindfulness.org/membership  and be part of the community membership program getting access to exclusive member content, webinars, news, and more.

 

How to contact Michelle or learn more about her work:

[email protected] the information about what it means and how it works. 

in/MichelleLMaldonado

www.Lucenscia.com

 

 

Connor Swenson is on a mission to help businesses rethink the definition of productivity to create happier and healthier organizations.  Drawing on 7 years of experience at Google, where he taught internal programs on productivity, mindfulness, and emotional intelligence, he now shares that knowledge with businesses and entrepreneurs around the world, and now with the Mindfulness Manufacturing community!  

2:40 – Multi-tasking – technology has a huge role to play in what we can do, however combining two cognitive tasks – switch tasking is different and actually slows you down, it can take you 23 minutes to get back on track according to studies by Gloria Mark.  Office workers checking phones every 5 minutes, open our phones 50 to 80 times a day.

5:30 – How to get things done with an open door policy?  Productivity is very personal, Connor explains how Google managed and best practices.  Blocking time in your day and making clear expectations.  How that creates greater productivity through entire day, less meetings!

11:48 – The Make Time program, defaults are all around us.  Recognize and adjust – Larry Page felt that every person at the meeting over the total of 7, diminished the effectiveness of the meeting.  They are not for status updates.  Explains Asynchronous communication.

14:20 – If an agenda is not set out 24 hours ahead of time you don’t need to go – (I Love that!). Great advice on how to be more productive!

17:50 – Search Inside Yourself – the case for skeptics of mindfulness in the workplace – connecting to the broader scope of emotional intelligence.  Training yourself in self-awareness by practicing mindfulness.  Based on the foundation of Daniel Goldman and his book Emotional Intelligence and neuroscience.   Your software can change your hardware.  (Connor goes deep here check it out if you are a skeptic like I was!)

26:30 – Willpower – the dangerous idea, is it as real or as important as we think?  Research is leading to the environment structure being more important.

31:15 – The Infinity Pool – these apps are just never ending, like ESPN where they are designed to make it easy to consume more and more great content.  Technology is not evil, however they are designed to make it fun and keep you engaged.  Try deleting the app??

36:28 – Space to pause – the STOP method, Stop, Take a Breath, Observe how you feel and proceed.  ##Control your response

 

  

You can hear from Connor on his weekly newsletter, One Percent Wisdom, where he shares simple, sustainable tactics and strategies you can use to develop your mind and better your work 🧠 or follow connect with him on one of these platforms.

 

Website: connorswenson.com

Newsletter: connorswenson.com/newsletter

Twitter: @crswenny

LinkedIn: profile

Email: [email protected]

 

 

 

What kind of leader does it take to a team member, owner and president of three manufacturing companies?  Today Jesika Young of Cimtech (named Top 10 Precision Manufacturer of 2020) shares her tips on how to get a seat at the table, the three C’s to building the right culture and more.  Have a listen and see why she has been named among the “most influential woman in manufacturing 2020” by Influential Women in Manufacturing.  Oh, did we also mention she is the first female president of the Metro Manufacturing Alliance?  Have a listen, and see what kind of mindfulness goes on to achieve this level of success!  

2:25 – What Jesika does different – put the team first, and all things will fall into place.  ‘No one person is above the team’ Bo Schembechler

4:07 – Jesika’s background – how this made her what she is today

6:25 – The three C’s to a team culture, being collaborative, communication, and consistently – they key to their growth

8:30 – 2M to 20M in annual revenue manufacturing plants, are forecasted to be the growth space for woman to have ownership in manufacturing.  If that number grows by 2.5% per year, one third of manufacturing could be owned by women by 2030.  (From article published by Frances Brunelle)

9:53 – Jesika’s biggest struggle – getting a seat at the table, still a struggle today!  Always being one to raise her hand, working hard has earned her a presidents role at the Metro Manufacturing Alliance, a group for manufactures by manufactures.

13:08 – Advice for other’s – nothing is not earned, woman still need to perform.  Things need to change and evolve – example is the flex time – involved the team and there was a great morale and productivity boost.  Not the whistle blowing break time, think outside of the box!

17:00 – You are with your team more than your family, enough trouble outside the four walls so work together – Rank everyone on Safety, Quality and being a good team member.  Being accountable, dependable, innovative and showing initiative.

19:00 – Performance evaluations come with personal incentive plans

21:05 – A fourth C could be Celebration!  Recap on the success and build on it.

26:00— Managing the ego, make yourself aware of your strengths, and consistently stay in my lane.  Built a team with the strengths that I do not have.

28:42 – Sit down, absorb what you got, and think and act with intention to better yourself.

 

Follow Jesika here;anks Trevor, that certainly captures it. 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jesikayoung/ 

 

https://www.facebook.com/jesika.k.young

 

https://twitter.com/JesikaYoung

 

Cimtech website: www.cimtechmachine.com

 

We are excited to introduce our listeners to our first international guest zooming in from Ireland the great Deiric McCann!  As head of International Development for Genos International about-genos-international-europe, he is an expert in the space of emotional intelligence and charisma and dives in, on how this can impact the bottom line of your company!  

1. 1:05 IOM.The Institute of Organizational Mindfulness.  Trevor talks about this institute and the benefits of the IOM.  Join the effort by signing up for their free community membership program.  By joining you'll get access to exclusive member content, webinars, news, and more! www.iomindfulness.org/membership
2. 1:55 Mindfulness Manufacturing introduces Deiric McCann.
3. 4:00 Challenges.Deiric explains the challenge of the name “Emotional Intelligence’ his own and others struggles with this title. He never had a really good definition of Emotional Intelligence that inspired people or turned them on.   He and his colleagues came up with a definition that made sense to them and others.
4. 9:25 Charisma.  Trevor asks the question can you be charismatic and not be emotionally intelligent?  Deiric discusses his findings writing his book and the challenge of finding a definition for charisma and what Leadership Charisma means.
5. 15:26 People, people, people.  Trevor talks about technology and people.  Deiric shares his insights and experiences with technology and people and how it has always been people, people, people. Sharing how technology has been introduced into organizations and how people can worry about this and the role emotional intelligence plays in all of this. 
6. 22:25 Advice. Mike asks, what advice would you give to someone who is interested in Leadership?Deiric states, to focus on developing the ability to work more effectively with people.   Two ways to develop emotional intelligence read a lot of books and start to pay attention to the way you show up, develop a mindfulness practice.  Develop a self-awareness to tune into yourself and others.   Start working on your emotional intelligence. https://www.capgemini.com/research/emotional-intelligence/
7. 27:27 One thing to leave the listeners.Deiric talks openly about the pandemic and how this snuck up on all of us and how big of threat it was and is.  He talks about building up the resiliency with the people he works with to handle these challenging times.  What we are seeing is an epidemic of stress in people over this.  People are just not talking about it.  He openly talks about it being normal to be stressed, it’s a normal natural reaction on how do we deal with this adversity.  The moment you say this is normal this is natural you take a lot of pressure off of yourself.   
8. 32:03 What was the first concert you ever attended?An Irish group called Aslan. Deiric explains his memories of this and other musical bands.
9. 33:10 Stranded on an island what band or artist do you bring with you?James Taylor.

Mindfulness Manufacturing is pleased to have Terry Iverson as a guest on our podcast today. Terry is a 3rd generation President and CEO of a family built CNC distribution business. He is also the founder of an Organization called “Champion Now and its sole purpose is to change people’s perception of manufacturing for the better. Listen as Terry shares his passion and years of experience on Mindfulness Manufacturing.

1. 2:56 The human interface. Terry discusses the human element and how this has always been a constant.  The human interface in buying and selling components is still consistent today, 40 years later since Terry has started.
2. 5:40 Automation and computerization. Terry talks about where he sees Manufacturing going and how manufacturing companies were not very good at marketing their companies, good at marketing their products not their companies.  They have not marketed the jobs or careers within their company very well.
3. 8:05 Everything starts with integrity. Terry talks about never deciding based on a financial gain or loss it has always been on integrity and honesty and running a company on these virtues.  What has happened over the years there has not been as strong of a mentoring program for the younger people.
4. 10:20 look for somebody who is a good person. Terry talks about looking for people who are good to the core and want a relationship.  People want a job but they truly want to have a relationship at their work.  There is way too much jumping around.  Terry discusses Manufacturing day and the importance of promoting this to show videos and films and invite people into the facilities.  This helps to show what todays manufacturing offers.
5. 13:25 Show up early, stay late and tell the truth. Terry talks about the 3 things that he promotes and finds important to help the younger people in a career.  The importance of taking the time to live by these helps create a career rather than a job.  Terry talks about how he has lived these 3 virtues within his own business.
6. 17:31 Champion now. Terry talks about Champion now, ‘Change How American Manufacturing’s Perceived In Our Nation”. In 2012 founded he founded the organization with the sole purpose of changing perceptions of manufacturing for the better.  Helping the younger generation understand the great careers offered in manufacturing today.
7. 22:23 There’s an opportunity. Terry talks about woman in manufacturing and how we need to be advocates of this.  He talks about being fortunate of meeting and working with woman in manufacturing even within his own business.  Being more aware and being more open to this can make the difference.
8. 25:56 Relationships make the world go around. Terry talks about the importance of relationships and the role this plays in manufacturing and within his own business.
9. 27:20 First concert. Terry’s first concert, Bad Company.  And if stuck on an island one artist to take with you?  Dan Fogelberg would be my choice.

 

https://championnow.org/product/podcast/  Copy and paste the link to access information on Terry’s book.  You can follow and reach Terry at the following social media platforms Twitter feeds

@Championnow

@terrymiverson 

@iversonandco

Facebook pages

Iverson & Company

C.H.A.M.P.I.O.N. NOW