Humanizing Leadership: Nicki Straza on Trust, Safety, and Resilience at Work

In this episode of The Manufacturing Culture Podcast, host Jim Mayer talks with leadership coach Nicki Straza about what it takes to create workplaces where people feel safe, trusted, and able to contribute. Nicki draws from more than 25 years of experience in manufacturing, trades, nonprofits, and mental health.

The conversation covers how culture is shaped by the small choices leaders make every day, the importance of seeing employees as individuals, and how resilience grows when people feel supported. Nicki shares lessons from her own career about staying in organizations as culture shifted, and what she learned about power, trust, and the conditions that help people thrive.

They also discuss the challenges of generational differences, the risks of losing knowledge as experienced workers leave, and how mentorship and co-creation help teams build lasting cultures.

Takeaways

• Resilience grows when leaders create conditions of trust and safety.
• Culture is shaped by everyday interactions, not slogans or policies.
• Leaders need to see their employees as individuals, not just as resources.
• Generational gaps can create tension, but also opportunities for learning and mentorship.
• Knowledge transfer is essential as experienced workers retire.
• Real change happens when leaders and employees co-create their environment.

Chapters

• 00:00 — Cold open
• 01:00 — Welcome
• 03:00 — What culture looks like in practice
• 05:30 — Generational differences and shared understanding
• 08:00 — Co-creation and shared responsibility
• 10:45 — The role of mentorship in building trust
• 13:20 — Nicki’s early jobs and lessons about leadership
• 23:00 — When mission and culture start to drift apart
• 25:30 — The connection between culture and mental health
• 28:45 — What resilience means at work
• 30:20 — Why Nicki stayed when others left
• 36:45 — Helping leaders reclaim their power in healthy ways
• 39:15 — Building environments where people can thrive
• 41:00 — The value of personal contribution
• 43:00 — Helping others see their potential