Leadership Self-Awareness in Manufacturing for Capability Managers: Using Personality Assessments to Improve How You Show Up with Christy Smallwood #87

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Now, let’s jump in!

Personality assessments like DiSC and Myers Briggs can help manufacturing leaders better understand how they show up on the shop floor and how their leadership style impacts engagement and performance.

In this episode, Christy Smallwood, speaker and author, shares insights on manufacturing leadership, emotional intelligence, and employee engagement for Operations Managers, Production Managers, Manufacturing Managers, Team Leaders, and Shift Supervisors.

Christy explains how self awareness, communication skills, and authentic leadership strengthen trust building and accountability. You will learn practical strategies to improve feedback delivery, support workforce retention, and create manufacturing cultures where leaders connect more effectively with their teams and drive stronger productivity and results.

1:54 – There are many reasons for manufacturing leaders to consider implementing personality assessments

2:29 – One major benefit of personality assessments is learning your communication style and the communication style of others on your team – this helps you understand what you need to do to get the best results from conversations

3:32 – “We don’t see the world as it is, we see it as we are”

5:03 – As a leader, it’s important to take advantage of any tools you can use to better connect with your team, including personality assessments

5:14 – There are many different types of personality assessments to choose from, and you can pick something that best suits your team or organization  

5:53 – One type of personality assessments is the DiSC assessment

7:26 – Some personality types assign an animal to go along with different personality traits

9:40 – If someone is acting differently from their normal personality type, it could be a sign they’re dealing with an issue, like a family problem outside of work

10:55 – In a personality test, there is no wrong answer

11:43 – When people have different personalities, it may sometimes lead to conflict or miscommunications – this is why it’s important to understand why others behave the way they do based on their personality

14:00 – With understanding, even people with vastly different personality types can get along

16:19 – Your personality type impacts the way you show up on a daily basis

18:31 – The COVID-19 pandemic has made personality assessments more important than ever

20:00 – By understanding a team member’s personality, you’ll have a better awareness of what they need to feel energized or supported

25:00 – We all have different aspects of our personalities

Connect with Christy Smallwood

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