Building a Career in Manufacturing Leadership - with John Peoples

In this episode of the Supply Chain Careers podcast, we sit down with John Peoples, a seasoned supply chain and operations leader whose career spans major organizations like Ford, Halliburton, Coca-Cola, and Domino’s.

John shares how he built his career from the plant floor to multi-site operations leadership—emphasizing the importance of curiosity, continuous improvement, and a people-first leadership style. From leading startup facilities to turning around underperforming sites, John reveals how emotional safety, empowerment, and team culture drive performance at scale.

You’ll hear:

• Why frontline experience is critical to long-term leadership success
• The difference between managing a single site vs. multiple operations
• How to build trust, drive metrics, and develop high-performing teams
• The role of mentorship, networking, and advocacy in career growth
• Advice for young professionals looking to lead in manufacturing

Whether you're early in your career or looking to step into senior operations leadership, John offers grounded, practical insights you can apply today.

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• Continuous Improvement
• Engineering
• Inventory Planning
• Logistics & Transportation
• Manufacturing
• Operations
• Robotics
• Sales & Business Development
• S&OP
• Strategic Sourcing & Procurement
• Supply Chain Management
• Technology & Automation
• Warehousing