You take immense pride in your organization’s experienced leadership team—a group of seasoned professionals who have collaborated for years. They have weathered economic downturns, expansions, reorganizations, employee grievances, weak internal processes, and suboptimal business decisions, all while maintaining stability and strengthening their commitment to each other. However, introducing a new leader to this close-knit team can be challenging if not handled thoughtfully. Without careful planning, your team could unintentionally create barriers to the newcomer’s successful

When a new executive hire leaves within the first 90 days, it’s often not due to a deficiency in technical knowledge or leadership abilities. Typically, technical ability and leadership experience are thoroughly evaluated during the recruitment process. The real issue usually revolves around cultural compatibility or “fit”. Leadership roles require more than just the right skill set; they necessitate a matching working style, personality, collaboration capacity, and decision-making approach. If the new leader’s values and

Fresh from the Women in Manufacturing (WiM) Summit, I gained a new appreciation for building community, the important role of mentorship, and what success can look like when partnering with allies. I had the opportunity to connect with passionate, intelligent, and committed leaders across several manufacturing sectors over the past 3 days in Boston. The need to redefine traditional managerial roles to better align with contemporary challenges and opportunities has never been more apparent than

It’s not uncommon for CHROs or VPs to have successors lined up for executive-level roles. But imagine if they had this process and strategy for each level (manager and above) for the entire organization. Recruiters often rely on external hiring to fill positions, but focusing on internal candidates can save time and money. Instead of looking for these unicorn candidates once a letter of resignation, retirement notice, or reorg occurs, it’s critical to consistently survey

You take pride in your organization’s tenured leadership team—a group of seasoned professionals who have worked together for years. They’ve survived economic downturns, expansions, reorgs, disgruntled employees, weak internal processes, and less-than-stellar business decisions, all while keeping the ship afloat and strengthening their commitment to one another. However, integrating a new leader into this tight-knit team can present challenges if not approached thoughtfully. Without careful consideration, your tight-knit team might unintentionally create barriers to the

As the owner of a small, niche recruitment firm, compiling a list of the ‘most common hiring mistakes’ hits home. In this edition of “Engineering 365”, we’re tackling the six major hiring mistakes – some we’ve made ourselves and others we’ve observed our clients make – and exactly how to avoid them. During the early stages of Crown Technical, I often found myself saying, “This person isn’t going to work out” more than I’d like

One of the key reasons top-performing employees consider leaving is the mismatch between traditional career paths and evolving business needs. Outdated career paths leave employees needing help with how to proceed with their careers at their current organizations. When employees find themselves unsure of advancement opportunities within their roles, nearly two-thirds may look elsewhere, resulting in a potential ‘brain drain’ for your company. This happens when highly competent and skilled engineering and manufacturing leaders leave

As the Automated Manufacturing sector evolves, so too do the roles within it. Traditional roles like Machinists, QC + QA Inspectors, Operators, and Production Line Supervisors are well known. The new-age manufacturing leaders and professionals are equipping themselves with new titles and even more diverse skills than we may be used to. Hiring for emerging positions demands an understanding of the evolving landscape and the unique skills and profiles that will drive innovation. In this

These days, leading a team comes with its own set of hurdles. Whether you’re in HR, Operations, or Engineering, you’re likely facing challenges like employee (or personal!) burnout, keeping your team engaged, and hanging onto top talent. Earlier this week, I attended the SHRM Conference in Chicago and had an opportunity to listen to a session called “Process Intelligence (PQ): The Key to Building High Functioning Leaders”. We’re familiar with the terms, IQ (book-smart/intelligence quotient)