Manufacturing Masters Podcast

Episode #58: Playing the Holiday Blues with Lalith Gunaratne

COCKTAIL FOR STRESS -Putting a business bow on 2024 -Family gatherings and politics -Gifts -Weather/Shorter Days -Over eating/drinking -Preparing for a new year You feeling it too? 🥹 In this episode of the Manufacturing Masters Podcast, Alison DeFord is joined by our resident expert, Lalith Gunaratne. He’s an engineer, serial entrepreneur, educator, parent, and mindfulness expert and one of our most popular guests. You’ll gain a better understanding of WHY you’re feeling anxiety or stress right now and how to overcome it (no therapy or special shoes required). Topics include some basic science behind your Circadian Rhythm, why Season Affective Disorder is real, and the things you can do to weather the stress and really tune in to yourself, your team, and even your customers.

Episode #57: Mindful Leadership and High Performance Culture with Lalith Gunaratne

Vision, mission, and values…how do they become more than just words on a poster hanging in the lunch room? Mindful leadership…that’s how! Living those values daily. And not just the leadership team, but everyone in the company. A high performance company requires a high performance culture. This starts at the top and it begins with awareness. In this episode of the Manufacturing Masters Podcast, Allison DeFord has brought back (by popular demand) our resident mindfulness expert and former engineer and manufacturing owner, Lalith Gunaratne. What’s in it for you? 1. Understanding the value in becoming more aware and in taking a breath before you react 2. How to create an appreciative culture and what that actually means 3. How to create psychological safety for your team 4. How to turn your mission and values into a living thing Before you sit down with your team to plan for next year, give this a listen. But only if you want to improve, create a healthier culture and customer experience. Not to mention profoundly affecting your bottomline.

Epísode #56: Keeping it Legal with Gayle Wadden

The absolute sexiest and most interesting topic to dip into is HR and compliance…no? But wait, it can be, especially when it’s laid out in a compelling way and it helps you steer clear of litigation and a bad rep! In this episode of the Manufacturing Masters Podcast, Allison DeFord dives in headfirst with our resident expert, Gayle Wadden, co-founder at Compliance Works. In a brisk 30 minutes, you’ll have a clearer understanding of WHY this is such an important topic to understand and HOW to tackle it in a proactive way. Takeaways: 1. Why you should care 2. How to be proactive and avoid costly litigation or a class action lawsuit 3. How compliance is a lot like insurance 4. Protect your reputation and make recruiting easier by creating a culture of compliance POWERFUL. TRANSFORMATIVE.

Episode #55: Lead By Letting Go: "Antarctic' Mike Pierce

Would it surprise you to know that the #1 constant in manufacturing is CHALLENGES? With every sale, employee, season, and SKU. You can’t stop them from coming. But you can lead differently to transform those challenges into changes that move your team and your business forward. In this EXTENDED CUT episode, Allison DeFord goes 90° below zero with prolific storyteller, speaker, and leadership expert, ‘Antarctic’ Mike Pierce. He shares a real-life story that happened in 1914 that altered his trajectory and took him on an adventure that involves: 🥶 a 59’ freezer in San Diego 🏃🏻‍♂️running not one but two ultra marathons on an ice shelf in Antarctica 💔 heartbreak and healing Takeaways: 1. How to see difficulty differently 2. How to lead by letting go 3. How to get your people from good to great POWERFUL. TRANSFORMATIVE. MIC DROP MOMENTS. You’ll be mesmerized and better equipped to practice harder so the race feels easy and those around you will be enabled to rise to the occasion.

Episode #54 - Make The Most Of Manufacturing Day with Bill Padnos

According to Deloitte, manufacturing is looking at 1.9 million jobs that will go unfilled by 2033. Unless we do something about it now! Manufacturing Day is October 4th…a day when manufacturers open their doors to share with local communities and students the crucial role manufacturing serves in the economy, as well as the important and rewarding jobs it provide. In this episode of the Manufacturing Masters Podcast, Allison DeFord pulls back the curtain on your window of opportunity with expert Bill Padnos, founder of CTSG Strategies. Find out WHY you need to participate. Tap into a list of ideas on WHAT to do and WHO to invite. Working together, we’ll close the skills gap for good!