Manufacturing Extension Partners, Your Thinking Partners   *** EPISODE CREDITS: If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment. He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com 

Leading the Factory Forward

049: Manufacturing Extension Partners, Your Thinking Partners

Weathering the Current Storm, Part 6 - Starting Back Up   *** EPISODE CREDITS: If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment. He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com 

048: Weathering the Current Storm, Part 6 - Starting Back Up

Take time now to do some internal work to prepare for the post-pandemic world.   *** EPISODE CREDITS: If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment. He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com 

047: Weathering the Current Storm, Part 5

We are here to help you create a compelling future for yourself, your teams and your organization. This is the 4th episode to help you deal with our current crisis around the COVID-19 virus.   This series of episodes will be around how I see things at the time of the recording, but clearly, things can be changing quickly as the crisis moves forward. I’m not a medical or government expert, nor am I a financial expert, but I wanted to offer some thoughts on how you, as a manufacturing leader, might think about and approach this trying time.   In this episode, I’ll review a blog post from Steve Blank called How to Keep Your Company Alive. And I have a few more ideas for you to consider as a leader.   We'll dive deeper into these concepts: The external and internal assessments you need to do in your business Tips for creating a new business model and operating plan How we can all move ahead using David Rock’s SCARF model   Here’s something to consider: We are all start-ups now. How do we give and receive value to our future clients and employees?   Strive for Clarity, not Certainty – because this is all a work in progress!   2 Quotes from Steve Blank’s article:   “Companies that outlast this crisis will have CEOs who can rapidly assess these new circumstances, recognize new patterns and opportunities, and act with urgency to take immediate action to pivot and restructure their companies. Those that don’t may not survive.”   “Survival = (speed of your understanding of the situation) x (the magnitude of the pivots/cuts/lifeboat choices you make) x (the speed of your time to make those changes)”   Resources: Steve Blank’s article, How to Keep Your Company Alive Article on the SCARF Model from David Rock     Connect with Me: LinkedIn Facebook   Please leave a Rating and Review:Since this podcast is new, I’m asking for Apple Podcasts reviews. Reviews help others discover and learn what Leading the Factory Forward is all about. I thank you so much for being here and I’ll see ya next time on Leading the Factory Forward. — Lynn   *** EPISODE CREDITS: If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment. He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com   

046: Weathering the Current Storm, Part 4

This week I continue my discussion on how manufacturers can lead their team and organization through this time of crisis.   *** EPISODE CREDITS: If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment. He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com 

045: Weathering the Current Storm, Part 3

This week I continue my discussion on how manufacturers can lead their team and organization through this time of crisis. In this episode, I will be discussing three phases that we should be considering right now: how to survive and support our team, planning for business recovery, and engaging in business recovery.    We'll dive deeper into these concepts: Survive and support: where to focus your energy Planning for your recovery: what will you do in 2, 3, 6 months Engage in improvement: considerations for your people, finance, manufacturing, and supply chain. The circle of control may be the smallest one, but as a leader in manufacturing, it may be the most important one.    Now is an excellent time to focus on the things that you can do right now, including planning, learning, and supporting people.   Connect with Me: LinkedIn Facebook   Please leave a Rating and Review:Since this podcast is new, I’m asking for Apple Podcasts reviews. Reviews help others discover and learn what Leading the Factory Forward is all about. I thank you so much for being here and I’ll see ya next time on Leading the Factory Forward. — Lynn     *** EPISODE CREDITS: If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment. He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com 

044: Weathering the Current Storm Part 2

This episode is about our current crisis with the Novel Coronavirus. I'm not a medical or government expert. However, I wanted to offer some thoughts on how you, a manufacturing leader, might think about and approach your current way of business. In this episode, I cover five key areas you can focus on, right now, to help weather the current storm.    We'll dive deeper into these concepts: The nature of the event (at least how I see it) The importance of staying connected Pay attention to your finances, including liquidity and cash flow What's vital to your business; money, and people I explore the two questions on many people's minds, "What can I do?" and "How can I plan for recovery?"   Connect with Me: LinkedIn Facebook   Please leave a Rating and Review:Since this podcast is new, I’m asking for Apple Podcasts reviews. Reviews help others discover and learn what Leading the Factory Forward is all about. I thank you so much for being here and I’ll see ya next time on Leading the Factory Forward. — Lynn   *** EPISODE CREDITS: If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment. He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com 

043: Weathering the Current Storm

What is it that manufacturing owners and leaders are looking for and trying to improve on in 2020 and beyond? In this episode, I will be uncovering precisely what those needs happen to be. I will be referencing several recent industry surveys to find out. In addition to reviewing the various surveys' findings, I will divulge what I think the implications of the studies are and how they will affect continuous improvement and growth for the industry.   We'll dive deeper into these concepts: Workforce: The need for manufacturing employee attraction programs Leadership and growth: The industry is expressing a demand to improve strategy and planning capabilities Technology and productivity: Leaders and owners desire to drive productivity improvements on both the factory floor and office Now for some action steps: Revisit podcast episodes about Workforce Development:  Episode #007 - 3 Ideas for Developing Talent Episode #034 - Connecting with Apprenticeship Program Revisit podcast episodes about continuous improvement:  Episode #002 - Dealing with the 7 Wastes of Manufacturing Episode #036 - Using the Toyota Talent Principles Revisit podcast episodes about growth and leadership:  Episode #003 - Run, Improve, Grow Episode #021 - Creating Your Value Proposition Come back next week to hear how manufacturers can work with Manufacturing Extension Partnerships   Resources and links mentioned: Iowa Manufacturing Needs Assessment Report 2019-2020 Preparing for a New Decade of U. S. Manufacturing   Connect with Me: LinkedIn Facebook   Please leave a Rating and Review:Since this podcast is new, I’m asking for Apple Podcasts reviews. Reviews help others discover and learn what Leading the Factory Forward is all about. I thank you so much for being here and I’ll see ya next time on Leading the Factory Forward. — Lynn   *** EPISODE CREDITS: If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment. He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com 

042: What Manufacturers Need in 2020

Why is adopting new technology so important? As a manufacturer, what are the areas of technology you should pay attention to? Understanding and adopting trends makes you more efficient and faster. Being responsive is key to your success and survival as a small manufacturer. In today's episode, I share some of the latest 2020 manufacturing trends and dive deeper into why utilizing new technology is important for you and your business. There are many manufacturing trends I could have covered in this episode but for sake of time and efficiency, I chose four. These include ERP systems, Real-Time Monitoring - IoT, Automation, Robots, Cobots, and Supply Chain connections. We’ll dive deeper into these concepts: Enterprise Resource Planning Systems: Why we should pay attention to ERP system and how they can help you streamline processes. Cloud-based ERP Systems can prove to be a more economic choice for manufacturers. How Real-Time Monitoring can provide real-time information and analytics. Automation is very useful whenever there is repetitive work. Cobots: where people and robots work together. How supply chain connections help you improve response times, partnering, and communication. Now for some action steps: Look back at Episode #016 - Industry 4.0 and Episodes #017 and #018 - Digital Leadership Skills. I highly recommend the resources linked in the show notes and website. Come back next week when I will be discussing Manufacturing Needs. We will look at what you, the manufacturers, have said are the key challenges and opportunities that you face.   Resources and links mentioned: 5 manufacturing trends to watch in 2020 - RSM Technology and trade are among the trends worth watching this year 5 Manufacturing Trends for 2020: A look at the trends that are likely to happen in the manufacturing sector in 2020November 7, 2019 - Industry Today Top 10 2020 Manufacturing TrendsJanuary 9, 2020 - ERP Blog - IQMS Smart factory 2.0 - The old and the nuanced Deloitte Insights   Connect with Me: LinkedIn Facebook   Please Leave a Rating and Review:Since this podcast is new, I’m asking for Apple Podcasts reviews. Reviews help others discover and learn what Leading the Factory Forward is all about. I thank you so much for being here and I’ll see ya next time on Leading the Factory Forward. — Lynn   *** EPISODE CREDITS: If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment. He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com   

041: 2020 Manufacturing Trends

How do you get the important things done with others? How do you work to reach the same goal with your teams, clients, and colleagues? Well, today’s episode is all about building the skills needed to lead others (and yourself too).  We’ll focus, at length, on the topic of emotional intelligence competencies including self-awareness, empathy, organizational awareness plus coaching and mentoring. This episode builds upon the four components of leadership discussed in earlier episodes: habits of thinking, habits of action, and focused work. Everything gets pulled together today as I focus on the art of working with humans. We’ll dive deeper into these concepts: Self-awareness: what is it, how do you practice it, and how can it help. Empathy and why I believe it has a lot to do with listening. Organizational awareness and understanding the network of how things get done in your organization. Coaching and mentoring: why and how we continually have to improve ourselves. Now for some action steps:  Make an effort to really be fully present and listen deeply to some conversations and see what you notice. Figure out who the key connectors are in your organization. Revisit Episodes 37: Atomic Habits - Building Habits of Action and Episode 38: Corporate Athlete - Developing Routines for Action   Resources and links mentioned: The Skills Companies Need Most in 2020 - LinkedIn Learning The Global Skills Shortage - SHRM (PDF) Goleman EI - Emotional Intelligence Coaching and Training   Connect with Me: LinkedIn Facebook   Please Leave a Rating and Review:Since this podcast is new, I’m asking for Apple Podcasts reviews. Reviews help others discover and learn what Leading the Factory Forward is all about. I thank you so much for being here and I’ll see ya next time on Leading the Factory Forward. — Lynn   *** EPISODE CREDITS: If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment. He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com   

040: Working with Humans

What are your practices to create focused work? Why is focused work important? Maybe it is time to prepare for a client, a team meeting to organize others, or perhaps a meeting with an individual employee to discuss how they may be able to improve. In this episode, I discuss three main elements of creating deep work and how you actually execute deep work.  This is the third part of my four-part series on developing your leadership foundations to help you build your skills for the future. In this episode, I am concentrating on focused work. In the first two parts, we focused on habits of mind and habits of action.  We’ll dive deeper into these concepts: Deep work: what it is and how to do it.  Distractions: the things that keep us away from our deep work. Strategies for learning new tasks, technologies or skills—methods and practices to continuously work to always learn new things. Now for some action steps:  Make a list of 3-5 things where you could generate value for the organization. Make a log of distractions so you can work to minimize them. Listen to the next episode, which will be the last in this series and will cover the skills to lead yourself and others.   Resources and links mentioned: Deep Work by Cal Newport 1st 20 Hours by Josh Kaufman Ultra Learning by Scott Young   Connect with Me: LinkedIn Facebook   Please Leave a Rating and Review:Since this podcast is new, I’m asking for Apple Podcasts reviews. Reviews help others discover and learn what Leading the Factory Forward is all about. I thank you so much for being here and I’ll see ya next time on Leading the Factory Forward. — Lynn   EPISODE CREDITS: If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment. He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com   

039: Focused Work

This is the second part of a series on developing your leadership foundations. Last week I focused on creating habits of mind.  Today I focus on building habits of action.  How do you plan, organize, and execute your day? How do you cut through the blinding storm of information and all the requests that are coming at you and actually make some progress each and every day? In this episode, I discuss four key concepts to help you plan your days and ultimately learn how you can improve in the future by taking the time to analyze things that happen. We’ll dive deeper into these concepts: Prioritizing tasks you want to complete and having a plan to accomplish this. The importance of listening and being present in the conversation. Effective meetings: focusing on the purpose of the meeting and why you are attending the meeting. The importance of reflecting upon what just happened by using the military’s idea of “After Action Review” to find out how you can learn and improve. Now for some action steps:  Make a list of your top five projects and schedule three action steps for the project. Remember to take some time to reflect on the week. Reflect on what was supposed to happen, what happened, what was learned, and what you can do differently in the future. Listen next week when I discuss creating focus, energy, and momentum.   Resources and links mentioned: Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity - David Allen, Meetings Matter: 8 Powerful Strategies for Remarkable Conversations - Paul Axtell Leader’s Guide to After Action Reviews - AAR (PDF) Atomic Habits -  James Clear Corporate Athlete - Jack Groppel and Bob Andelman   Connect with Me: LinkedIn Facebook   Please Leave a Rating and Review:Since this podcast is new, I’m asking for Apple Podcasts reviews. Reviews help others discover and learn what Leading the Factory Forward is all about. I thank you so much for being here and I’ll see ya next time on Leading the Factory Forward. — Lynn   *** EPISODE CREDITS: If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment. He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com   

038: Creating Habits of Action

As manufacturing leaders, it is important to continue to develop new habits of thinking and new habits of action. Doing so will allow you to create focus and gain momentum in your organization. Over the course of the next four episodes, I will be producing a series on developing your leadership foundations, including how to create habits of mind and action. My goal is to help you build your leadership skills for yourself, for your organization, and for your future.  Have you thought about what your habits of mind for 2020 will be? How do you view yourself? How do you view the world around you? And when you pull it all together, are you showing up in the world as you’d like? In this episode, I am going to delve into the topic of creating habits of mind so that you can effectively operate as a leader and promote creativity, reasoning, and meaning in your work and life.  We’ll dive deeper into these concepts: How you view yourself, plus mindfulness, routines, and habits How you view the world, including growth versus fixed mindset How you interact with the world, plus attempting to be 1% better each day 4 lenses which will help you to define your 2020 goals Now for some action steps:  Ask yourself the following questions and see what comes up for you: How do you view yourself?   How can you fit mindfulness into your day?  How do you create habits that are supportive of getting a great start in the day? Be sure to check out the links and resources in the show notes below.  Come back next week to hear how to create habits of action.    Resources and links mentioned: Atomic Habits -  James Clear Daily Stoic - Ryan Holiday Dare to Lead - Brene Brown Corporate Athlete - Jack Groppel and Bob Andelman Mindset - Carol S. Dweck Managing Transitions - William Bridges and Susan Bridges Yes, And - Kelly Leonard and Tom Yorton Do More Great Work - Michael Bungay Stanier The Second Mountain - David Brooks   Connect with Me: LinkedIn Facebook   Please Leave a Rating and Review:Since this podcast is new, I’m asking for Apple Podcasts reviews. Reviews help others discover and learn what Leading the Factory Forward is all about. I thank you so much for being here and I’ll see ya next time on Leading the Factory Forward. — Lynn   *** EPISODE CREDITS: If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment. He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com   

037: Creating Habits of Mind

Today I am talking about developing your workforce by using the Toyota Talent Principles. Why is this important to you? Well, as a manufacturing leader and business owner, regardless of your daily responsibilities, you still have the job of onboarding new talent. Onboarding requires you to spend a lot of time training people on how to do the work you need to be done each and every day. Toyota has a proven system to develop talent.  This episode shares several of the Toyota Principles as detailed in the book, Toyota Talent by Jeffrey K. Liker and David P. Meier. Their book, and the several that followed, details Toyota’s systems, how these are applied, and how people, like you and me, can duplicate or, at least, emulate these efforts in the workplace.  We’ll dive deeper into these concepts: An overview of the Toyota Job Instruction Four-Step Method. Your State Manufacturing Extension Partners (MEPs) are a contact point for training within the industry programs. Hire for attitude and then train for skill. Consider bringing on temporary trainers such as retirees from within the industry to help with training your new employees.  The skills of the effective trainer. Now for some action steps:  Start this week by developing your first steps in an action and learning plan for onboarding new employees.  Pick an important job that's often done by new employees. List the skills required. Think about the steps for explaining and teaching how to do these skills.    Resources and links mentioned: Toyota Talent: Developing Your People the Toyota Way by Jeffrey K. Liker, Ph.D. and David P. Meier The Toyota Way website   Connect with Me: LinkedIn Facebook   Please Leave a Rating and Review:Since this podcast is new, I’m asking for Apple Podcasts reviews. Reviews help others discover and learn what Leading the Factory Forward is all about. I thank you so much for being here and I’ll see ya next time on Leading the Factory Forward. — Lynn   *** EPISODE CREDITS: If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment. He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com   

036: Developing Your People by Using the Toyota Talent Principles

Are you doing work you know you should hand off? Do you want to make progress in your manufacturing business but everyday tasks are crowding your schedule? Connecting with virtual teams might be the answer to your problem. In part four of my ongoing series on developing talent and workforce, I am going to share my thoughts and insight on finding and engaging with virtual teams.  In this episode, I will explore some of the things you must consider before bringing on a virtual team. I will also discuss my own experiences working with virtual talent and some of the various places you can go to find talent for your business.  We’ll dive deeper into these concepts: Strategies to help you determine the skills you need fulfilled by virtual team members The importance of defining and understanding your factory’s processes and procedures My own experiences working and engaging with virtual talent Now for some next steps, take some time this week to draft up a list of the things you don’t like doing, don’t know how to do, or shouldn’t be doing. Then start determining which of these items you can hand off to a virtual team member.  Also, be sure to check out the show notes resources to see what sparks your thinking. Next week I will wrap up this series and share some lessons from the book Toyota Talent.   Resources and links mentioned: Virtual Freedom: How to Work with Virtual Staff to Buy More Time, Become More Productive, and Build Your Dream Business By Chris Ducker Link to a Chris Ducker blog post on 101 tasks you might outsource to a virtual team The Virtual Assistant Solution: Come up for Air, Offload the Work You Hate, and Focus on What You Do Best, By Michael Hyatt Priority VA website Emerald City Productions website Upwork - In Demand Talent on Demand website Fiverr website Task Rabbit website   Connect with Me: LinkedIn Facebook   Please Leave a Rating and Review:Since this podcast is new, I’m asking for Apple Podcasts reviews. Reviews help others discover and learn what Leading the Factory Forward is all about. I thank you so much for being here and I’ll see ya next time on Leading the Factory Forward. — Lynn   *** EPISODE CREDITS: If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment. He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com   

035: Finding and Engaging with Virtual Talent

Lynn Friesth is an advanced manufacturing strategist and leadership consultant who is on a mission to show manufacturing leaders how to improve their current operations while preparing for a digital future. He's a productivity coach, industry 4.0 blogger, and future workforce developer for forward thinking leaders who are struggling to find the workforce I need, the time to work on improving their business, and need "small" solutions to get started finding new success. Leading the Factory Forward features strategies for embracing the digital future, recruiting a new workforce, finding new business, and interviews with manufacturing experts.

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Leading the Factory Forward

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