Why Nobody Pulls the Cord with Dr. Michael Gillespie │ Leadership Decision Making │ Ep. 189

Why Nobody Pulls the Cord with Dr. Michael Gillespie │ Leadership Decision Making │ Ep. 189

Author: Trevor Blondeel August 19, 2026 Duration: 35:32

When was the last time somebody stopped your line and you thanked them for it? Toyota built the andon cord into the line decades ago and most plants still treat pulling it as a failure. Dr. Michael Gillespie, organizational psychologist at the University of South Florida and co-author of Distancing with David Marquet, studies why the person closest to a problem is often the least able to see it. Being locked inside your own point of view is the default setting, not an occasional lapse, which is how five people can walk up to one stopped line and each honestly see a different problem. Nobody is lying. Everybody is immersed. Mike walks Trevor through the three moves that create distance, be someone else, be somewhere else, be sometime else, and shares the research on why higher performing hospital units report more errors rather than fewer. Trevor brings the plant floor version, including the moment he admits he spent years defending his own department instead of the whole line, and applies temporal distancing live to a month-end budget decision every operations leader will recognize. Ends with one exercise you can try tonight, and it sounds cheesy until you read the research behind it. A practical conversation about decision making, critical thinking, and manufacturing team leadership for plant managers, operations directors, and frontline supervisors.

🎁 Free: 10 great questions to ask your leadership and drive engagement → manufacturinggreatness.com/subscribe and get bonus content in our newsletter!

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
Podcast Episodes