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Making Chips Podcast for Manufacturing Leaders

Manufacturing is challenging, but if you are connected to a community of leaders, you can elevate your skills, solve your problems and grow your business! MakingChips was launched in 2014 to equip and inspire the metalworking nation. Hundreds of episodes and a million downloads later, it’s an industry-leading source of information, inspiration, and entertainment for manufacturing leaders of all types. It’s hosted by Jason Zenger and Nick Goellner, two multi-generational manufacturing leaders, and they’re joined by a rotating panel of expert guests – including Titan Gilroy (TITANS of CNC), John Saunders (NYC CNC), Mark TerryBerry (Haas Automation), and many more. Join us as we tackle the topics that keep you up at night - leadership, operations, technology, growth, workforce development and culture.
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Making Chips Podcast for Manufacturing Leaders
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Now displaying: November, 2019
Nov 26, 2019

This re-release of one of our most popular episodes includes never released bonus content about development, retention strategies, compensation techniques and much more. Our returning guest, Jess Giudici, packs a punch with her on-point advice and skillful mastery of employee development. If you’re ready to grow and retain a team of motivated and fulfilled employees, don’t miss this special episode!

Connect with us: www.MakingChips.com/contact

Create development paths that aren’t leadership specific

Human Resources (HR) is a faction of every company and the roles within HR can vary. On one hand, they must be focused on protecting the business. But new-school HR is about recruitment, development, training, and retention. As an employer, it is your job to make sure that the employees you’ve recruited feel understood and fulfilled in their role. 

One means of doing that is crafting different development paths that allow team members to grow—that aren’t necessarily leadership. Not everyone wants to climb the career ladder with the end goal of being in leadership. How can you help individuals grow in their roles, take on more responsibility, or become more technically proficient? 

To hear some of the questions that Jess recommends asking to gauge what an employee desires for their career path, keep listening!

The conversation about compensation 

Jess recommends having “touch-point” conversations with employees throughout the year where you gauge their engagement level and offer support. Sometimes, they may feel content with the role that they’re playing and aren’t looking to take on increased responsibility. Jess points out that this is great if they’re consistently achieving what is expected of them.

But the guys ask—what if they want more money with no added responsibility?

Jess takes the challenging question head-on, recommending that you be ready and equipped to answer. She points out that it’s okay to implement salary caps for positions and clearly define up-front that you understand the desire for a raise, but they are at the high end of the payscale for their position. If they would like more compensation you can start the conversation but be sure they’re aware that includes increasing responsibilities. 

Jason, Jim, and Jess continue to talk about fair market value, offers from competition, and employee engagement. Don’t miss it!

You need to implement two separate reviews

Many businesses tend to do an “annual review” to assess employee performance and converse about the “expected” raise. Jess believes these conversations need to be split up. The annual review should only be about performance. It should be tying up loose ends regarding the conversations you’ve had throughout the year. Center the review around development and engagement. Be sure the employee knows that compensation is not part of this conversation, and they will be more engaged and open. 

Compensation needs to be addressed separately, even perhaps as the employee is exceeding what is expected of them. Often, there is an expectation that an employee will get a “cost-of-living” raise, but this isn’t always the case. Your team needs to know that if they are exhibiting behaviors that detract from their productivity and performance, they may not get the expected raise. Jess points out that the team members should know that their performance has been lacking—it shouldn’t come as a surprise—and that you will work with them to further develop. Perhaps they’ll see that raise at a later date as they improve. 

The guys open up a tough conversation about some of their pet peeves about expected yearly raises. Be sure to listen!

Understanding employee turnover and developing retention strategies

In most cases, Jim and Jason aren’t surprised when an employee announces they’re leaving, but sometimes it comes as a surprise. If an employee decides to leave unexpectedly, it’s important to know why. Were they engaged? Did they receive sufficient training? Did their pay scale not match the market? All of these questions can be incorporated into an exit interview. It allows you to reflect on your processes and making changes where necessary. 

But how do you avoid employee turnover?

Jess advocates for giving your employees a voice. When someone is employed in a culture where they feel validated and understood, they are likely to feel fulfilled in their role. You can cultivate a culture that gives everyone a voice while aligning with your core values. Hold round-table discussions, ask for feedback or have employees complete surveys—then be prepared to implement changes. This helps your team feel heard and respected.

Jess, Jason, and Jim talk in detail about developing a culture of engagement in this episode. If you’re ready to create a company culture where no one wants to leave, this is the episode for you! 

Here’s The Good Stuff!

  • Uniting your team under the goal to constantly improve. 
  • Manufacturing news: Millennials’ Skeptical About Manufacturing Careers
  • Jess Giudici is back with the Metal Working Nation!
  • Fostering a love of personal and company growth through HR development. 
  • Understanding the individual: what drives your employees?
  • What if someone doesn’t want to climb the career ladder?
  • Balancing formal and informal development conversations. 
  • Separating performance and pay reviews. 
  • Understanding why people leave and why people stay. 
  • Creating and cultivating a great company culture. 
  • Bonus content: Compensation techniques with Jess Giudici. 
  • Automated quoting process with Greg Paulson of Xometry
  • Keeping file sharing ITAR compliant 

Tools & Takeaways

This Week’s Superstar Guest: Jess Giudici

Connect With MakingChips


Subscribe to Making Chips on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher, or Spotify

Nov 12, 2019

Is social media marketing for manufacturers really worth the effort? How should you market your brand in general? It may be hard to figure out where you fit in the social media world and what content to put out. In this episode of Making Chips, Jim and Jason talk about why social media marketing can make a positive impact on your business. Their answers aren’t what you expect!

Connect with us:www.MakingChips.com/contact

Prioritize Self-Care above your business

Jim and Jason had a scary Halloween—but not for the reason you'd expect. They were preparing to record a couple of episodes for the podcast. Instead, Jim was rushed to the ER with a case of Gastritis. Among other factors, severe stress is one of the things that contributed to his illness. Running multiple businesses and caring for unhealthy parents took a toll on him. The moral of the story? Know what’s going on with your body, and take care of yourself.

As a business owner, you have an obligation to care for your company. However, it is impossible to do so if you aren’t healthy. Proper self-care should be the entrepreneur’s #1 priority. Jim is already active and watches his diet, but wasn’t limiting his stress. It was a wake-up call for him and he hopes that it’s a wake-up call for listeners as well. 

Social Media marketing to promote company culture

A listener pointed out that he doesn’t believe a machine shop must do any social media marketing. He doesn’t buy it. He believes that it’s a total waste of time for an industrial company. After all, what aerospace engineer goes on Facebook to look for a manufacturer? While Jim and Jason point out and understand that social media isn’t for everyone, there are some important reasons to utilize Social media. 

Firstly, you’re not creating posts on Facebook to attract buyers. You are doing it to promote your company culture. You can promote new talent or offer a behind the scenes take of what your company does. Social media allows a business to share their values with the world. It is THE most effective way to do so—and costs you nothing but time. 

Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn—where do you begin?

As much as you may not want to give credence to the importance of the social space, they point out that people build careers in social media. Instagram influencers make thousands of dollars promoting services or products in posts. Instagram is a great model for the manufacturing space because it allows you to share visuals in a meaningful way.

You can share photos of parts, people in your business, or of projects you’re working on. Or perhaps a short video of work in progress or a how-to piece. Whatever it is, it allows you to build an authentic connection with your audience. If you’re providing valuable information, social media marketing for your brand can certainly be worth the time and effort.

LinkedIn can also be a useful tool to attract new talent. A new hire came across some of the content Jim had shared on LinkedIn. He saw that Jim was hiring a C & C Machinist, and messaged him about the opportunity. He already knew—based on their social media presence—that the company would be a good fit. And he was!

Marketing isn’t a waste of time when done properly

Marketing doesn’t necessarily reap immediate rewards as far as attracting new clients. However, the immediate reward is how it impacts your company. As you build a website or define a marketing strategy, you are defining how you want your business presented to the world. What are your values? What are your specialties? What is the #1 thing you want the general public to know about your company? 

As you’re building a vision for your brand it helps lay out the vision for how you operate your business. You differentiate yourself in the industry by being different, and marketing helps you portray what makes you special. If you stand out and exploit what makes your business different, you attract the type of customers that are the right fit. They emphasize the importance of finding a good marketing agency to guide you through the process. It can make a world of difference. 

Here’s The Good Stuff!

  • Manufacturing leaders need to prioritize self care
  • SIA latest news
  • Social media marketing for manufacturers
  • What can Instagram do for you?
  • Is marketing a waste of time?
  • Find a good marketing agency!
  • What Upcoming episodes will look like
  • A conversation with Peter Goguen of Xometry

Tools & Takeaways

Connect With MakingChips

Subscribe to Making Chips on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher, or Spotify

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