Jon Rennie | Nuclear Submarines & Engineering Leadership

What this episode covers

Jon Rennie, Co-Founder, President & CEO of Peak Demand Inc., discusses his journey from a U.S. Navy Nuclear Submarine Officer to leading manufacturing businesses and founding his own company. He details how he used Six Sigma to reduce product warranty by 50% at ABB and implemented 'Fridays on the floor' to bridge cultural divides between management and hourly workers. Rennie emphasizes engineering leadership lessons from submarine life, such as shared accountability, rigorous training, and the 'run to the fire' philosophy for addressing defects early. He advises new product companies to launch imperfect iterations quickly to gather customer feedback, citing his own experience with Peak Demand's utility components.