37 Those Magic Mindset Goggles with Dave Baker

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Trevor Blondeel: Well Dave I was about to start a training session a couple of days ago, and with a group of manufacturing leaders and we're talking about the aware leader I’m all pumped up.

And I got a call from my son about 15 minutes before he's 22 and he's going through some major challenges that I can't all explain here, but I can tell you, as a dad, I was shaken up, and it was difficult for me and my mindset to kind of get back on track.

A lot of that comes down to just that resilience and what we practice ahead of time, but it was still hard and you Dave had had something in your life to change your mindset this week and tell us a little bit about that.

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Dave Baker: yeah, well you know I tell you. there's you know our guest today provided us this great quote which has helped me check this out mindset drives and shapes all that we do, how we engage with others and how we behave. In every moment and every situation and it's from the Arbinger Institute, and I saw that and read that, in the wake of having to put my best buddy down - man's best friend.

On Monday, just a couple of days ago, and you talk about a heartbreaker it absolutely tore me up and quite honestly, it's not easy to talk about but. I have been doing my best, thus, far to just hold it together and that's, all I can do, but you're you know it's all about mindset and my mindset in this grieving process of losing him. It’s has been ebb and flow in the days that you know, since it's transpired and where I keep you know I fight self-pity, anger, restlessness you know just woe is me and what am I going to do it says, you know my if I don't check my mindset man, we go in dark places and I know you can't move forward, and I’ve found myself stuck and it's like check your mindset they where's your head at where is your head and

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Dave Baker: So, know just in time we've got Jacob Knight, our guest with us today, Jacob is all about mindset and we’re so excited to have Jacob with us today, he's the manager he's a leader at FC in the Florence South Carolina area he's he owns Jacob Knight, and he runs Straight Talk on LinkedIn, which is fantastic. It's a community of like-minded folks to sharing thoughts and inspiration so Jacob welcome and man, we can't wait to hear and learn how mindset has impacted you and your career and your personal life so let's jump in man, I mean tell us about this.

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Jacob Knight: yeah, first all day then Trevor, thank you for having me on the show I’ve listened to several episodes and really enjoyed the content and the material, so thank you for that also sorry to hear about your son Trevor going through some things in his life now and I’ll be hoping and praying that it'll strengthen him and helping him in the long run.

You know Dave about you about your dog I was like you said man's best friend, I know it's tough and just let me say one thing on that I know you talk about mindset.

doesn't always mean that you must pretend like something different happen or something ever happened, you have to do with what happened but deal with it in a positive way that'll get you out of that slump so sorry to hear about that as well.

Again, thank you, but the mindset, and whenever you think about mindset, there's a lot of different things that may come to mind. Maybe just how you think about some particularly or to be a small scale or larger scale, but when I think about mindset, I just mean your general frame of mind, you know, whenever you get out of bed.

Whenever you look at a task whenever you have an obstacle come your way you know what's the foundation. Of where you're coming from, and I think there are different levels to talk about, but I think at the end of the day, success is driven by having the right kind of mindset, as your foundational steppingstone.

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Dave Baker: So Jacob, as a dyed in the wool manufacturing born and bred, I mean, as I understand man, I love the story, where were when you started sweeping floors?

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Jacob Knight: that's right off the bat. I grew up you know southern in the country most of my family was I guess you'd call them entrepreneurs I didn't know what that word meant back then.

We built houses wired houses was pushing was on total lumber did all these things from I think my dad kind of laughs about it. I was three years old, the first time I pull wire under the house, so I was doing that forever since I was born right come out when pulling while my GI joes under the House.

Yeah, so you talk about the first large company that I, I was hired on to I’m still a teenager.

Just at a high school and we're waiting on equipment to come in the facility, and you know we were asked to sweep the floor and I’ll tell you what I didn't know at the time, but you could really tell a lot about people whenever they were asked to do that task you had, I think I had 24 to 30 people in my group.

And most people were pretty upset about it, but I didn't know it at the time, but in my mind, you know I thought hey I’m going to sweep the paint off the floor.

I want to be the best floor sweeper into the plan and most people may have thought that look beneath them, which I still sweep the floors now and I don't mind if I get pretty doggone good at.

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Trevor Blondeel: yeah, it's funny those first impressions it's not necessarily.

Of course, there are discussions around does this person has the hands, do they have just the mechanical mindset and that is a part. But if they don't and they're sweeping that floor like nobody's business and whatever they do they're just going to do it the best they can, and it's hard to turn people away like that right.

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Jacob Knight: But, if you look throughout you know my career that's definitely been the game changer for me and, if we look out in our society in our culture, yes, there may be a lot of things going on now.

That isn't right per se, or maybe they've got this the odds are stacked against you, but I believe that you must have a successful mindset, even while you fight against those things because it's like you know negative breeds negativity you know, and you never really going to get out there slumping and pull ahead unless you have the right kind of mindset that's ownership taking responsibility.

Taking you to know I’m going to own up to this I’m going to dig out of this hole, and I have 30 years kind of developed.

Some of these characteristics some type of you know, mental strength that you need that doesn't cost you a penny, and I think that's a big thing about mindset is anybody can have the right mindset.

You don't have to be rich or poor, or you know you can be anybody and I think that's the strength that you have with mindset is not a degree, you have to get it's something you can actually you know work up in your mind in it comes out in your attitude and your behavior.

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Dave Baker: So, Jacob you and you open the can of worms up and I’m going in all right I’m going to pull them out.

What specifically for you, has been so impactful in keeping your mindset, where it is, I mean what do you do that others may learn from or might could benefit and learn what you do.

Every day that impacts that.

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Jacob Knight: Okay, so a big question, and this could be a long answer.

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Jacob Knight: I’m going to just tell you kind of about my personal process I’m not saying everybody must have this but I’m just going to let you know kind of where I come from, and then maybe some things I’ve put together that I think or are crucial to have the right, having the right mindset.

For me I had a process through life I ended up going to school later on in life after I’ve had had four children, and it was an obstacle, but it was well worth it very beneficial but had a lot of questions about my foundational like you know-how. How I thought about the world what is reality, what is no morality. All those types of type of questions you know what knowledge is, you know starting to get an hour's philosophy and my background is Christianity and probably some you know stoic philosophy, you know just where you know you put your nose down in an obstacle is the top of mine, since I’m kind of a mesh.

If you think about it that way that's kind of my foundation that I have grown into, and I believe that's What helps me propel forward but there's some there's generalities there are some general rules if you want to call it that.

I think are beneficial for the mindset I call them, and I can't take all this credit I got a great team I’ve worked with some great people in some companies and we've always participated and knowledge-sharing training.

Building each other up - one of my big things is I share everything I know I don't keep any trade secrets or any secrets from anybody or anything so I’ve always poured myself out because that made me grow in the process, but having said that, just to I like to think of it in three categories one is the golden rule.

And everybody basically knows what that is you know do unto others as you'd have them do unto you, but under that is more respect.

You know it's this genuine respect for people, where I really believe people are valuable and I want to behave in such a way that shows respect to them.

And I know there were there, how they're valuable in my worldview they're made in the image of God.

I want to treat them right and I want to help them succeed and the other one is like an internal drive, so I got this one aspect where I believe it, I’m going to respect.

Everybody the best that I can I’m going to give them respect right off the BAT and then it's a strong work ethic, you know you know I’m doing my work on to the Lord or you know you can think about hey I’m doing my work, you know.

For me, so to speak for my betterment I’m not trying to impress somebody internally, instead of an external thing I’m not doing it just for $1 or just for a title.

Passion and energy preparation, think about it, having a positive attitude, all these things and I’m saying doesn't cost you anything you know these are developed from within your mind. One is progress, moving forward, I want to keep getting better I need to be flexible; I need to be coachable I need to be able to learn and to grow, and those are the things I kind of put together.

That, I believe everybody can benefit from, and I call them the golden rule the internal drive-in progress, and I think that and that's really not anything new you can go online and find a means or whatever you call them that have broken down. Types of mindsets that don't cost you anything but those are how well look at him.

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Trevor Blondeel: So, Jacob, you know I hear you and, yes, it's on the Internet, and those are good things we're talking manufacturing here we're making the same thing we got a routine. So, I get on calls and I see people and I’ll say they take up how you are doing and how do you respond when they say I’m living the dream.

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Jacob Knight: Pretty funny line and I even use it joking around because we've here so much you know we hear that phrase, a lot of times live in a dream, just to kind of take a step back right I’m going to go off of what you said, a second ago. You were saying that you know, in the manufacturing world how is it, how do we have this top of mind said.

This, when you needed the most I mean whenever you're doing some a day in, day out you're punching a clock if you and I know you all have experienced this but morale you can lose it in a heartbeat.

Morale can be lost and it's hard to build a good culture in manufacturing, I believe, and maybe I’m partial because this was in my blood, but culture and morale or everything, so this is the utmost importance in a job, where people can easily feel like they're stuck right.

You feel like you're stuck, and I think that the plan that we put together is the path to get you unstuck so whenever somebody says something like that you know.

Living the dream right I’ll kind of laugh about it, too, I may say I’m living in a dream or I’ve been busy but really was going on is you know some ways probably giving you some sort of clue that your own happiness.

And they want to tell you that and play hey you know what was going on and going back to the story about losing you man's best friend Dave.

You were saying it was hard to focus really if you were able to open up with somebody a lot of times that helps you clear out so usually whenever somebody has something to say I’ll say you know.

I might laugh about it start where initially didn't ask that you know what's going on, tell me about it, you know what happened and then kind of sympathize and empathize with them a little bit and usually that does start to change the mood.

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Dave Baker: yeah, and I, you know, and Jacob appreciate you bringing that up and I’ll tell you twice this week, I was asked to go to dinner, and I said I mean I know the guy and I said honestly no I don't want to go, he said guess what they've come on we're going anyway.

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Dave Baker: And I’m telling you, it was the best thing I needed that and the second time, you know so buddy called me, and you know it's like hey.

You know I don't feel like talking, I was totally transparent with him, I said dude I don't feel like talking.

And he said all right well if you don't call me back and calling you again, so in my time I called him back, I did not want to, but I did anyway. Because I knew that that was, I needed to do that I just absolutely needed to do it and that helped keep me moving forward and that's us.

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Trevor Blondeel: And I referenced this a lot around women in manufacturing and how the numbers are not growing they've been stagnant, for a long time. That's definitely one thing that women can bring to manufacturing that sometimes males suck at which is living the dream.

You know just laugh it off, but I’d love your response Jacob it's kind of like tell me more about that later, you know is that funny is a little sarcastic, or is that actually a call for help.

Because I totally agree with you it's kind of like um what's underneath that.

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Dave Baker: But it could be a forced thing, and it could be real and that person truly is excited and on the top of their game living their dream, and so it can be anywhere In between there but yeah.

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Trevor Blondeel: So maybe the right responses tell me more because then you can understand, is it like Are they in their dream, or are they there and yeah, it's just one of those little things and I think it's what you said Jacob it's being that having the mindset of being open enough to be curious you know if you're in the right mindset, you can do that and. You know it's those little things that you do like I watched some Ted Talk; I remember it was like when you put your feet outside your bed, and you know the morning first thing you say is something greats going to happen today, I mean it can manufacturing is not something we talked about a lot but it's like you got to have something right and it's not going to make your day worse if you say something creates could happen.

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Jacob Knight: yeah, I mean you have to believe you'd have I’m more of a realist, but I don't let that stop me from being positive, you know as you know business owner business leader, you do have to be a realist you can't prove proceed, you know with unicorns you know hopping around and everything is going to be wonderful, but you can proceed all right here's the situation, what do we do about it, you know how do we change this, how can we, how do we get where we're going here's a little setback.

But we know we're going to get through this look what we are to get through, you know remind yourself of where you've already come and then where you need to go and that's another great example of the right mindset propelling you forward.

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Trevor Blondeel: yeah, and I think that's what the listeners want to hear they don't want to hear that you have a perfect mindset, they want to hear that it's okay. To be upset, that's okay it doesn't mean on a positive person that actually makes you more authentic because it's like yeah this, this is not good right now and however, we know that it's not always going to be like this, you know it's just where we are right now, and we got to where we’ve got to own it like you said and sit with it and figure out the next thing but it's I think it's what I’m hearing from you is that it's like that bigger picture higher vision, I was talking to a manufacturing team this morning they're basically just saying they're kind of stuck I just there in that routine.

But they really weren't working towards anything, so you know I like what how you describe that and it's like, however, that looks like to your plant or to your organization or to you as an individual, but where are you going and enjoy the process.

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Jacob Knight: And if you don't have the opportunity to create that vision. It may be easy for me to say that because I can somewhat create a vision, and everybody goes towards that but not everybody has it and I’ll say one thing you can do.

Is if you're stuck, how can I add value to my friend, how can I add value to.

My coworker and if you really work on adding value to other people you'll start to grow even if maybe your supervisor doesn't have the vision, you want to see maybe the company you're at.

You feel like you're just going nowhere and is hopeless will start actively adding value to other people and your mindset will begin to change, maybe that company won't be there for you forever, but you'll start to develop the right type of mindset for success.

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Dave Baker: And the lens that you look through. This right is exactly how you're going to end up see seeing things and begin shaping your future.

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Jacob Knight: Yes, right and you brought up the lens so that it reminds me of my glasses analogy.

A lot of times you know, life is like the weather, you get saying coming in, you as you get when you get it get hail you get tornado will no doubt this is going to be kind of rough but all these things are just flying around at you and a lot of times I think about mindset as a good pair of goggles a nice pair of glasses that allow you to see clearly even during these hard times.

It’s not you paint some perfect picture some fake picture or fake analogy it doesn't have you know things done on the lenses but it's giving you a clear view so you can clearly see.

look forward and math your goal now so mine says a lot like a good pair of goggles good glasses that keeps those keeps the dust of the world and it keeps those struggles from interfering with your vision, and it really helps you set your mind man forward. That's a good analogy that I like to use.

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Dave Baker: Then another one is its kind of like you know your mindset is kind of like your diet you've got a junk food diet or a healthy diet and between the two, I mean just like you know your mindset it directs your future it impacts, the result right it.

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Jacob Knight: 100% you have to have food to come in your body right or most of us do we have to have food to survive, you can fill it with junk, or you can fill it with something fairly nutrition, even if you're not perfect, but you're going to get healthier you're going to get stronger you're going to have a better quality of life if you eat the right things and that's a lot like mine, so if you have the right mindset.

You will get better you will grow doesn't always mean your circumstances going to be perfect, but you'll be more happy or unhappy is a little you know shaky kind of work, but at the end of the day, everybody wants to be happy. Everybody wants to feel good.

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Trevor Blondeel: Nobody wakes up and says, I want to be unhappy today. Right, I don't think.

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Jacob Knight: I’ve met some people, though I’ve had some challenges I met some people that fit where that negative, but I’ll tell you one thing really quick.

Actually, this person wasn't a negative person, but I was at an organization and we were having a meeting with an outside company had had to hit come in and they were asking.

Why did y'all buy into this system that Jacob role after you've been here 25 years how could you buy into some new system, because I brought in lean manufacturing and thinking and all of these deals ideas that we have today talking about and they said this and I’m not bragging but this really touched my soul when I think about a lot, he said because I knew he cared because I knew we care was all might have been 25 years was okay with changing.

The culture, because they knew that I care for them and that I was at least trying, you know what always successful I was at least trying to make their lives better and at least trying to benefit them in and that's a testimony I mean that's something that I go back to a lot, am I showing people did not care in my mind state, you know, am I, adding in such a way that people go home, and I say I got cares about me or see going home at night cousin me.

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Trevor Blondeel: And they say I’m going to steal this off one of our previous guests, but it's like can you and so but still, we see we work with different manufacturing groups, and we take some things for granted that well, of course, you're going to care for people but know that that's not it is it's this week's targets today's the target it's a quarterly budget.

And one of the things that we take for granted, we talked about how we do, because one thing to wake up yourself with the mindset and, yes, lead by example and we know those things.

But what's the, how do you build that into an organization and one of the things I heard you say Jacob was your daily huddle is the backbone of your team so like what, how is that what does that turn into the backbone.

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Jacob Knight: Thank you for bringing that up, let me say this that upfront organizations there.

Since I worked with several now there are different routines that are better for different companies, maybe it's weekly maybe it's daily maybe it's multiple times a day.

Depending on application location and all these things, but at the end of the day, that that daily huddle that that group, you get to look at everybody and you get to communicate you get to share whether it's about production schedules our birthdays that are coming up or the little team in his field on improvement ideas.

All kinds of good things and I’m going to throw some matches that we won't even be able to finish this session, but it might give you some ideas for the future there's another level of the mindset.

After you have this golden rule foundation, and all these rules are put forth in that daily huddle that's, why did they hope for years we use that hotel to preach entities these principles and all kinds of ways, but there's another level and that's got to do with our thinking growth mindset and servant leadership and that's how I believe, if you really implement those things after you have the solid foundation of mindset, I believe the organization really starts to make a lot of progress but I’ve kind of just dropped a bomb then well.

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Dave Baker: Hey that's fair and you know I want to go with just a little bit of time left to towards the end, I want to throw out this and that is Haywood.

Have a friend of mine in manufacturing for years he worked third shift key words second shift he worked on assembly worked in machining I mean that guy was the most.

Positive mindset individual and he was not in a position of power or authority, but he had great power in that anybody that came across his path. Was better than they were prior to right in the short term, in the long term, and Jacob, at the end of the day, man, we can preach, and we can teach all this stuff on leadership and mindset and stuff, but when the brass tacks at home it's people like Haywood that I knew that are the ones that make the difference, day in and day out, and how do you surround yourself? I mean it's like those glasses - the mindset goggles, right? You've got to put those on and keep them on and just drive and move forward.

My you know my question to you, maybe bringing us home here would be you know for somebody that may feel stuck where their mindset is jacked up right now, you know what's their first move what would be the top three things that they could do in getting out of that Funk and good.

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Jacob Knight: Good question and I gave you the top three, but I’ll just tell some here at you.

The first thing is a understand where you hidden you know where you're going, but the first thing I’m just going to reiterate is if you. Make it a point I’m going to add value to somebody else when I’m still I don't want to write it's like exercise it's like the eating right I don't want to do it.

But I really truly believe, because you do have to believe I believe this is going to work or I believe Dave I trust Dave cares about me.

And Dave’s telling me I need to give this a shot I’m going to give it a shot, even if I don't think it's going to work, and I think once somebody starts to add value to somebody else that I believe that that's your initial point is adding value and I’m going to leave it there because I think that's an important number one point.

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Trevor Blondeel: hey if you're focused on others, and you can add some value, you know there's a lot of studies around there of what that does to your serotonin your oxytocin levels, and that just you know just drives everything the universe, is a beautiful thing.

And if we do that, we share that you do the right things, care for people it's going to help you when you hit those levels because we're all going to hit them.

Whether we want to admit it or not, kind of going back to the mindset it's not about always being elected you said jack is not always about being positive.

Sometimes it's just about recognizing it labeling it and knowing that got to trust the process, so this has been.

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Trevor Blondeel: It goes by so fast and yeah there's more to unpack on that may well have to do that later, but Jacob thank you so much for taking the time today another great episode for our listeners, and we appreciate you.

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Jacob Knight: yeah, thank you Dave Thank you Trevor appreciate the opportunity you know, look forward to hearing future episodes and, once again, thank you.