Manufacturing leaders who adapt their leadership style see greater team engagement and results. In this episode, Richele Butler, the VP of HR at Japs-Olson Company, shares proven strategies for understanding individual team member preferences, reading non-verbal cues, and creating effective communication approaches. Learn how to focus on what you can control, group similar styles together, and build trust through style adaptation. Do you have team members who need leadership training? Click here...
Jul 08, 2025•21 min•Season 1Ep. 152
Manufacturing leaders often struggle with delegation, but mastering this skill is critical for leadership growth and organizational success. In this episode, Jennifer Schwan, Vice President of Operations at CDI Curbs, shares proven strategies for effective delegation. Learn how to identify your "why" for delegating, build trust through alignment rather than process control, and shift your perspective from personal achievement to team development. Podcast Resources: Digital Course: Watch The Role...
Jun 24, 2025•22 min•Season 1Ep. 151
Build high-performing HR teams that drive real business impact. In this episode, Kirby Sneen sits down with Dale Fruehauf to explore what HR leaders must focus on to shape successful teams, and how manufacturers should prioritize HR roles. Dale shares his secret to attracting top HR talent, strategies for recognizing and rewarding HR team members, ways to leverage “alumni” for advocacy, and insights on how HR can use AI to stay competitive. Whether you're growing your HR function or refining it,...
Jun 10, 2025•31 min•Season 1Ep. 150
What does it take to stay coachable at the highest levels of leadership? In this episode, Steve Murray, Manufacturing Executive, shares powerful lessons on remaining open to feedback, recognizing blind spots, and prioritizing personal growth throughout your career. Whether you're leading a team or aspiring to the next level, you'll gain actionable insights on how coachability can transform your leadership impact and drive continuous improvement in manufacturing. Not a Manufacturers Alliance memb...
May 27, 2025•27 min•Season 1Ep. 149
Sustaining 5S is the hardest step—but it’s also the most important. In this episode, Gary Olson, Operational Excellence Leader, shares expert insights on why 5S often fails and how manufacturers can create a culture where organization and efficiency become second nature. Learn how leadership commitment, daily habits, and employee engagement can drive long-term success with 5S. Tune in for actionable strategies to make 5S stick in your facility. Not a Manufacturers Alliance member? Request a Demo...
May 13, 2025•25 min•Season 1Ep. 148
Mistake-proofing is key to reducing defects, improving efficiency, and ensuring quality in manufacturing. In this episode, George Murray, General Manager at Celestica, shares proven strategies for preventing errors, standardizing work, and creating a culture of continuous improvement. Learn how data-driven decision-making, simple mistake-proofing solutions, and team engagement can drive lasting operational excellence. Whether you're tackling process inefficiencies or aiming for zero defects, thi...
Apr 29, 2025•19 min•Season 1Ep. 147
Wondering how to develop a strong manufacturing workforce? In this episode, Mike Franz, Founder & CEO of Shop Floor Coffee, shares Shop Floor Coffee’s plans to encourage workforce development as well as actionable strategies for attracting, training, and retaining top talent. Learn how manufacturers can engage the next generation, leverage industry partnerships, and build a sustainable talent pipeline. Whether you're facing hiring challenges or looking to strengthen your team, this conversat...
Apr 15, 2025•21 min•Season 1Ep. 146
Process mapping is a powerful tool for improving efficiency in manufacturing. Rebecca Jasper, Supply Chain and Operations Executive, shares how to map workflows, eliminate inefficiencies, and create alignment across teams. Whether you're working to reduce waste, improve lead times, or enhance collaboration, these strategies will help you implement process mapping effectively. Get practical steps to refine your processes and achieve better results. Not a Manufacturers Alliance member? Request a D...
Apr 01, 2025•21 min•Season 1Ep. 145
Running a successful Kaizen event requires more than just gathering a team—it's about strategic planning, leadership support, and long-term sustainment. In this episode, Kirby Sneen sits down with Robert Dewane, Sr. OpEx Change Agent at Trane Technologies, to uncover the essential elements of impactful Kaizen events. Discover how to secure top-down buy-in, engage the right stakeholders, and implement changes that last. Whether you're new to Kaizen or looking to refine your approach, this convers...
Mar 18, 2025•26 min•Season 1Ep. 144
Want to improve your one-on-one meetings? In this episode, Dan Powley, Senior Production Manager at Intricon Corporation, shares proven strategies for structuring impactful one-on-ones that drive engagement, alignment, and accountability. Learn how to create meaningful conversations, set clear expectations, and ensure follow-through. Whether you lead a small team or a large workforce, these insights will help you strengthen relationships, develop employees, and improve overall team performance t...
Mar 04, 2025•23 min•Season 1Ep. 143
Effective Root Cause Analysis (RCA) goes beyond surface-level fixes to drive lasting improvements. In this episode, Helen Swanson, VP of Quality & Engineering at Sportech Inc., shares insights on defining problems, eliminating bias, and using RCA tools like the three-legged 5 Why to prevent recurring issues. Learn how to collect reliable data, engage cross-functional teams, and implement mistake-proofing strategies that create real change in manufacturing. Not a Manufacturers Alliance member...
Feb 18, 2025•21 min•Season 1Ep. 142
Learn from Christine Olson, Marketing Manager at Midwest Rubber, as she outlines how manufacturers can integrate marketing to bridge the gap between technical processes and customer relationships. Gain practical strategies to align marketing with operations, utilize customer feedback for continuous improvement, and craft compelling stories that emphasize quality and expertise. This episode delivers actionable takeaways to drive collaboration, enhance processes, and build stronger customer connec...
Feb 04, 2025•26 min•Season 1Ep. 141
Gain insights from manufacturing leaders, Steve Zweber, VP of Global Print Manufacturing, Operations & Distribution at Thomson Reuters, and Russ Soukup, President and CEO of Advanced Volumetric Metrics on economic trends, AI, recruiting, and retention. Together, they share their perspectives on economic trends, the evolving role of AI in manufacturing, strategies for recruiting and retaining top talent, and implementing operational excellence across teams. From navigating labor shortages to ...
Jan 21, 2025•37 min•Season 1Ep. 140
Struggling with unproductive meetings that waste time and fail to move your team forward? Learn Facilitation Skills from One of the Best with Bob Dummer, an experienced manufacturing leader. In this episode, Bob shares actionable tips to help you facilitate meetings that drive engagement, encourage participation, and lead to clear decisions and action steps. Learn how to overcome common challenges like getting stuck in analysis paralysis, managing off-track discussions, and ensuring everyone has...
Jan 07, 2025•20 min•Season 1Ep. 139
This week, Kirby Sneen, Jeremy Blake, and Monica Smith share their favorite episodes from the year, biggest lessons learned in 2024, and what you can look forward to from the Manufacturers Alliance in 2025!
Dec 17, 2024•19 min•Season 1Ep. 138
Vivek Saxena, Founder & CEO of Factory Twin walks you through how his small manufacturing clients are leveraging the data already in their systems to drive process improvement and get better results. Learn why the current way of practicing lean is slow, the barriers to going digital, and how you can speed up the pace of improvement. Visit FactoryTwin Not a Manufacturers Alliance member? Request a Demo...
Dec 10, 2024•27 min•Season 1Ep. 137
Silos, poor listening skills, and even cultural differences can be some of the bigger challenges any leader in manufacturing faces when trying to get everyone on the same page. In this episode, Jody O'Neil shares how to foster a collaborative environment to counter these challenges and reduce potential conflict in the workplace. Download the Leaders Guide
Nov 26, 2024•30 min•Season 1Ep. 136
Industry expert Laurie Harbour, partner with Wipfli, delves into the outlook of manufacturing. In this episode, Laurie shares key insights on the current instability in the industry, emerging trends to watch, and the barriers manufacturers must overcome to thrive in a rapidly changing landscape.
Nov 19, 2024•25 min
Matt Evans, Quality Manager at Unimatic Precision Machining, shares practical strategies for removing variation from your processes. Learn about mistake-proofing, leveraging control charts, and creating accurate standards to improve consistency and overall quality. Download the Leaders Guide Not a Manufacturers Alliance member? Request a Demo
Nov 12, 2024•22 min•Season 1Ep. 135
Gain insights on how to overcome continuous improvement challenges so that you can effectively manage improvements. In this episode, Bob Dummer explores the top 5 challenges CI leaders face, including resistance to change, sustainment, and access to data. Download the Leaders Guide
Oct 29, 2024•32 min•Season 1Ep. 134
In this bonus episode, we're sharing a replay of one of your favorites, featuring Eugene Arrington. Learn how to overcome fire fighting, make time for problem-solving, and overcome the tendency to jump to conclusions. Download the Leaders Guide
Oct 22, 2024•27 min
In this episode, Mathew Yost shares what it takes to sustain Six Sigma improvements for lasting success. He breaks down how metrics, tracking, management support, culture, standard work, and training have helped his team maintain the gains from Six Sigma projects. Gain practical insights and strategies to ensure your process improvements endure. Download the Leaders Guide
Oct 15, 2024•23 min•Season 1Ep. 133
In this episode, Sarah Hartung joins Kirby Sneen to explore how lean principles can be effectively applied in the office setting. Discover practical strategies for creating a lean enterprise, streamlining your business systems, and avoiding the pitfalls of sub-optimization. Download the Leaders Guide
Oct 08, 2024•22 min
In this episode, we are celebrating three manufacturers for their commitment to developing a culture of continuous improvement and their willingness to share their experiences with their peers. Learn about the biggest accomplishments, lessons learned, and current initiatives of Pallet Service Corporation, Intek Plastics, and LubeTech, all of which are aimed at creating a better future for everyone at their companies.
Oct 01, 2024•34 min•Season 1Ep. 132
In this episode, Kirby delves into three critical behaviors that are sabotaging leadership potential. Listen to learn these barriers to leadership potential and effective strategies to overcome them. Download the Leaders Guide
Sep 17, 2024•23 min•Season 1Ep. 131
In this episode, Michael Muilenburg and Kirby Sneen dive into the key characteristics that set professional problem solvers apart. Learn from Michael’s experiences, discover common pitfalls to avoid, and learn the traits you need to succeed. Download the Leaders Guide
Sep 03, 2024•26 min•Season 1Ep. 130
In this episode, learn how to improve your process capability. Nick Cristan shares the importance of producing repeatable results, how to utilize metrics and language to communicate with your team, and how to get people involved in solving a problem. Download the Leaders Guide
Aug 20, 2024•28 min•Season 1Ep. 129
Join Monica Smith and Abby Vork as they interview Kirby Sneen on Trends in Training. From the rise of AI to the move toward microlearning, learn what's trending and how to improve and benefit from emerging changes.
Aug 06, 2024•14 min•Season 1Ep. 128
In this episode, learn how to delegate well to accomplish more and empower team members to grow their skills. Matt Dillon shares insights on communication, approach, and avoiding micromanagement when delegating. Download the Leaders Guide
Jul 23, 2024•29 min•Season 1Ep. 127
Learn how to implement Kanban in your shop to start seeing better flow. In this episode, Crystal Selchow and Kirby Sneen discuss how to get started with kanban, deal with change management, and understand kanban size.
Jul 09, 2024•30 min•Season 1Ep. 126
