Manufacturing Excellence - Inspire, Lead, and Succeed with TRUST!

"Trust is like a vase... Once it's broken, though you can fix it, the vase will never be the same again."
- Unknown 

My grandma used to say this quote all the time and I have found it to be very true. 

Do you find that you trust people easily?
Would you say that you are a trustworthy person? 
Is it better to trust or not to trust, and what does this say about you as a person?
What does trust really mean to YOU?

I am proud to say that I am a very trusting person until somebody proves me wrong. For most of my life this attitude has served me well and I would not want to have it any other way. However, if someone abuses my trust, I am not very forgiving and I quickly hit the "delete" button in my list of contacts. The reason is simple. I neither want to have friends that I cannot trust nor untrustworthy business relationships because honesty and integrity are two of my core values.

If someone tells me that he or she trusts me, it is the biggest compliment for me. Sometimes it can take a very long time to earn someones trust but on the other hand it can only take a few seconds to lose trust in a person.

I believe that trust is one of the cornerstones in any good relationship.

Sometimes I believe that many people in business don't realize how important it is to build trust with customers, to build trust with business associates, to build trust with shareholders, and last but not least to build trust with employees. 

Our society uses power to manipulate people and "white lies" seem to be on the daily agenda and widely accepted. Many companies have to deal with mistrust, anxiety, fear and frustration within their corporate culture and this is certainly not something that will lead them to the road of success. 

Have you ever considered that trust works both ways....?
If you say that you trust your people to get a certain job done, how do you react when they make a mistake? 
Do you get really upset and say things you may regret later? 
Can they trust you that you really want them to take ownership and responsibility? 
Do you allow them to make mistakes to learn and grow without losing your temper?
Do you set rules for yourself and your team, and does EVERYONE play by the same rules?
If you know for yourself that building trust with someone does not come easy to you, do you think the other person can feel this vibe?

It has been said that people don't trust you because they understand you, they trust you because you understand them. So, how often do you go out of your way to walk in the shoes of your people and to try to understand where they are coming from? 
A different perspective can always help!

If you do everything it takes to build trust within your organization and if you work through difficult times, through the heat of the moment, and through daily challenges with a positive mindset, it will make you not only a better leader but also a much stronger team.

Trust in yourself and trust in others, and you will lead beyond your wildest imagination. 

Manufacturing Success Tips

This week: Burn Out or Burn Brightly?

Manufacturing Excellence - Inspire, Lead, and Succeed with STRENGTH!

"Anyone can give up, it's the easiest thing in the world to do. But to hold it together when everyone else would understand if you fell apart, that's true strength.” 

Unknown

This subject is very near and dear to my heart. Especially since I have started to build my own business, I know what it means to be on an emotional roller coaster. The challenge of having to deal with fear, self-doubt and insecurities can be overwhelming. Sometimes it even seems as if you need superhuman strength to overcome all the roadblocks along the way. What I have learned is that you can absolutely not let these emotions get the better of you. Make it your mission to discover the true meaning of strength for the benefit of yourself and the people around you!

Displaying strength and direction during difficult times are two of the most powerful things you can do for the people around you if you want to be a true leader.

Do you sometimes feel that the weight on your shoulders is too much to carry? Absolutely.
Do you sometimes feel that you don't have the strength to keep going when everything around you seems to go wrong? No question about it.
Do you sometimes feel like screaming and taking the easy way out by blaming other people for our own shortcomings? I think we have all done it.
Do you sometimes feel that you are doing a fantastic job but nobody else seems to take their job as seriously as you do? Of course, because we are all legends in our own mind.

However, even if you feel this way, it's all a matter of changing your perspective as fast as possible to make best of every situation. In other words, turn negative events into something positive. How? Just ask yourself, "What's good about that?" and you will find an answer. I promise!

As a leader (more than anyone else) it is important to realize that people are watching you, observing you, your actions, and your reactions...... and if they see the authenticity of your character, they will want to follow in your footsteps.

I always say that it is easy to be a good employer during good times but undoubtedly the truth comes out when we are faced with situations of economical downturn, the loss of market share, and last but not least a negative bottom line. That's when it becomes easy to forget to walk the talk!

It takes a lot of strength to stick with your personal and organizational values to follow a long-term vision rather than giving in to the numbers game, which in reality is a very short sided business outlook.

I wholeheartedly encourage you to inspire, lead, and succeed with strength, and you will be overwhelmed by the success you and your team are going to achieve. 

Chrysler Pays Tribute to Lee Iacocca - EXCLUSIVE VIDEO

You may enjoy this video as much as I did!

Manufacturing Success Tips

This week: When Preparation meets Determination

Manufacturing Success Tips

Destination Disease - What is it?

Manufacturing Excellence - Inspire, Lead, and Succeed with SERVICE!

"The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others."
- Mohandas K. Gandhi


Not too long ago I asked one of my friends who is in a management position, "So how do you serve your people?"
He answered, "Serve? What do you mean?"


He is not alone. Most of the people never think about it that serving others is essential in their overall success.


Have you ever considered what you can do to help your employees to succeed in their jobs?
Have you ever wondered what value it would bring to you and your organization if you showed a sincere interest in your people?


What can you do to help them to get better?
How do you mentor them to get more comfortable in dealing with difficult situations?
What do you do to increase their self worth and self esteem?
How can mentoring them make your job as a manager easier?
Do you feel that it is your responsibility to bring out the best in them?


One of Management's greatest responsibilities is to get things done through other people.
The old school management style utilized the stick and carrot method to get people to do what they were supposed to do. This method clearly does not bring out the best in your people. Furthermore, with what has happened during the past 18 months, employees are less inclined to be as loyal and dedicated as they once might have been. 


Why not decide to come to work every day with the intention to serve the people around you to the best of your abilities? By sharing your knowledge and mentoring them, you will be able to reap great rewards in no time.


Be of service and people will remember you long after you are gone!

Manufacturing Success Tips

This week: The Urge to Win

Manufacturing Excellence - Inspire, Lead, and Succeed with CREATIVITY!

"There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it's going to be a butterfly."
- Buckminster Fuller

Wikipedia says, "Creativity is a mental process involving the discovery of new ideas or concepts, or new associations of the existing ideas or concepts, fueled by the process of either conscious or unconscious insight."

If companies would have more brainstorming sessions instead of "blamestorming" sessions, don't you think they would focus more on solutions instead of problems?
What if you would define a problem in detail on paper and pass it around to different departments on all different levels asking for possible solutions? Don't you think the various insights could be incredible?
If you are having trouble thinking maybe you need to move. Go for a walk. Get yourself into a different frame of mind. Shake up your brain cells. Give it a try!
If you don't exercise your brain, it will not serve you well. Our brain is like our body and it needs exercise to keep fit. Perhaps a good book can provide you with some inspiration to get your brain cells moving again?


Wouldn’t you agree that work environments comprised of small cubicles and work stations where people have to be quiet, focus on their tasks and move as little as possible, seem to be so wrong?

Who came up with this idea? How could this foster an environment of creativity?

I remember when I started my first job that I had to sit quietly at my desk for 8 hours. This was certainly not the perfect work environment for an extrovert like me. My energy level and my productivity decreased by the day and I knew that I had to take some corrective action. So I asked for a change and was transferred to another location where I shared an office with 3 other people. What a difference! I was actually allowed to talk, have fun, come up with some creative ideas and be more productive.

You may have heard me say this before: I have a vision of replacing the boardroom table with treadmills. This would certainly be part of creating an environment of social technology. Wouldn't it be great to get the creative juices flowing and to experience positive energy and ideas as outcomes of these meetings?

Creativity is a must during changing times. Live it, breathe it, encourage it, and you will experience the difference!