How Manufacturers Improve

There are a lot of things to be learned by leaders on how to draw out different perspectives and respect people's ideas. Enjoy this week's conversation with Jim Doyle, as he shares how he has helped make it psychologically safe for teams to perform at their best!   Download the Leader's Guide https://mfrall.activehosted.com/f/261   This Podcast Episode was sponsored by Wipfli: The firm whose persp...

Have you ever wondered about how your small shop could take advantage of what the big industry players are doing to drive digital transformations and use AI or machine learning? You know using data to proactively make improvements is the way you want to go, but how do you get there?   Enjoy this week's conversation with Mo Abuali, Senior Director of Digital Strategy at Wipfli, as we discuss the pr...

The reality is that once you have a role where you are leading people as a manager, director, or VP you will still face a handful of leadership issues. You may feel the tendency to micromanage, struggle to acquire resources or even ignore performance issues. Avoid these issues and enjoy my conversation with Matt Kanz and Kelly Hanson, our instructors for the Strategic Leader Certification, as they...

In this week's episode, we talk with Brad Konik, CEO of Konik and Matt Kanz, SVP NA at Jack Links, as they share their leadership experience, how to avoid micromanaging, practical leadership tools, and some of the biggest surprises they faced going from manager to senior leader.  Download the Leaders Guide  >> Whether you're seeking a direct-hire or contract employee, Konik's technical talent netw...

For those of you who have struggled with inconsistent results, turnover, or just need to make sure you're on the same page as your leadership team, you're going to love this conversation. We've invited the CEO of Konik, Brad Konik, to talk about what he has done to establish a vivid vision for his company that is engaging and inspiring for his employees, clients and community.  Download the Leader...

Failure to customize your training can result in people feeling left out, not willing to be open about real issues, or cultural roadblocks like the infamous "that's not how we do it around here." Avoid these issues and enjoy this week's conversation with Monica Smith, as she shares what she's done to help members successfully customize training… so you can too!   Download the Leader's Guide   This...

Enjoy this week's special 100 th episode featuring Manufacturers Alliance team members Jeremy Blake, Monica Smith, and Jim as they discuss their favorite lessons learned and how they keep growing.   Download the Leaders Guide   This episode of the Manufacturers Alliance Podcast is sponsored by Bremer Bank. With bankers who know that in business, relationships matter more than ever. And understandi...

Becoming a successful senior leader is predicated on your ability to address emerging leadership challenges with new skills and strategies. The challenge I see most leaders face is that they went to school for engineering, operations, or supply chain management, not leadership. That's why I want to break this problem down, look at some of the most common causes, and share what I've seen other succ...

Every year we award three manufacturers for their dedication to developing a culture of continuous improvement and willingness to share their lessons learned with their peers. In this episode, we're talking to the 2023 Manufacturer of the Year Award Winners about their success, lessons learned, and looking forward to the future.   Register for the 2023 Manufacturer of the Year Awards   This episod...

Front-line leaders have to be good at getting work done through the voluntary cooperation of others but what does it take to master your ability to get high-quality products and services to the customer on time consistently? On this week's episode Todd Voit, the Director of Continuous Improvement at the Bernard Group, shares what you can do to develop master-level front-line leaders.   Download th...

Have you ever wondered how to get your team to stop pencil whipping and start problem solving? On this week's episode, Continuous Improvement Leader Jill Hillyer shares her experience with developing high performing teams with Kata!     Find a Peer Group     This episode was sponsored by Blue Key Media. Blue Key Media specializes in helping manufacturing companies increase sales, recruit more effi...

Have you ever experienced constraints to growth like access to talent, transportation, moving or going multi-site? Having a community partner on your team ensures that you take advantage of every financial and lifestyle incentive. Enjoy this week's conversation with Angela Schumann & Jim Thares as they discuss how you can work, live and retire well in Monticello. Questions about moving to Monticel...

We all have limited time, energy and resources, but we also know that investing in people can unlock huge potential. Enjoy my conversation with Continuous Improvement leader Steve Drueen as he shares his expertise on what you can do to Select Your next Green Belt Candidate.   Learn more about the Six Sigma Greenbelt Certification   This episode was sponsored by Wipfli: The firm whose perspective c...

The market for talent is still competitive. The challenge for most is being able to let go of those old recruitment practices and coming up with new ways to attract talent. Enjoy today's episode featuring Jim Mulrooney with Bremer Bank, as he shares what he's learned working with small business owners and how they've revolutionized recruitment. Learn more about Bremer Bank by visiting www.bremer.c...

Enjoy this week's conversation with our leadership and development coach, Jeremy Blake, as he shares his expertise on how to write the kind of problem statements that attract resources!   Download this week's resource by visiting www.mfrall.com/resources   This episode of the Manufacturers Alliance Podcast is sponsored by Bremer Bank. With bankers who know that in business, relationships matter mo...

On this week's episode, Ryan Swiderski and Kate Brown share how you can use better data to optimize inventory, effectively communicate price increases, and counteract labor shortages!  Thank you to today's sponsor, Konik.  Whether you're seeking a direct-hire or contract employee, Konik's technical talent network can quickly build a high-caliber team to meet your needs.  Contact them today at www....

A lot of people think that the fastest way to increase their income is to take on a leadership role and although a raise will likely come with the promotion how do you know that you'll really like it and be successful at it?   Enjoy this week's conversation with Jessica Lyons, Kelly Hansen, and Diane Bartels, as we discuss the challenges leaders face around communication, delegation, running meeti...

Becoming a successful team lead hinges on your ability to lead yourself. The challenge most leaders at this level face is balancing leading a team while accomplishing hands-on work. That's why on today's bonus episode, we share some things you can start doing and some things you should stop to help you become a more successful team leader.   Get today's resource by visiting www.mfrall.com/resource...

It's easy to let safety take a back seat when there haven't been any lost time incidents and your metrics are all about getting quality products to the customer on-time, but what is the real cost of neglecting safety?   Enjoy this week's conversation with Tim Sheehan, the Owner of OECS, as we discuss his new book Building a Safety Culture and how it can help you ensure that safety is number one fo...

Everyone has an opinion about what it takes to be successful, but the ones that are worth listening to come from the people that prioritize the success of their team.   Enjoy this week's conversation with Paul Langlois, Vice President of Enterprise Learning, careers and engagement for Ecolab as we discuss the four traits that will help you acquire the mindset of a leader.   Download this week's re...

Getting people to want to change can feel impossible, but with a few practical tools you can be on your way to developing a Kaizen (change for the better) culture! Enjoy this week's Podcast conversation with Mario Calvo, Sensi and Division Lean Manager for Parker Hannifin as we discuss how to develop a culture of kaizen and accomplish the results that come with it.   Download this week's resource...

Have you ever built specs that the customer didn't want or need? What is the true cost of tolerances being too tight, unneeded functionality, or overkill on fatigue testing?  On this week's episode Chad Moertl shares how you can build quality at the source and give the customer exactly what they want!   Download this week's resource by visiting www.mfrall.com/resources   This episode of the Manufa...

In this special bonus episode, Kevin Wilde discusses his new book Coachability and how it will help you minimize your blind spots and maximize the positive impact you can have on others.   Be one of the first 80 people to register and get your complimentary copy of Coachability: The leadership Super Power by visiting www.mfrall.com/resources     This episode of the Manufacturers Alliance Podcast i...

In this week's Podcast episode, Dan West with Blue Key Media discusses how having a   realistic job preview video can help you   attract the right people to the right role, and decrease turnover.   Download this week's resource by visiting www.mfrall.com/resources   This episode of the Manufacturers Alliance Podcast is sponsored by Maertens-Brenny Construction Co. Building solid foundations and co...

In order for operations to run smoothly you must identify and eliminate those non-value added steps in every process. In this week's conversation, Kara Slocum, head Of Operations for Artistic Finishes discusses her high mix low volume operation, the types of waste they are up against, what causing it, what they've done to remove it as well as lessons learned along the way.   Download this week's r...