Betsy Allen-Manning, a company culture expert, internationally recognized leadership speaker, bestselling author and this year’s Manufacturing First Expo & Conference keynote speaker, joins co-hosts Kate Bruns of Insight on Manufacturing and Ann Franz of the NEW Manufacturing Alliance on this week’s new episode of the NEW Manufacturing Insights podcast, sponsored by Rice Companies.
Allen-Manning is founder of Destination Workplace, an award-winning firm specializing in leadership development, talent retention and creating high-performing workplace cultures. She talks with Bruns and Franz about how she helps companies become destination workplaces, about her journey to becoming a leadership speaker, and what manufacturers can expect to hear during her keynote address on Oct. 29.
After traveling the world and singing for 12 years, Allen-Manning left the spotlight for a corporate job “that ruled on fear and punishment, and it was for six years,” she says. “I just took this verbal and emotional abuse from this company and I said, ‘When I become a leader, I will never be like that.’”
Once she mastered leadership herself, “then it became a mission to make sure other people never treated people that way as well,” Allen-Manning says. “And you create a workplace that people want to be a part of because we spend the majority of our time at work, we might as well love it and enjoy it.”
Companies that become a destination workplace — one with a positive brand reputation where people are clamoring to work — have a competitive advantage in a time when competition for talent is fierce, she says. It means listening to the needs and wants of Gen Z and other younger generations of workers.
“We want to invigorate the people that work for us,” Allen-Manning says. “We want to get new ideas from them and help them innovate more so we can actually scale and move up in the company and grow the company.”
With 94% of executives not having an accurate understanding of the reality of what the culture really looks like within their organization, it’s “so important to understand to first assess where you’re currently at and understand what the climate is really inside of your culture,” she says.
Then, leaders need to adopt qualities such as transparency and mentorship. “How many of us have been thrown into a job and it feels like you’re being thrown in the deep end and expected to learn how to swim?” Allen-Manning says.
When Allen-Manning coaches leaders, she says setting egos aside is necessary to create a shift and culture change. “I always say, ‘You’re either contributing to the culture or you’re contaminating the culture,’ and the leaders are the ones responsible for that,” Allen-Manning says.
Listen to all of the insights from Allen-Manning, including the five things companies need to become genuine destination workplaces, by downloading the full episode on Spreaker or anywhere you listen to podcasts. NEW Manufacturing Insights is produced by Woodward Community Media; new episodes are released on Thursdays.
NEW Manufacturing Insights will be celebrating its anniversary and the start of Manufacturing Month 2025 with a special recording in front of a live audience Thursday, Oct. 2 at Schreiber Foods. Register for Manufacturing First before Sept. 25 to receive your exclusive invitation to this event, which will also include a panel discussion and tours of Schreiber Foods. Manufacturing First attendees may register for the live event online here.
