What’s the secret to retaining your team members and creating an organization where people love to work? DigiKey, an electronic component manufacturing organization in Thief River Falls, Minnesota has it all figured out—and Shane Zutz, DigiKey’s vice president of human resources, is here to share the stories and insights behind DigiKey’s success!

In this episode, Shane shares stories highlighting the importance of curiosity, empathy, and leadership presence, and offers simple-yet-powerful strategies manufacturing leaders can put into action to build trust, accountability, and stronger connections at their own plant.

5:12 – Building a better organization starts with being present and making personal connections

8:13 – If your organization is in a small community, making personal connections is extremely important

9:00 – To find curious ways to engage your team, one strategy is to create a list of questions to ask

13:30 - With a strong foundation, you’ll be better equipped to tackle challenges or crises

15:11 - There is a lot of value in simple gestures, like greeting your team in the morning

18:12 - Personalization goes a long way

22:41 Show care and concern for your team members

Connect with Shane Zutz

Learn more about Digikey

Connect with Shane on LinkedIn and reach out to get added to his newsletter

Thanks for Listening!

Thanks for tuning it to another episode of Mindfulness Manufacturing! To learn more about Trevor Blondeel and Manufacturing Greatness, please visit our website or contact Trevor here.

Are your team members “houseplants” or “trees?” It might sound like a strange question, but knowing the answer is the key to retaining your best employees, strengthening your team, and transforming your organization.

In this episode, learn about identifying—and nurturing—your houseplant and tree team members, plus hear other great insights on improving retention, communicating with your team, and showing up as a more emotionally intelligent leader with guest Cara Silletto. Cara is the founder, president, and chief retention office of Magnet Culture, a partner in helping organizations reduce turnover and create cultures where teams succeed and thrive.

2:49 – Some team members are trees, who stay with your company for a long time, while others are houseplants who needs more attention and support

3:23 – To retain your team members, understand the differences between your tree and houseplant employees

5:46 – With a diverse team, you need to approach different team members based on their different needs

8:10 – When you treat employees well, they are more likely to stay with your company

10:14 – Retaining your team members and providing support means adapting as a leader

12:47 – To retain employees, put a stronger emphasis on training, mentoring, and supporting your new hires from their first day

16:39 – Younger team members are more likely to bring their whole selves to work

24:02 – Leaders and managers should use continuous learning to improve their skills and gain a stronger understanding of their roles

25:47 – With a diverse team, you can’t use the same rewards and recognitions for all employees

26:53 – To understand your team better, practice curiosity and active listening

Connect with Cara Silletto

Connect on LinkedIn

Learn more about Magnet Culture

Find special resources from Magnet Vault

Thanks for Listening!

Thanks for tuning it to another episode of Mindfulness Manufacturing! To learn more about Trevor Blondeel and Manufacturing Greatness, please visit our website or contact Trevor here.

We all love giving advice! But when advice is your default as a leader, you can fall into an “advice trap” that actually crushes curiosity, creates disconnect, and prevents your team from finding productive outcomes.

Bestselling author Michael Bungay Stanier (MBS) tackles this subject in his newest book The Advice Trap: Be Humble, Stay Curious & Change the Way You Lead Forever. In this episode, MBS shares some of the key lessons from the advice trap and his other books, including lessons and insights leaders can use to change their mindset, grow their curiosity, and create great new habits for building curiosity.

2:17 – With more curiosity, you can engage your people, boost morale and retention, and create a thriving organization

3:31 – Slow down in your rush to provide immediate advice

4:16 – As a leader, shift away from making advice your default response

5:13 – With curiosity, you can become a more strategic leader

6:11 – Defaulting to giving advice is often an ingrained habit

6:48 – When you start being more curious, you let others shine

7:17 – Curiosity can also strengthen your relationship with your family and others outside of work

8:40 – Forming new curiosity habits can take time and practice

9:47 - If you always give answers and advice, your team can become over-dependent, more disconnected, and less productive

10:48 – Through more curiosity, you and your team can find the purpose of your work

12:22 – While practicing curiosity and other new skills, approach it with patience and grace for yourself

13:28 – Be specific and deliberate in building your coaching habit

14:13 – Your team are your allies

15:19 – Instead of answering right away, stay in a place of curiosity a little bit longer

16:53 – Ask curious questions to find the root cause of issues within your team

18:48 – Asking questions can be more effective than giving advice

20: 11 – Your job isn’t to come up with the best answer, but to help your team come up with the right answer

21:42 – To practice curiosity, pay attention to your body language

Connect with Michael Bungay Stanier

Visit his website and download chapter one of The Coaching Habit

Learn more about Box of Crayons

Read my book reports of The Coaching Habit