Here's how you can harness confidence to excel in leadership roles within manufacturing.

One thing I've found helpful is to always operate with integrity. Integrity will take you where numbers can't sustain you. Operating with integrity is also contagious.

From determining the needs of our customers, to the many steps involved with the process of manufacturing and product testing, it can be years before a product is released into the market. Part of my job is coming up with new and innovative ways for our commercial (Sales and Marketing) team to generate interest among our customers by presenting them with different ways to use our products. Our R&D Team, Our Technical Service Team, Our Manufacturing Team, Our Innovations and Applications Team, and Our Commercial Team each play a crucial role in keeping our company growing and thriving! In the end, the most important take away is we must all work together with our colleagues, because if we do not, we will not be successful as a company.

In my experience this can be true. However, the most important thing that helps to start building trust to me is when you serve your team. For example, when you build rapport and genuinely care about what’s important to them, like family, friends, working hours, stress, and just paying attention to them before you start to talk about work. This was the culture when I was in the military. My bosses always wanted to know how I was doing, had I talked with my family, and etc. so yes while trust is a big factor, have an attitude to serve when your in leadership position.

Absolutely! Trust is indeed the bedrock of effective leadership in any industry, including manufacturing. Building trust within your team requires consistent effort and genuine commitment. Here's a breakdown of the key points you've mentioned: 1.Reliability. 2.Openness. 3.Fairness. 4.Commitment. 5.Listening. 6.Action.

Essential to building trust is showing respect to the team members. Respect works both ways - from the team leader to the team members and vice versa - and only in this way. Respect facilitates listening that eliminates misunderstandings, which improves team culture, enhances cooperation, and accelerates the growth of team members.

Clear communication is vital in manufacturing leadership, where precision and efficiency are paramount. Here's why it's crucial and some strategies to achieve it: 1. Articulating Goals and Expectations 2. Simplicity and Clarity 3. Confidence and Assurance

Communication is a leadership characteristic. It must be clear, real, and honest. Communication conveys messages and provides direction by analyzing complex reality in view of business objections, mission, and vision. In order to be clear and understandable, communication must be repeated many times and under different circumstances.

Change for the sake of change is failure. I've seen this a lot in the past when a new supervisor or manager takes over. They often feel the need to make all kinds of changes without understanding the workflows or organization. This causes the team to lose respect and focus. Change should be based on an analysis of what needs to change and why, and it needs to involve all stakeholders. This may slow change down, but the change that does occur will be intentional and backed up with data. First-line workers need to be empowered to make changes or stop work on the spot in certain situations. Clarity in the types of change and scopes allowed at each level should be provided to the team.

It helps to have experience taking a product from concept to delivery to the customer. Nothing builds genuine confidence like real-world grit and experience. Your colleages will trust you more when they know you've delivered. Lead by example, but delegate. Upper management should not be on the production floor doing the work unless there is no other option, which often happens at startups and small businesses.

The leader's value is the vision and team-building, not doing the gruntwork. Recognize and celebrate both individual and group accomplishments. A "pizza party" should not be the sole reward. If you're not sure what to do, ask the people who earned the reward. Often a bonus or maybe a day off is what they want. Do not wait until the next quarter or annual meeting for praise, it should be close in time to the accomplishment. Be genuine with the praise, and base it on actual events. Do not give out participation trophies because they devalue the success for everyone.

Invest in training and skills for your employees. Yes, there is a risk they may leave for a different job. This risk can be mitigated my making your business somewhere people want to work at and are happy to be a part of. Many people don't want to do the same thing everyday forever and do want to develop their skills and transition roles. It is important to have mentorship and professional development programs to build and maintain a skilled workforce. Challenging employees and rewarding their accomplishments will help build a strong company with low turnover.

Cultivate empowerment in your team. Teamwork, trust, training and change management cannot develop the team’s full potential if they fail to empower your team members. You are not supposed to guide your team members in every step toward achieving their own goals as well as the team’s goals in line with business objectives. You should trust their skills, rely on their potential and provide them with the psychological safety to make things happen. This will lead the team into a virtuous cycle of growth.