Be Curious Rather Than Furious | Manufacturing Team Leadership and Culture with Karin Lindner | Ep. 191

Be Curious Rather Than Furious | Manufacturing Team Leadership and Culture with Karin Lindner | Ep. 191

Author: Trevor Blondeel September 2, 2026 Duration: 30:57

Karin Lindner has spent fourteen years trying to make manufacturing attractive to the people who work in it, and she says it is still not there. Her new book, Making Manufacturing Sexy, argues that most manufacturing leaders are not leading. They are surviving, stuck in a system that rewards firefighting.

Karin and Trevor both worked at Magna. In this conversation they get into what actually changes a plant, and it is not the equipment. Karin shares the coaching tagline she uses with every client, be curious rather than furious, and the story of a general manager who described himself as passionate when what he meant was that he lost control under pressure. Trevor tells the story of the whiteboard he once wrote on, and the shop floor leader whose feedback stopped him cold.

They walk through the five non-negotiable shifts from the book, starting with the way you open your very next production meeting, and finishing with the one every leader avoids: stop tolerating what hurts performance.

Karin's line to sit with: we judge ourselves by our intentions and we judge others by their actions.

Making Manufacturing Sexy by Karin Lindner is available now. Find Karin on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/karinlindner and at karicosolutions.com.

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Connect with Trevor: 

LinkedIn 👉 linkedin.com/in/trevorblondeel 

Website 👉 manufacturinggreatness.com 


Trevor Blondeel hosts Manufacturing Greatness, a series built on the belief that the most valuable insights come from real-world experience. Each episode features candid conversations with leaders from the factory floor and beyond, focusing on the human side of industry challenges. You’ll hear stories that tackle the pressing issues of retention, skills gaps, and labor challenges with a sense of transparency rarely found in business discussions. This podcast digs into practical strategies for continuous improvement and workforce development, connecting them directly to productivity and safety outcomes. Rather than abstract theory, Trevor and his guests explore how to leverage existing resources and people to build a more resilient operation. The dialogue naturally extends to what Industry 4.0 means for frontline supervisors and plant managers, framing technology as a tool for human empowerment. It’s for anyone who believes that sustainable profits are built through authentic leadership and a relentless focus on developing people. By listening, you gain access to a community focused on pragmatic solutions, where the shared goal is to cultivate excellence from the ground up in a constantly evolving manufacturing landscape.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Manufacturing Greatness | Productivity | Retention | Profits | Continuous Improvement | Safety | Workforce Development | Labor Challenges | Skills Gaps | Industry 4.0
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