Up-Front Podcasts

In this episode, Adam McKinney shares insights from his senior operations leadership role as General Transportation Manager at Walmart. Learn why he believes the biggest impact leaders can make is to ensure clear, consistent communications with the frontline to build trust, reduce friction, boost performance and help workers feel they are really valued.

In this episode, Frankie Jones, VP of People & Culture at Navistar (AKA International Motors), shares that supporting the whole employee is no longer optional and has become a business necessity post-pandemic. Learn why empathy is now a core leadership skill, and how intentional presence, continuous listening and accessible tools can help frontline teams feel supported.

In this episode, Lucy Stockett, Director of Operations at the United States Air Force, shares that even in a command-and-execute environment like the military, frontline personnel need context and buy-in. Without understanding the “why,” motivation and execution suffer. Learn about visible leadership, real-time connection, and simple daily actions that can strengthen trust and elevate frontline performance and wellbeing.

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In this episode, Julio Martinez, COO at Roncadin, shares a story about the importance of real-time communications in preventing costly downtime, the criticality of capturing data, and how breaking down departmental silos creates transparency and trust. Discover practical ways to listen better, respond faster, and empower frontline teams to do their best work.

In this episode, Barrett Hopper, Director of Operations for Americas at MKS Instruments reveals how real-time communication can be the single most powerful way to transform frontline teams. Learn how intentional gemba walks, true round-table conversations and digital tools can build trust, empower employees to speak up and improve team performance and wellbeing.

From lumber yards to manufacturing plants, Will Smylie, VP of Operations & Continuous Improvement at Marmon Holdings (a Berkshire Hathaway company), unpacks the mindset shift needed to truly empower hourly employees — and why the fastest path to trust, engagement, and performance is shortening the timeline for meaningful change that employees can see and feel.