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The Labor Shortage Is Killing American Manufacturing. Here’s How AI Can Bring It Back To Life.

US manufacturing is poised for a significant resurgence. The supply chain debacles caused by the pandemic have shown the weakness of an over-dependence on a long supply chain, especially one outside the US. Further, the rising tensions with China have caused the US to question its dependence on... Continue Reading

What The Best Leaders Are Doing About Change Exhaustion

For organizations to be successful they must always be evolving. Even in the best of times, the shifts and changes of that evolution often take a toll on people. The best leaders understand the nature of change exhaustion and act to reduce it, especially in times of great change and stress. Of... Continue Reading

Prepare Your Culture for a Recession

Now is the time to prepare your business for the recession. In addition to the typical strategies of cost-cutting and cash flow management, add culture-building. A healthy, effective, and resilient company culture can help you not just survive, but actually thrive during an economic... Continue Reading

Effectively Training New Employees During a Labor Shortage

The U.S. manufacturing industry is looking at a potential shortage of 2.4 million workers in the next decade. Here are my tips on how to overcome this shortage with more effective training. As we dive headlong into current and pending U.S. manufacturing labor shortages, it’s critical to... Continue Reading

A Turning Point

MTI’s economic forecast partner, ITR Economics, is forecasting good economic growth between now and 2030. This will not come without a hiccup along the way, but it is growth that will take a turn early 2030, to a pretty significant downturn. There are many factors that will lead to that... Continue Reading

NAM Report: Reconciliation Bill Explained

With the reconciliation legislation approved by the U.S. Senate and set for a vote in the House this afternoon, manufacturers across the country are working to understand how the legislation would impact their work. The NAM has compiled a policy guideto offer some useful information about the... Continue Reading

Delegating Tips, Even if No One Works for You

My Dad used to say, “Decide. Delegate. And disappear.” Delegation is an important component of most leadership roles, but you must understand that delegating the job doesn’t mean delegating the responsibility. You are still responsible, even if you are getting someone else to do... Continue Reading

What The Best Leaders Are Doing About Change Exhaustion

For organizations to be successful they must always be evolving. Even in the best of times, the shifts and changes of that evolution often take a toll on people. The best leaders understand the nature of change exhaustion and act to reduce it, especially in times of great change and stress. Of... Continue Reading

U.S. Manufacturing Activity Shows Signs of Peaking

U.S. manufacturing production probably peaked during the second quarter, though the data are noisy and conflicting, and a turning point may not become obvious until September or October. U.S. manufacturing output in June was down by 0.4% compared with March though it was still up by 3.6%... Continue Reading

Times are Changing

Two articles in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal reminded me that unless we are purposeful about our culture and work relationships, things will get messy. One article focuses on annoying colleagues back in office together, and the other on heavy demands from CEOs. Both articles identify... Continue Reading

U.S. Manufacturing Slows Modestly; Excess Inventories a Major Concern

U.S. manufacturing activity slowed less than expected in July and there were signs that supply constraints are easing, with a measure of prices paid for inputs by factories falling to a two-year low, suggesting inflation has probably peaked. While the Institute for Supply Management survey on... Continue Reading

We’re Spending Billions Each Year on Cybersecurity. So Why Aren’t Data Breaches Going Away?

According to the FBI’s 2021 Internet Crime Report, there were 847,376 cybersecurity complaints last year, representing almost $7 billion in business losses. That’s an increase from 301,580 claims representing $1.4 billion in losses in 2017. This, despite the fact that businesses and... Continue Reading