Lessons in Manufacturing Leadership

Name: Lessons in Manufacturing Leadership
Rating: 4.5 (19 reviews)

An Executive's Perspective on What it Takes to "Rise Through the Ranks" and Effectively Lead an Organization

Created byRay Harkins, The Manufacturing Academy, Michael J. Vella

Last updated 5/2026

English

What you'll learn

Leadership and Management Skills From an Industry Leader
Strategies for Leading a Manufacturing Organization
The Differences Between Leadership and Management
How Leadership and Management Compliment Each Other
Your Role in the Leadership Triangle
How Decisions Are Made at the Top of an Organization
How to Lead Change
How Change is Adopted and Diffused Through an Organization
Emotional Intelligence and Leadership
The Science of Developing Cooperation
How Personal Values and Game Theory Intersect
Keys to Moving from an Individual Contributor to a Leader
Key to Moving from a Management Position into an Executive Position

Course content

1 section • 30 lectures • 4h 9m total length

Introduction to the Course11:41
An Introduction to Mike Vella2:51
Management and Leadership, Part 110:06
Management and Leadership, Part 26:09
Management and Leadership, Part 36:06
Your Role in the Leadership Triangle, Part 18:19
Your Role in the Leadership Triangle, Part 26:14
Emotional Intelligence and Leadership, Part 16:06
Emotional Intelligence and Leadership, Part 27:24
Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Pt 18:23
Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Pt 28:41
Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Pt 39:37
Leaders know how to lead change, Part 18:45
Leaders know how to lead change, Part 29:12
Leaders know how to lead change, Part 35:33
Learn the diffusion of innovations framework, focusing on innovators who drive change, then early adopters, the early and late majority, and laggards, who resist or adopt slowly.
Leaders know how to lead change, Part 46:29
Unwritten Rules, Part 19:19
Adopt unwritten leadership rules from Swanson to improve decision making, communication, and accountability in manufacturing leadership, including asking for facts, involving teammates, and speaking with clarity.
Unwritten Rules, Part 27:21
The Science of Developing Cooperation, Part 16:29
The Science of Developing Cooperation, Part 25:57
Explore the prisoner’s dilemma and for tat, revealing how reciprocity promotes cooperation in long-term transactions and yields better outcomes.
The Science of Developing Cooperation, Part 38:57
The Labor Ratio, Pt 112:18
Explore the labor ratio as a graphical, quantitative measure of daily operations, linking direct and indirect labor to standard hours earned for planning, cost management, and annual labor planning.
The Labor Ratio, Pt 213:01
The Labor Ratio, Pt 36:40
Succession Planning, Part 110:06
Succession Planning, Part 27:24
Succession Planning, Part 35:39
Identify and develop operations talent, match skills to roles, and build a capable team through structured succession planning, backfilling with technical training, and maintaining accountability for lasting manufacturing leadership.
Candid Interview with Mike Vella28:20
Conclusion to the Course2:23
Bonus Lecture3:41

Requirements

General Understanding of Manufacturing
General Understanding of General Business and Organizational Structure

Description

"Lessons in Manufacturing Leadership" is a collaboration between senior manufacturing executive, Mike Vella, and long-time Udemy instructor and manufacturing professional, Ray Harkins. Together, they share the knowledge, mindsets and perspectives manufacturing professionals need to grow as leaders in their careers.

Mike rose through the ranks of one of the largest tier 1 automotive suppliers in the United States to become their Vice President of Operations, leading dozens of manufacturing facilities and thousands of employees. After "retirement", he returned to the Vice President role at a major commercial food processor just outside Chicago, Illinois, leading the operation including their lean manufacturing, waste reduction, and process improvement initiatives. Now after 40+ years of engineering and manufacturing leadership, Mike is committed to sharing what's he's learned with the next generation of manufacturing leaders.

In this course "Lessons in Manufacturing Leadership", Mike will share with you critical concepts in executive leadership and management including:

Strategies for Leading a Manufacturing Organization
The Differences Between Leadership and Management
How Leadership and Management Complement Each Other
Your Role in the Leadership Triangle
How Decisions Are Made at the Top of an Organization
The Art and Science of Leading Change
Using the Labor Ratio to Budget, Plan and Monitor
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team and How to Overcome them
The "Unwritten Rules" of Leaderships
How Change is Adopted and Diffused Through an Organization
The Connection Between Emotional Intelligence and Leadership
The Science of Developing Cooperation
How Personal Values and Game Theory Intersect
Keys to Moving from an Individual Contributor to a Leader
Keys to Moving from a Management Position into an Executive Position
And MUCH MORE!!!

In addition to these insightful lecture, Ray sits down with Mike for a candid interview about his career, and his best strategies for moving through the ranks of an organization from Individual Contributor to Manager to Leader. This interview lasts 28 minutes and alone is worth the price of the course. It's like getting two classes in one!!!

When you sign up for this course, you will hear insights only available from someone's who's "been there". Sign up today to take the next step in your manufacturing leadership career!!

Who this course is for:

Manufacturing Supervisors and Manufacturing Managers
Industrial Engineers and Manufacturing Engineers
Quality Engineers, Quality Supervisors, Quality Technicians
Plant Managers, Inventory Managers, and other Manufacturing Professionals