Workforce Development and Leadership Development: The Showing Up Gap That Is Undermining Your Manufacturing Productivity #172

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!

Most manufacturing leaders believe that if they were clear, the message landed. But there is a gap that almost no one sees — the distance between how you think you show up and how your team actually experiences you. In this episode of Manufacturing Greatness, Trevor Blondeel shares a story from his own time running a manufacturing plant, where good intentions and clear communication still cost him 10% in production output. He breaks down what he calls the showing up gap, why it quietly undermines lean manufacturing, kaizen, and continuous improvement efforts, and the one question that can help you start closing it today.

00:50 — The showing up gap is the hidden distance between how leaders think they communicate and how their teams actually experience them.

01:00 — A clear directive on cycle times lands poorly with the team, even when the what, the why, and the how were all covered.

02:00 — A visit to the shop floor reveals the meeting pulled the team off a strong production run and would likely cost 10% in output.

03:00 — The root cause was a monologue — real communication requires dialogue, curiosity, and a safe space for teams to surface competing priorities.

04:00 — When curiosity replaces direction, the answers that were already in the room finally get heard.

04:30 — Finding one truth teller who will honestly reflect how your leadership is landing is the first step to closing the showing up gap.