Welcome to the Industrial Executive!

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Intel’s $28B Ohio fab is on the ropes, and it’s not just more construction delays this time.

Without major external customers for its next-gen A14 chips, Intel says it may “likely” halt the project altogether. That’s a nightmare scenario for the region, risking 3,000 jobs and massive state and federal incentives, but it’s also a shot across the bow for U.S. semiconductor ambitions.

As someone who’s spent decades in this industry, this is a harsh reminder: in manufacturing, demand isn’t a promise, it’s the lifeline.

If America wants to lead, bold investments must be matched with real, long-term customer commitments, otherwise, flag-waving projects like this could quietly slip into history.

Last week, I did something that made me uncomfortable.

I handed each of my direct reports a simple assessment. Twelve leadership traits. Rate me on each one. Be honest.

The results? Let's just say my ego took a beating.

Turns out my "decisive leadership" looks a lot like impatience to my team. My "vision" doesn't always translate to actionable steps on the plant floor. And my "active listening"? Well, apparently I interrupt more than I realize.

Here's the thing about leadership in manufacturing: You can't fake it. Your operators know when you're full of it. Your engineers can tell when you're checking boxes instead of solving problems. And your frontline supervisors? They see right through the corporate speak.

After 20 years of leading teams across three different plants, I've learned that most leadership advice is garbage. It's written by consultants who've never had to explain to a shift supervisor why the new MES system crashed during peak production.

So let's talk about what actually works.

Most manufacturing leaders think they're crushing it. We point to production numbers, efficiency metrics, and safety records. All important. But leadership isn't measured in KPIs.

It's measured in moments.

Like when your best technician walks into your office and says they're thinking about leaving. Or when the night shift supervisor stops bringing problems to you because "you're always too busy." Or when your team stops challenging your decisions because they've learned it's easier to just nod and work around you later.

These moments reveal the truth about your leadership. And most of us aren't as good as we think we are.

Everyone talks about extreme ownership. Few people actually practice it.

Real ownership in manufacturing means owning the stuff that isn't your fault. When the supplier ships defective parts, you own the impact on your customer. When corporate changes the budget mid-quarter, you own finding a way to make it work. When your best operator makes a mistake that costs $50K, you own the system that allowed it to happen.

I learned this the hard way during a particularly brutal product launch. Everything that could go wrong did. Supplier issues. Design changes. Quality problems. My first instinct was to document every external factor that contributed to the disaster.

My plant manager at the time pulled me aside and said, "Tom, you can be right or you can be effective. Pick one."

That changed everything. Instead of explaining why it wasn't my fault, I started owning the outcome. The team noticed. They started bringing me problems instead of excuses. They started looking for solutions instead of blame.

The tactical approach: When something goes wrong, ask "What could I have done differently?" before asking "Who screwed up?" Your team will mirror your behavior.

Having a vision is easy. Having a vision that your shift supervisors can explain to their teams? That's leadership.

Most manufacturing leaders are terrible at this. We get excited about Industry 4.0 and digital transformation and smart factories. We create PowerPoints with buzzwords and roadmaps that look impressive in the conference room.

Then we walk onto the plant floor and our operators are still fighting with the same broken barcode scanner they've been complaining about for six months.

Vision without execution is hallucination. But execution without vision is just busy work.

The tactical approach: Your vision should pass the "Tuesday morning test." Can your frontline supervisor explain it to their team in 30 seconds or less? If not, it's too complicated.

Analysis paralysis kills momentum in manufacturing. But so does making decisions without input from the people who actually do the work.

The best manufacturing leaders I know have a simple framework: Gather input quickly, decide quickly, communicate the decision clearly, and adjust when new information emerges.

Notice I didn't say "stick to your guns no matter what." Stubbornness isn't decisiveness. It's just ego wearing a leadership costume.

The tactical approach: Set decision deadlines. Give your team 48 hours to provide input on major decisions. Then decide and move forward. You can always course-correct later.

You can teach someone to read a P&L statement. You can train them on lean manufacturing principles. You can send them to seminars on project management.

You can't easily teach them to read the room when morale is tanking.

Emotional intelligence in manufacturing isn't about being touchy-feely. It's about recognizing when your best technician is burned out before they quit. It's about knowing when to push and when to back off. It's about understanding that the guy who always argues with you in meetings might actually be your most engaged employee.

I once had a maintenance supervisor who questioned everything. Every decision, every process change, every new initiative. It drove me crazy.

Then I realized he wasn't being difficult. He was being thorough. He'd seen too many "improvements" that made his job harder. Once I started treating his questions as valuable input instead of resistance, everything changed.

The tactical approach: Before every meeting, take 30 seconds to read the room. Who looks stressed? Who's checking out? Who's fired up about something? Adjust your approach accordingly.

In manufacturing, everything will go wrong. The only question is when.

Your supplier will miss a critical delivery. Your best operator will get injured. Your biggest customer will change their specs three weeks before launch. Your MES system will crash during the most important production run of the quarter.

Resilience isn't about staying positive. It's about staying functional when chaos hits.

The best manufacturing leaders I know don't try to prevent every problem. They build systems that can handle problems when they inevitably occur.

The tactical approach: Run "failure drills" with your team. What happens if our biggest supplier goes down? What's our backup plan if the main production line fails? Practice these scenarios before you need them.

Most manufacturing leaders think they're good listeners. Most manufacturing leaders are wrong.

Real listening isn't waiting for your turn to talk. It's not nodding while mentally preparing your response. It's not saying "uh-huh" while checking your phone.

Real listening is uncomfortable. It means hearing things you don't want to hear. It means learning that your great idea has three fatal flaws that your team spotted immediately. It means discovering that the process you're proud of is actually driving your operators crazy.

The tactical approach: In your next one-on-one, ask a question and then shut up for 60 seconds. Count them. Don't interrupt. Don't add to their answer. Just listen.

No plan survives contact with reality. In manufacturing, reality is particularly ruthless.

The customer changes the requirements. The supplier has quality issues. The new equipment doesn't work as advertised. Corporate changes the budget. Again.

Rigid leaders break under this pressure. They cling to the original plan even when it's clearly not working. They confuse consistency with stubbornness.

Adaptable leaders bend without breaking. They change the plan without changing the destination.

The tactical approach: Build "pivot points" into your project plans. Identify the key milestones where you'll reassess and potentially change direction. This isn't failure - it's smart planning.

The goal isn't to create a team that depends on you for every decision. The goal is to create a team that can function without you.

Most manufacturing leaders struggle with this. We got promoted because we were good at solving problems. So we keep solving problems, even when our team could solve them just as well.

Every problem you solve is a learning opportunity you steal from your team. Every decision you make is a chance for them to develop judgment that you take away.

The tactical approach: Before jumping in to solve a problem, ask: "What do you think we should do?" Let them work through the solution. Coach, don't rescue.

In manufacturing, your reputation is everything. Suppliers need to trust that you'll pay on time. Customers need to trust that you'll deliver what you promised. Your team needs to trust that you'll back them up when things get tough.

Integrity isn't just about the big ethical decisions. It's about the small promises. When you say you'll get back to someone by Friday, do you? When you commit to investigating a safety concern, do you follow through? When you promise your team that the overtime situation will improve, do you actually work to fix it?

The tactical approach: Keep a "promises made" list. Write down every commitment you make, no matter how small. Review it weekly. Your team is keeping track - you should too.

Manufacturing is full of people waiting for perfect conditions. Perfect information. Perfect timing. Perfect budget approval.

Meanwhile, your competitors are moving forward with good enough.

Initiative doesn't mean being reckless. It means starting before you feel ready. It means taking the first step while others are still planning.

The tactical approach: Use the "72-hour rule." When you identify a problem or opportunity, take some action within 72 hours. It doesn't have to be the perfect action. It just has to be forward motion.

Your operators can smell BS from across the factory floor. They know when you're putting on an act. They can tell when you're saying what you think they want to hear instead of what you actually believe.

Authenticity doesn't mean sharing every thought or emotion. It means being genuine in your interactions. It means admitting when you don't know something. It means showing that you're human.

Some of the best manufacturing leaders I know are complete opposites in personality. Some are quiet and analytical. Others are loud and passionate. What they have in common is that they're genuinely themselves.

The tactical approach: Stop trying to be the leader you think you should be. Start being the leader you actually are. Your team will respect authenticity over perfection every time.

Here's what that assessment taught me: Leadership isn't about being perfect at all twelve traits. It's about being honest about where you stand and committed to getting better.

Your team doesn't need a perfect leader. They need a real one. Someone who owns their mistakes, listens to feedback, and works to improve.

The manufacturing world is changing faster than ever. New technologies, new regulations, new workforce expectations. But leadership fundamentals haven't changed.

Own your outcomes. Listen more than you talk. Stay authentic. Adapt when needed. Build others up instead of just solving problems yourself.

Your people are watching. What are they seeing?

Take the assessment yourself. Rate yourself honestly on each trait. Then ask three people you trust to rate you on the same traits. Compare the results.

The gaps between your self-perception and their feedback? That's where the real work begins.

Because leadership isn't about where you are today. It's about where you're willing to go tomorrow.

What leadership trait do you struggle with most? Hit reply and let me know. I reply to every email.

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And that’s all folks!

Till next week,

The Industrial Executive