The Automotive Leaders Podcast Why Reinvention Is Critical for Automotive Suppliers Right Now
Reinvention in the automotive industry is no longer optional. It is survival. In this episode, Jan Griffiths sits down with Lori Lancaster, Vice Chair of Emotiv Mobility, to break down what reinvention really looks like when you are living it, not talking about it from a distance. The old playbook is cracking, and incremental improvement will not get us where we need to go. Yet many leaders are still holding on, waiting for direction instead of stepping up to create it.
Lori did not wait. She made the decision to step back from the EV hype, resist the pressure to go all in, and focus instead on the real constraint holding the industry back. Infrastructure. That shift required courage. It meant challenging conventional thinking and refusing to follow the herd. Instead of chasing what everyone else was doing, she looked at where the real opportunity was and made a strategic move to meet it.
That decision led to a bold reinvention of the business. By taking core automotive manufacturing capabilities such as process discipline, scale, and precision, Lori and her team expanded into energy and transformer production while exploring emerging mobility spaces like eVTOL. This was not diversification for the sake of it. It was a deliberate move to stabilize the business, reduce reliance on automotive cycles, and position the company for what comes next.
But reinvention is not just about strategy. It is about leadership. Lori grounds her approach in servant leadership, accountability, and clarity of purpose. She makes it clear that transformation only works when people understand the why, when they are engaged in the journey, and when leaders create an environment of trust. Without that foundation, even the best strategy will fail.
The message is simple and direct. If you are waiting for certainty, you are already behind. If you are waiting for direction, you have missed the point. Reinvention belongs to leaders who are willing to see what is coming, make the hard calls, and move forward without a safety net.
Themes Discussed in this Episode
- Reinvention as a survival strategy
- Why incremental improvement is no longer enough
- Breaking free from OEM dependency and legacy thinking
- The real barrier to EV adoption: infrastructure, not vehicles
- Diversification beyond automotive to stabilize volatility
- Translating automotive manufacturing discipline into new industries
- Leadership courage in high-risk, uncertain decisions
- Servant leadership vs command-and-control in transformation
- Accountability through clarity of purpose and shared vision
- Culture as the foundation for successful reinvention
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https://www.youtube.com/@jangriffithsautomotiveleaders
This episode is sponsored by Lockton, click here to learn more
Featured Guest: Lori Lancaster
Lori is a seasoned automotive and advanced manufacturing executive known for leading organizations through complex industry change. Over the course of her career, she has overseen large-scale operations supporting major OEMs, helping guide companies through supply chain disruption, operational transformation, and the shift toward electrified mobility.
She began her career as a critical care nurse at Massachusetts General Hospital, an experience that shaped her leadership style and approach to decision-making in fast-moving, high-pressure environments.
About Your Host – Jan Griffiths
Jan Griffiths is a champion for culture transformation and the host of the Automotive Leaders Podcast. A former automotive executive with a rebellious spirit, Jan is known for challenging outdated norms and inspiring leaders to ditch command and control. She brings honesty, energy, and courage to every conversation, proving that authentic, human-centered leadership is the future of the automotive industry.
Mentioned in this episode
Episode Highlights
[01:26] Reinvention is survival, not strategy: Jan opens with a hard truth. The legacy automotive model is breaking, and incremental improvement is no longer enough to compete.
[02:36] Defining leadership: servant, not command-and-control: Lori shares her leadership philosophy. Lead by example. Serve the team. Hold people accountable without losing trust.
[03:47] Challenging old-school leadership norms: Jan calls out the industry’s past. Command-and-control once ruled. Lori explains how she chose a different path and why it works.
[04:18] Engagement and buy-in drive accountability: Lori breaks down the real meaning of accountability. It starts with listening, aligning on vision, and helping people understand the why.
[06:00] The industry’s biggest trap: incremental thinking: Jan challenges the status quo. Automotive is great at small improvements, but that mindset is now holding companies back.
[07:18] From healthcare to automotive: A powerful personal reinvention. Lori shares how starting in healthcare shaped her ability to lead in high-pressure environments.
[09:11] Building Emotiv Mobility: The strategy comes to life. Leveraging automotive discipline and processes to enter energy and infrastructure markets.
[09:59] Post-COVID reality check: COVID, chips, and EV pressure collide. Lori describes the moment leaders had to decide: follow the hype or think differently.
[10:30] The bold call: don’t go all in on EVs: Lori makes a high-risk decision. Limited capital means choosing carefully, not chasing trends.
[11:03] Identifying the real problem: infrastructure: Range anxiety and lack of infrastructure become the real barrier. Lori shifts focus to solving that instead of chasing vehicle programs.
[12:11] Breaking free from OEM dependency: Jan highlights a critical shift. Lori didn’t wait for OEM direction. She created her own path forward.
[16:54] Culture as the foundation for reinvention: Lori reinforces that transformation is not just about strategy. Culture, trust, and team alignment make or break execution.
[22:22] The 21 Traits of Authentic Leadership: When asked which traits resonate most, Lori points to listening, transparency, empowerment, and heart-first leadership. These are not concepts. They are daily behaviors that build trust and drive results.
[26:52] The courage to lead differently: Reinvention demands uncomfortable decisions. Lori reflects on the risk, the doubt, and the importance of staying true to your convictions.
Top Quotes
[01:26] Jan: “Reinvention isn't a buzzword anymore, it's survival.”
[02:36] Lori: “I like to think of myself as a servant leader, right? As somebody who, you know, sets an example for the team. If I'm not willing to do something, I wouldn't think my team, I shouldn't be able to expect my team to be willing to do something.”
[04:18] Lori: “I think to do that you have to really engage and listen to the people, you have to take their ideas and meld them with the vision you see for the company and figure out a way that will work to get to where you want to go.”
[05:15] Lori: “You have to help people understand the ‘why’.”
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Send us your feedback or questions — email Jan at Jan@Gravitasdetroit.com.