Manufacturing leadership relies on creativity, persistence, and resilience

In sectors such as manufacturing and industrial technology, leadership has traditionally been characterised by a focus on practicality and operational discipline. For women looking to build careers in such sectors, there is sometimes intense pressure to match these traits.

But in my experience, the most effective leaders don’t choose between creativity and practicality. They combine both. Real impact comes from fusing bold thinking with execution, while actively listening and responding to customer feedback.

Leadership today is about empowering manufacturers with the tools and insights they need to grow sustainably and remain competitive in an industry facing constant and evolving challenges.

Bold thinking drives results

Looking back, I was fortunate. Balancing creativity and execution was part of my upbringing right from an early age. My mom was an artist, and my dad was an engineer. Put those two worlds together, and it’s a combination that has helped me throughout my career. How? Because the people who work in our sector also tend to be data-driven, passionate and intellectually curious problem-solvers. Oh, and they are also creative in their own right.

Take one example. We recently worked with a global metal fabricator on its journey to become more sustainable. That meant developing new ways to track carbon emissions across its operations, linking that data to the products it ships to customers, and reporting the impact to stakeholders. Turning ideas like these into practical solutions is where creativity and execution come together.

So when we work with companies that are trying to do great things and change the world, I know we’re talking the same language.

Listening to customers

And that discourse involves both speaking and listening. When you’re engaging with customers, you need to understand who you’re working with and explain the value of your proposition. You also need to connect with them on an emotional level and develop mutual trust so that you can be authentic and open.

But you also need to listen. While insights from analysts and the media matter, our most valuable ideas come directly from our customers.

One thing I would add, though, is that you can’t work in a sector like ours without having resilience. In other words, when you’re faced with a problem, don’t throw in the towel. Stick to it.

Building resilience and stick-to-it-iveness

When you do solve those really hard problems, it’s so rewarding to look back and say, ‘Hey, I accomplished that! Now, what else can I do?’ Funny enough, it’s even got its own shorthand – stick-to-it-iveness –, and it’s something that’s stuck with me, if you’ll excuse the pun.

When I look back at my career, these are the kinds of learnings that I’ve picked up along the way. What’s more, you don’t have to acquire resilience on your own. Facing up to the challenges we face is much easier when you lean on your mentors and rally your team.

Remember, regardless of where you are in your career, you’ve earned your credentials and your accomplishments. Never forget that. Resilience can be one of the most difficult skills to hone. But if you can, you’ll be unstoppable. You can take on anything.

Sustainable leadership

When it comes to leadership, being open and authentic is really important to me. It’s something that I encourage among my teams. Developing high-performing teams means encouraging both transparency and honesty. But it’s also important to have empathy.

When you work on a large initiative, and things don’t go to plan, it’s important to have open conversations about change that avoid blame.

We often say we’re tough on problems, not on people. And that is really important because problem-solving then becomes a collaborative effort. Being able to trust those that you work with is fundamental to having a high-performing culture.

If I had to sum up what I’ve learned, it would be this: creativity and practicality shouldn’t have to compete with each other. Be open. Be transparent. Collaborate. Trust your judgement. Don’t give up. And communicate. When leaders bring these qualities to the table, anything is possible.

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Today is International Womens day, a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women.

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Epicor Software Corporation equips hard-working businesses with enterprise solutions that keep the world turning. For nearly 50 years, Epicor customers in the automotive, building supply, distribution, manufacturing, and retail industries have trusted Epicor to help them do business better. Innovative Epicor solution sets are carefully curated to fit customer needs and built to flexibly respond to their fast-changing reality. With deep industry knowledge and experience, Epicor accelerates its customers’ ambitions, whether to grow and transform, or simply become more productive and effective. Visit www.epicor.com for more information.

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