Episode 13

full
Published on:

25th May 2026

What Happens When Your Business Outgrows Your People with Mike Krupit

Manufacturing companies don’t usually fail because of bad products. They fail because growth exposes leadership gaps nobody wanted to deal with.

In this episode of the Manufacturers Network Podcast, Lisa Ryan talks with leadership advisor and Trajectify founder Mike Krupit about what really happens when organizations grow faster than their people, systems, and communication.

Mike shares lessons from decades in Silicon Valley startups and explains why retention problems are often clarity problems, leadership problems, and culture problems disguised as “people issues.”

The conversation covers:

  • Why companies outgrow key employees and founders
  • How poor communication quietly destroys trust
  • The difference between employees who “get it, want it, and are capable”
  • Why psychological safety matters on the shop floor
  • What leaders miss when they blame workers for disengagement
  • How to manage up when leadership refuses to change
  • Why “this is how we’ve always done it” is dangerous in manufacturing
  • The connection between AI, workforce change, and leadership adaptability
  • Practical ways manufacturers can rethink scheduling, culture, and retention

One of the biggest takeaways from this episode:

You cannot build a future-ready company with leadership habits designed for the past.

Mike also shares actionable ideas leaders can use immediately to evaluate whether they truly have the right people in the right seats before growth turns into chaos.

Actionable Questions from This Episode

  • What assumptions are we making that may no longer be true?
  • Are we measuring outputs clearly enough for people to succeed?
  • Do employees feel safe trying new ideas or making mistakes?
  • Are leaders communicating enough, especially across shifts and teams?
  • Is the organization growing faster than the people leading it?
  • What is one thing leadership could change tomorrow?

Connect with Mike Krupit

LinkedIn: Mike Krupit on LinkedIn

Website: Trajectify

Connect with Lisa Ryan

Website: Grategy / Lisa Ryan, CSP

If you enjoyed this episode, share it with a manufacturing leader, HR professional, or operations executive who’s trying to build a stronger workplace culture while navigating growth and change.

All Episodes Previous Episode

Listen for free

Show artwork for The Manufacturers Network

About the Podcast

The Manufacturers Network
Real conversations with leaders in manufacturing, automation, and workforce retention.
The Manufacturers’ Network is where manufacturing leaders, plant managers, and industry innovators come to talk straight about what’s working and what’s not, on the shop floor and beyond.

Each week, host Lisa Ryan sits down with people who live and breathe this business: operations executives, HR directors, engineers, and founders who are building stronger teams and smarter systems in the face of nonstop change.

Listeners gain real-world insights on:
• Employee retention and workforce engagement
• Automation, AI, and the future of skilled trades
• Supply chain and operations leadership
• Safety, sustainability, and company culture that lasts

If you’re tired of generic “leadership talk” and want practical conversations from people who get it, this podcast is for you.

New episodes drop every Monday and are short enough for your commute, sharp enough to shape your week.

Subscribe and be part of the conversation that’s connecting manufacturers across industries, one story at a time.

About your host

Profile picture for Lisa Ryan

Lisa Ryan

As a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP), an award-winning speaker and author of ten books, Lisa Ryan, CSP, works with her clients to develop employee and client engagement initiatives and strategies that keep their top talent and best clients from becoming someone else’s.
Lisa’s expertise includes: strengthening workplace culture, improving employee engagement, increasing customer retention, and initiating gratitude strategies (“Grategies”) for personal and professional benefit. Lisa’s participants enjoy her high energy, enthusiastic delivery and quick wit and they leave the session with ideas they are committed to acting on immediately to make positive workplace culture changes.
Lisa costars in two films with other experts including Jack Canfield of “Chicken Soup for the Soul.” She is the Past-President of the National Speakers Association, Ohio Chapter and holds an MBA from Cleveland State University.

Relevant Experience

• Keynote, breakout or workshop speaker at more than 100 national and international conferences
• Thirteen years of industrial marketing and sales experience, including seven years in the welding industry – and yes, she does weld
• Host of “Elevate Your Engagement Levels: What You Need to Know” on the Elite Expert Network and the C-Suite Network
• Creator of “The Seven Mistakes Managers Make to Crush Company Culture” video series
• Best-selling author of ten books, including “Manufacturing Engagement: 98 Proven Strategies to Attract and Retain Your Industry’s Top Talent”
• Award-winning speaker