If you're still thinking of culture in your manufacturing shop as a side dish instead of the main course, you're already behind. In this episode of Buy the Numbers, I sat down with Jim Mayer to unpack what shop culture really looks like on the floor—and why we need to start talking about it differently. This isn't about breakroom ping-pong tables or slogans on the wall. Those things are fine, but they don’t build lasting culture. We're talking about turnover, pride, accountability, and results that actually move the needle.

Jim’s got a fascinating story—he went from falling off roofs to falling in love with manufacturing, and now he’s one of the leading voices on what modern shop leadership needs to look like. He shared how a misstep early in his consulting work (calling himself a “culture consultant”) forced him to reframe his approach completely. What he landed on—hands-on workshops and real-time cultural diagnostics—has quietly transformed how a lot of shops build trust and accountability.

What I loved about this conversation is how tactical it got. We talked about the death of command-and-control leadership, the rise of reverse mentorship, and why the youngest people on your team might actually be the cultural glue. We also dove into what I’ve seen firsthand here at Hill—how we went from a stark divide between the office and the shop floor to a culture that’s collaborative, human, and proud.

One thing Jim said really stuck with me: “Culture is individual.” That hit hard. It’s not about copying someone else’s approach; it’s about aligning your team to your own values and leading accordingly. We got into the metrics too—how to actually measure culture, and why asking your team if they’re proud of where they work might be the highest-leverage question you can ask this year. If culture feels like a fuzzy concept in your shop, this episode will give you the clarity (and the tools) you’ve been missing.

You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in...

• (0:00) Culture is individual: what works for one shop may be toxic to another
• (1:50) Jim’s path from contractor to manufacturing leadership (and the problem with “consultant”)
• (06:25) Why shop owners resist cultural evaluations—and what works better
• (9:35) The generational shift in manufacturing and the death of command-and-control leadership
• (11:51) Reverse mentorship and how under-35s are leading the cultural charge
• (16:12) Hill Manufacturing’s office-floor divide and the cultural shift toward collaboration
• (20:35) What happens to employees when leadership and values change?
• (22:38) Measuring culture: red-yellow-green vs. specific engagement questions
• (24:03) Why you should listen to the Machine Shop Mastery podcast 
• (29:27) The power of asking “Are you proud of where you work?”
• (38:18) Jim’s 2-day process for diagnosing culture with qualitative and quantitative data
• (42:42) Top five strengths and weaknesses in manufacturing shop cultures
• (48:08) Learn about Mike’s business, podcasts, and upcoming workshops
• (54:08) Why you need to take the Modern Machine Shop Top Shops Survey

Resources & People Mentioned

• Take the Modern Machine Shop Top Shops Survey

Connect with Jim Mayer

• Connect on LinkedIn
• The Manufacturing Connector
• The Manufacturing Connector Podcast
• The Manufacturing Culture Podcast
• Work, But Make it Human
• Jim’s “Lead the Change” workshops

Connect With Buy the Numbers

• Follow on LinkedIn
• Connect with Mike Payne on LinkedIn

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