Welcome to Manufacturing Greatness with Trevor Blondeel, where we work with organizations to manufacture greatness by leveraging resources you already have to achieve greater retention, productivity, and profits. To learn more, visit www.manufacturinggreatness.com and click here to subscribe to Trevor's monthly newsletter.
Now, let's jump in!
What do manufacturing leaders have in common with performers? More than you think. Leadership on the shop floor requires presence, communication skills, and the ability to influence outcomes.
In this episode, Michael Port, bestselling author and founder of Heroic Public Speaking, shares insights on manufacturing leadership, communication skills, and employee engagement for Operations Managers, Production Managers, Manufacturing Managers, Team Leaders, and Shift Supervisors.
Michael explains how authentic leadership, feedback delivery, and growth mindset improve influence and accountability. You will learn practical strategies for difficult conversations, trust building, and persuasive communication that support workforce retention, increase productivity, and help leaders motivate teams with clarity and confidence.
3:30 – Putting on a performance doesn't necessarily mean showcasing a fake version of yourself, and performances can still be intentional and mindful
5:02: To change what other people do, consider what you make them think and how you make them feel
5:30 – You need to earn the privilege of influencing how others think
8:11 – To be a person who others want to help, you need to create value for them
10:48 – Success is not just about numbers and goalposts, but about growing every single member of your team
12:05 – To build a long-term, sustainable organization, it always comes back to being intentional and thinking about how your team feels and how you make them feel through your leadership and behavior
15:28 – As a leader or manager, you need to be careful and deliberate about what you say on a everyday basis, and think about how others might interpret your words
17:14 – Before starting a conversation, especially in a time of conflict, think about how the other person might react to your words, and what you can say to start an engaging dialogue without them feeling attacked or defensive
18:40 – To increase productivity and create a healthier workplace culture, you need to make your team feel like they're in a safe environment
21:11 – You want to present you team with something that can get excited about, and show them something of value they'll get out of it
22:41 – Along with showing your team members what they'll get from your initiative, you also have to highlight the consequences of not doing it
23:59 – Most people don't really hear you until you're sick of saying the point you want me to hear
25:21 – To be a person who others want to help, you have to show others you can both make and fulfil commitments
29:55 – If you always shut down other's ideas, they will eventually learn to stop coming to you
30:27 – To have productive conversations, you need to keep them moving
Connect with Michael Port
Heroic Public Speaking website
Heroic Public Speaking Substack
Follow @HeroicPublicSpeaking on social media
