Culture + Trust for Plant Managers: Creating a Family Mindset That Strengthens Loyalty and Team Commitment with Paul Younes #65
Release Date: 02/08/2023
Manufacturing Leadership Development: The 3 Conversations That Fix Accountability, Alignment, and Results #170
Manufacturing Greatness | Productivity | Retention | Profits | Continuous Improvement | Safety | Workforce Development | Labor Challenges | Skills Gaps | Industry 4.0
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 and to subscribe to Trevor’s monthly newsletter. Now, let's jump in! If you’ve ever thought “I already explained this” but still are not getting the results you expect, the problem may not be effort, it may be alignment. In this episode, Trevor Blondeel explores how gaps in communication skills and unclear expectations impact...
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Manufacturing Leadership Development: Why Connection Drives Productivity and Retention with Morag Barrett #169
Manufacturing Greatness | Productivity | Retention | Profits | Continuous Improvement | Safety | Workforce Development | Labor Challenges | Skills Gaps | Industry 4.0
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 and to subscribe to Trevor’s monthly newsletter. Now, let's jump in! In today’s manufacturing environment, the biggest barrier to productivity, talent retention, and employee satisfaction isn’t equipment or process, it’s connection. Organizations may invest in lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, and process optimization, yet engagement,...
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Why Productivity Problems Start at the Top: Manufacturing Leadership and Employee Retention: #168
Manufacturing Greatness | Productivity | Retention | Profits | Continuous Improvement | Safety | Workforce Development | Labor Challenges | Skills Gaps | Industry 4.0
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 and to subscribe to Trevor’s monthly newsletter. In this episode of Manufacturing Greatness, we break down why manufacturing leaders plant owners, operations managers, and production managers continue to struggle with employee retention, manufacturing productivity, workforce engagement, and frontline performance on the shop floor. Even after...
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Leadership Resilience in Manufacturing: Leading Under Pressure with Dr. Marie-Helene Pelletier #167
Manufacturing Greatness | Productivity | Retention | Profits | Continuous Improvement | Safety | Workforce Development | Labor Challenges | Skills Gaps | Industry 4.0
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 and to subscribe to Trevor’s monthly newsletter. Now, let's jump in! In today’s demanding manufacturing environment, frontline supervisors and plant leaders are expected to deliver higher production efficiency, stronger quality management, and better manufacturing productivity often while navigating workforce pressures and constant operational...
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Why People Leave Manufacturing Jobs — A New North American Research Study #166
Manufacturing Greatness | Productivity | Retention | Profits | Continuous Improvement | Safety | Workforce Development | Labor Challenges | Skills Gaps | Industry 4.0
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 and to subscribe to Trevor’s monthly newsletter. If you have questions regarding workforce development in manufacturing operations in North America, email me at and we will propose it in the project scope of research. Why are manufacturing organizations struggling to recruit and retain great people? Let’s find out together! Manufacturing...
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Resilience for Frontline Supervisors: Building High Agency to Navigate Adversity and Improve Team Performance with Vickie Lanthier #165
Manufacturing Greatness | Productivity | Retention | Profits | Continuous Improvement | Safety | Workforce Development | Labor Challenges | Skills Gaps | Industry 4.0
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 and to subscribe to Trevor’s monthly newsletter. Now, let’s jump in! In this episode, Vickie Lanthier author of High Agency Human: Navigate Adversity and Live Big and former military leader with four deployments shares practical strategies for building personal agency in high-pressure environments like manufacturing. Drawing...
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Defining Manufacturing Greatness: Help Me Choose the Subtitle #164
Manufacturing Greatness | Productivity | Retention | Profits | Continuous Improvement | Safety | Workforce Development | Labor Challenges | Skills Gaps | Industry 4.0
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 and to subscribe to Trevor’s monthly newsletter. Now, let’s jump in! In manufacturing, most leaders don’t struggle because they lack technical knowledge. They struggle because they’re not connecting with their teams. When skill gaps widen, labor shortages grow, and hiring challenges persist, it’s rarely an operations problem. It’s...
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Manufacturing Leadership Development for Plant Managers: Driving Continuous Improvement Through Curiosity on the Shop Floor with Bruce Mayhew #163
Manufacturing Greatness | Productivity | Retention | Profits | Continuous Improvement | Safety | Workforce Development | Labor Challenges | Skills Gaps | Industry 4.0
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 and to subscribe to Trevor’s monthly newsletter. Now, let’s jump in! In this episode, Bruce Mayhew, corporate trainer, keynote speaker, executive coach, and author, shares insights on manufacturing leadership, communication skills, and trust building for Operations Managers, Production Managers, Manufacturing Managers, and Shift Supervisors. You’ll...
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Employee Engagement in Manufacturing for Plant Managers: Designing Time for Frontline Connection with Brian Herriot #162
Manufacturing Greatness | Productivity | Retention | Profits | Continuous Improvement | Safety | Workforce Development | Labor Challenges | Skills Gaps | Industry 4.0
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 and to subscribe to Trevor’s monthly newsletter. Now, let’s jump in! In this episode, Brian Herriot shares insights on manufacturing leadership, productivity, and employee engagement for Operations Managers, Production Managers, Manufacturing Managers, and Shift Supervisors. Brian brings a practical, human-centered approach to help manufacturing...
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Employee Retention in Manufacturing for Frontline Supervisors: How Structure, Curiosity, and Accountability Build Strong Teams with Ken Handsaeme #161
Manufacturing Greatness | Productivity | Retention | Profits | Continuous Improvement | Safety | Workforce Development | Labor Challenges | Skills Gaps | Industry 4.0
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 and to subscribe to Trevor’s monthly newsletter. Now, let’s jump in! How do you turn a one-machine operation into a thriving business? Find out in this episode with Ken Handsaeme, founder of On Time Precision. Ken’s unique journey started as a machinist, but when he decided he wanted a better retirement plan, he started his own business,...
info_outlineWelcome 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!
Do you want to eliminate drama on the manufacturing floor and create a more focused, productive workplace?
In this episode, Cy Wakeman, president and founder of Reality Based Leadership and bestselling author, shares insights on manufacturing leadership, employee engagement, and accountability for Operations Managers, Production Managers, Manufacturing Managers, Team Leaders, and Shift Supervisors.
Cy explains how communication skills, self awareness, and growth mindset help leaders reduce workplace drama, strengthen trust building, and improve productivity. You will learn practical strategies for difficult conversations, feedback delivery, and authentic leadership that support workforce retention and create manufacturing cultures where people stay focused on results instead of distractions.
1:30 – To avoid drama—and your own ego—approach every situation by considering what you know for sure
3:30 – It’s easy to fall into situations where you believe someone else is the villain or that you’re doing the right thing, which is why it’s important to consider facts, mindsets, and what details you know for sure
9:07 – The power of self-reflection is the ultimate drama diffuser
10:19 – Instead of judging or making assumptions, approach situations with curiosity, patience, and grace
11:49 – By extending an invitation instead of a lecture, you can “call people up to greatness.”
13:20 – “As the leader goes, so does the team.”
15:05 – If something happens that’s unpreferred, you need to step up and impact it
20:02 – As a leader, you can set an example and set your team up to avoid drama
21:32 – By setting a strong leadership example and empowering your team, you can find productive solutions while still maintaining healthy boundaries and not falling into the trap of being a “fixer” for everyone’s problems
23:05 – A question to ask yourself: if I see behavior I don’t want, how am I enabling it?
24:29 – When you quit buffering your team member’s relationship with reality, they will make better choices
29:32 – To get through to others, state reality and ask for what you really need
33:16 – As a leader, you can only make the invitation—it’s up to others to decide what to do with that invitation
34:59 – With the correct leader, your team will step into brilliance most of the time
35:16 – If you have drama in your workplace, it’s because people are venting instead of self-reflecting
Connect with Cy Wakeman
Reality-Based Leadership Website
Read Trevor’s book review on No Ego