eadership + Productivity for Manufacturing Leaders: Writing a Must-Read to Clarify Your Message and Expand Your Influence with AJ Harper #98

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!

Have you ever wanted to write a book or strengthen how you communicate ideas to your team? Storytelling is a powerful leadership skill that helps manufacturing leaders engage people and drive results.

In this episode, AJ Harper, publishing strategist and author of Write a Must Read, shares insights on manufacturing leadership, communication skills, and employee engagement for Operations Managers, Production Managers, Manufacturing Managers, Team Leaders, and Shift Supervisors.

AJ explains how authentic leadership, growth mindset, and strategic thinking help leaders tell better stories, improve feedback delivery, and build trust. You will learn practical strategies to strengthen influence, support workforce retention, and create manufacturing cultures where clear communication inspires accountability, productivity, and connection.

1:03 – In a previous episode with Michael Port, we talked about speaking and growing your speaking skills to improve your impact in your organization.

2:39 – As a ghostwriter for bestselling books, AJ gained the experiences and insights she now uses to help others craft must-read books

5:01 – Like manufacturing, crafting a good book means developing strong systems and processes

5:30 – By having a strong and repeatable system, you can overcome challenges like self-doubt or your inner critic

6:28 – A key point of strong storytelling is remembering details

6:48 – To remember details you want to write down or share with your team, write them down in your phone or even record them for later

8:33 – Even if you have a very busy schedule, you can still find times in your day to write

9:17 – Writing doesn’t have to be daily and you don’t have to write a ton of words every day, as long as you find time to write on a regular basis that works for you and your schedule

10:42 – Other people may have already written ideas similar to yours, but the world still hasn’t heard it in your unique voice

11:43 – To connect with your audience, you need to put your reader first

13:35 – By using the reader first concept, you can also find better ways to connect and communicate with your team

14:50 – Even by just acknowledging an existing problem or condition, you can still motivate and support your team or audience

16:37 – Think about the hearts and minds of your audience and demographic

19:12 – Having a script is a way to prepare yourself before speaking, even if it’s just a few key points

20:42 – Instead of only focusing on your own objective, think about how you want to make others feel

21:35 – Don’t expect to be great at first

Connect with AJ Harper

Visit her website, where you can sign up for her newsletter with more writing tips

Learn more in my review of Write a Must-Read