Unicorn Hiring Is Failing Manufacturing
- growthmyndsetiniti
- Jan 14
- 3 min read
What if the real competitive edge is not who you can hire, but who you can develop?
Many manufacturers are quietly stuck in the same trap: hunting for the “perfect fit” instead of building the next generation of leaders from within. The result is familiar on the shop floor and in the C‑suite: empty critical roles, overextended supervisors, and a revolving door of frustrated talent.
What if the real competitive edge is not who you can hire, but who you can develop?
The problem with “unicorn hiring”
Critical roles stay open too long while you wait for someone who has done the exact job, in your exact industry, with your exact culture.
High-potential internal people never get a chance because they don’t look “ready” on paper, so they stay stuck or leave.
You end up competing with every other manufacturer for the same small pool of ready-made leaders instead of growing your own bench.
Thought-provoking questions:
Where in your organization are you waiting for a unicorn instead of developing a high-potential “workhorse”?
If your best supervisor walked out tomorrow, do you have three people ready—or even preparing—to step into that role?
Leadership development as risk management
For manufacturers, leadership development, apprenticeship-style grooming, and structured upskilling are not “nice to have” programs. They are risk mitigation.
Vacancies in frontline leadership drive safety incidents, quality escapes, overtime burnout, and missed delivery.
A thin internal pipeline makes every resignation a fire drill instead of a manageable transition.
Intentional development turns leadership from a staffing risk into a strategic asset you control, rather than something you hope the labor market provides.
Questions to consider:
Which key roles in your plant represent your biggest operational risk if left vacant for 60–90 days?
What would it be worth—financially and culturally—if you could reliably fill those roles from inside?
From skills gap to skills-building advantage
Executives are already talking about the “skills gap,” but very few are turning it into a true skills-building advantage.
Language that resonates in the boardroom and with plant leaders right now:
Reducing vacancy time in critical roles.
Building resilient internal pipelines for supervisors, leads, and managers.
Turning your skills gap into a targeted, measurable skills-building strategy instead of a perpetual excuse.
Power questions:
Do you know the half-life of skills in your organization—how long before a role needs a new capability mix?
What would it look like if your plant became known in your region as the place where people grow into leaders, not just punch a clock?
What high-performing manufacturers are starting to do
Define clear pathways from operator to team lead to supervisor, with skills, behaviors, and milestones at each step.
Blend technical training with personal mastery: communication, emotional regulation, decision-making under pressure, and self-leadership.
Shift performance conversations from “Can this person do today’s job?” to “Can this person grow into tomorrow’s role?”
Reflective question:
If you had to map your internal leadership bench today on a one-page pipeline—from frontline to plant leadership—how confident would you be in what you see?
How I help
This is exactly the space where my work lives.
I partner with manufacturing and corporate leaders to:
Design practical leadership pipelines that turn strong performers into capable leaders.
Build personal mastery and self-leadership skills so future leaders can manage themselves before they manage others.
Create development experiences that fit the rhythm of your operation instead of fighting against it.
If you’re tired of chasing unicorn hires and want to build a resilient, internal bench of leaders, let’s talk. Send a message or comment “pipeline” and we can explore what a tailored leadership-development and upskilling strategy could look like for your organization.
About me
I am a Personal Mastery Coach, writer, speaker, and leadership development consultant who works primarily with manufacturing and corporate professionals. My focus is helping organizations build leaders from the inside out—combining behavioral psychology, emotional intelligence, and practical tools to create sustainable performance and strong internal pipelines.
Stephen McConnell
Founder of Growth Myndset Initiative
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