71 Bringing Brain Power to the Manufacturing Floor with Dr. John B. Molidor

Mindfulness Manufacturing

In manufacturing, so much revolves around our brains. How we use our brain (and how well we take care of it!) can have a huge impact on many factors on the manufacturing floor, from how we communicate with our teams to how we budget our time. To gain a better understanding of the brain’s role in leadership, I welcomed Dr. John B. Molidor onto the podcast! Dr. John is the CEO and president of the Brain Based Leadership Institute and professor emeritus at Michigan State University’s College of Human Medicine. In this episode, he shares some key details about brain structure and why people act the way they do, plus offers a few ways leaders can utilize a better understanding of brain power to help motivate, inspire, and empower others in their organization.

1:00 – Brains don’t fully form until we turn 25, so people from younger generations may have different ways of responding and behaving than older generations

2:42 – The main function of the brain is regulating energy

3:15 – Given a choice, your brain will focus on tasks that don’t expend a ton of energy

5:00 – To better help people understand and remember what you say, start with the big picture first, then move onto the details

6:17 – Your brain loves water, so stay hydrated!

6:56 – Later in the day, be mindful of the fact that people’s brains are trying to maintain their energy

9:15 – Help people understand the “why” behind your statements

10:40 – When assigning tasks to someone, try not to give them too many things at once

10:57 – If someone has a lot of tasks, they will probably focus on the easiest ones first

12:28 – Rewards and rest are important

13:51 – The brain is unique because it’s the only organ that can rewire itself

17:16 – Tell people which tasks you want them to focus on first, and what order you want them to accomplish the tasks in to help them prioritize

20:00 – Avoid “by the way” tasks thrown in with the others

21:02 – Set others by for success

24:00 – Brains are very predictive

27:00 – Culture often separates the head and the heart

Contact John: Email