Hardware Podcasts

267: How Meaningful Work, Optimism, and Relationships Drive Manufacturing Excellence, An Interview with Kathy Miller, Author of MORE is Better

Manufacturing Happy Hour · 23 Dec 2025 · 53m

What this episode covers

Kathy Miller, author of 'MORE is Better' and former manufacturing executive, discusses her framework for building excellence in industrial settings through meaning, optimism, and relationships. She explains how lean manufacturing principles like waste elimination can enhance meaningful work and how 'high-quality connections' (HQCs) foster resilience in teams. Miller also introduces 'More Mentor,' an AI-powered coaching tool on her website More 4 Leaders designed to help leaders apply these psychological principles to real-world plant floor scenarios.

Most relevant to

established companies

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
More 4 Leaders, Moxa, Rolls-Royce
Products
MORE is Better, Steel Toes and Stilettos, More Mentor

Related episodes from other shows

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • The Manufacturing Executive · 31m

    Advancing the Manufacturing Community by Banding Together w/ Marc Braun & Jonathan Jones

    Marc Braun, Chairman of the Association for Manufacturing Excellence (AME) and former President of Cambridge Air Solutions, and Jonathan Jones, Consortium Facilitator at AME, discuss how manufacturing leaders can overcome fear and build collaborative networks to drive operational excellence. They explain how AME’s St. Louis chapter uses peer-to-peer tours, daily management systems, and special interest groups for HR and supply chain to share best practices and develop leaders. The guests emphasize that transparency and 'people-centric leadership' create employee pride and engagement, which are essential for navigating challenges like labor shortages and rapid change.

    Leadership, teams & cultureHiring & workforce
    6 chapters

  • The Manufacturing Executive · 28m

    Empowering a Self-Directed Workforce w/ Matthew Rassi

    Matthew Rassi, lead lean manufacturing consultant at 20 Helping Hands, explains how combining servant leadership with lean practices empowers self-directed workforces in mid-sized manufacturers. He details the '5 Shares' framework (information, opportunities, responsibilities, recognition, ideas) and provides specific case studies, including a fabrication shop that improved output by 20% through task specialization and a washer manufacturer that reduced changeover times from hours to minutes. Rassi advises leaders to humble themselves, seek help, and use practical tools like job aids to overcome the inertia of command-and-control management styles.

    Leadership, teams & cultureScaling production
    7 chapters

  • The Manufacturing Executive · 29m

    The Augmented Workforce: Enabling Humans with Technology

    Trond Undheim, co-author of Augmented Lean and lead ecosystem evangelist at Tulip, argues that manufacturing leaders must shift from 'mindless automation' to an 'augmented workforce' model that prioritizes human innovation over surface-level efficiency. He explains that digital transformation should not simply be pasted onto existing lean processes but must fundamentally reshape organizational structures to simplify interfaces for frontline workers. Undheim cites companies like Stanley Black & Decker and DMG Mori as examples of organizations successfully implementing this human-centric approach to technology.

    Leadership, teams & cultureIndustrial & consumer product design
    8 chapters

  • The Manufacturing Executive · 29m

    Restoring Glory and Dignity to Manufacturing w/ John Kramer and Marc Braun

    John Kramer, Chairman & CEO, and Marc Braun, President of Cambridge Air Solutions, discuss their strategy to restore dignity to manufacturing by prioritizing people and culture alongside profitability. They detail specific operational practices, including 15-minute daily morning meetings and 30 minutes of 'leaning clean time' for employee-led improvements, which have resulted in over 7,000 documented process changes. The guests explain how this people-first approach drove resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing the company to maintain operations without layoffs while fostering a collaborative environment with other St. Louis manufacturers.

    Leadership, teams & cultureScaling production
    6 chapters

  • Let's Combinate · 49m

    014C - "The Final P: People" with Larry Mager

    Larry Mager, Principal and Founder of Mgmt-Ctrl, discusses the 'People' pillar of his Predictive Quality Management (PQM) framework for medical device companies. He argues that achieving a strong culture of quality requires ensuring personnel are skilled, trained, and proven competent, rather than just checking boxes. Mager illustrates how leadership must foster communication, trust, and personal accountability to move beyond mere compliance, citing a successful turnaround at a large organization that resolved a corporate warning letter by engaging employees directly.

    Leadership, teams & cultureHiring & workforce
    8 chapters

The summary, chapters and topics are generated from the episode’s audio by this directory, not written by Manufacturing Happy Hour. The episode itself belongs to its publisher.