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September 12, 2025
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Manufacturing Can’t Afford Training Downtime. Or Bad Supervisors.

Manufacturing plants across the country are reporting the same problem. Nearly half cite insufficient labor supply as the main factor affecting their capacity utilization. You can’t find enough skilled workers, and you can’t afford to shut down production to train the supervisors you have. But here’s the brutal reality. Poor supervision is creating more operational […]
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September 5, 2025
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Manufacturing is Promoting People Into Management Failure

Here’s what’s happening in manufacturing right now. Production demands are higher than ever, but you can’t find enough skilled workers. So you’re promoting your best operators into management positions, hoping they can help develop the people you do have. The problem? According to industry data, the manufacturing sector could need up to 3.8 million additional […]
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August 29, 2025
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The Manufacturing Leadership Crisis is Getting Worse

Manufacturing is facing a perfect storm. The sector needs up to 3.8 million additional workers by 2033, but 1.9 million of those jobs could go unfilled if workforce challenges aren’t addressed. Here’s what’s making it worse. Companies are promoting their best technicians into supervisor roles without any leadership training. 75% of manufacturing supervisors manage people […]
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August 20, 2025
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Developing Managers in a Blue Collar Environment

You promoted someone good on the tools. Now they’re in charge of the crew. And things get weird. They don’t want to correct their buddy. They don’t want to report problems. They try to do it all themselves. Or they wait for someone else to handle it. That’s not a bad person. That’s a person […]
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July 23, 2025
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Your Manager Won’t Give Employees Timely Feedback

Weeks go by. Someone’s late. Again. Someone’s rude. Again. But no one says a word. Why? Because the manager doesn’t know how, or they don’t want to mess things up. Untimely Feedback Will Cost You It tells the employee, “Keep doing what you’re doing.” It tells the team, “Standards don’t matter.” And it tells you, […]
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July 8, 2025
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When Poor Management Leads to More Turnover

You’re hiring. Again. Not because you’re growing. But because people keep leaving. And when you look deeper, it’s not the pay. It’s not the hours. It’s poor management. People leave poor management. Micromanagers. No-shows. Mood swings. Managers who play favorites. Or worse, managers who do nothing. So what now? Start at the Source If managers […]
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June 24, 2025
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Tough Conversations, Why Do Managers Avoid Them?

You know the moment. An employee blows up on the floor. Misses a shift. Talks back. And the manager? Says nothing. When your managers avoid tough conversations, they’re telling the team, “This is fine.” It’s not fine. The problem isn’t just the behavior. It’s that the behavior spreads. But Why Do Managers Avoid Tough Conversations? […]
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April 24, 2025
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The Power of Accountability: Why It’s the Key to Stronger Teams

Your marketing team has been coordinating the launch of a new campaign for the past month, and the deadline is quickly approaching. Each team member knows exactly what’s expected of them and understands how their contributions are crucial to the team’s overall success. If anyone anticipates a delay, they communicate it early, keeping everyone aligned. […]
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April 16, 2025
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Managing Difficult Conversations: A Leader’s Guide to Managing Disrespectful Employees (Part II)

We all know the type. The person in every workplace who turns healthy disagreements into deadlocks, belittles team members, and makes everyone feel like they have to walk on eggshells just to keep the peace. This kind of behavior doesn’t just hurt morale – it derails productivity and undercuts your role as a leader. The […]
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March 31, 2025
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Empathy in Leadership: A Powerful Tool for Team Connection

One of your seasoned sales team members is usually recognized for going above and beyond to meet deadlines. However, they have just submitted another presentation deck late, once again. As a leader, you have two options for addressing this. Option one: you could reprimand the team member, reminding them of the consequences of submitting work […]
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