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This is Power Onward,

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the podcast that unveils how power
technology shapes your everyday life.

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You are listening to Power Onward.

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What is power in your world? Power Onward.

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This is Power Onward,

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the podcast that unveils how power
technology shapes your everyday life.

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Imagine you're cultivating a garden. At
first, you're not sure what to expect.

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You're planting seeds in
fresh soil, watering them,
and giving them all the TLC.

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The conditions aren't always ideal.
Sometimes the weather's too hot,

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sometimes it rains a little too much,
but you and the plants keep going.

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You believe that with the
right care and patience,

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something beautiful will bloom
from fresh veggies to new leaves.

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Witnessing their growth
is rewarding to you.

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This is the spirit that Taylor
embraces from starting as an auto shop

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mechanic to becoming a test
engineer and, eventually,

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mechanical engineering
technician coach at Cummins.

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She's learned how to flourish in any
environment and help those around her do

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the same. I'm Kim.

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And I'm Taylor.

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Taylor, your journey is all about
growth, not just professionally,

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but also personally.

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Can you share more about how you've
cultivated this resilience and found your

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niche at Cummins?

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Well, it all started with me trying
to figure out what I wanted to do.

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So I was like, well, I need a job
at least to start going to school.

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So my friend got me in at an
oil change place and I was like,

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but I don't know how to do that. I
dunno, I can't change a brake light bulb.

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So he's like, it's fine, we'll
teach you. And so I was like, okay,

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if you say so. And I
started working there.

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I started learning about cars and then I
surprisingly really ended up liking it.

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So then I started taking the automotive
classes at school and by the time that I

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finished my associate's degree, I was
store manager at the oil change chain.

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And then at that point I was just
kind of like, I need more than this.

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And so I decided a lot of my
mentors in school had talked about a

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program at Southern Illinois
University for automotive,

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and I decided that was the move for
me. So I went to go get my bachelor's.

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So after your bachelor's, what
then brought you to Cummins?

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Well, it was peak COVID at the time,

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so I was applying left and trying to
find a place to fit in and I'd received a

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couple of offers, but the offer from
Cummins sounded really intriguing to me.

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A lot more hands-on role as far as test
engineering is concerned and I was like,

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I don't know what that is.

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Actually, maybe I should back up.
How did you even know about Cummins?

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Did you know about it or
was it just like, well,

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I don't know what this
place is, but I'll apply?

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Yeah, knowing that Cummins is one of
the biggest diesel engine manufacturers,

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I was like, that sounds
like a cool place to work.

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And so having some options to choose from,

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the role of test engineers sounded the
most hands-on and the most interesting to

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me.

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Very cool. So when you first started,
tell me about your experience at Cummins.

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I had to learn how to be a test engineer.

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Being a lot more mechanically
and automotive inclined,

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it was a different atmosphere
than I was used to.

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Joining the world of engineering
surrounded by mostly mechanical engineers,

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I was like, I don't think I belong
here. Did they hire me by accident?

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Well, how did those
feelings evolve over time?

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I'm sure that's not
how you felt long-term.

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Correct. So basically after a while,

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I'm kind of doing my thing and learning
the role and learning how we engineer

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and how we test engines
here. And I'm like, wow.

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I think a lot of my knowledge that I
have on how engines work and the basics

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have been actually
really beneficial to me.

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More so than your standard mechanical
engineer thinking that they have a

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lot more of the theory
stuff. And I was like,

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I've seen this before in real life.

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Because theoretically
things can go one way,

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but having that hands-on experience at
the oil change place gave you that strong

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foundation,

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that hands-on experience that kind of
made you a little bit more experienced in

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that field, would you say?

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Yeah,

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I would say the combination of the
experience that I had in the shop before,

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but also I have a Jeep
that I build and off road.

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Very cool.

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So a lot of experience working on
my own car and modifying it and

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jacking it up, big
tires, all of the things.

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Alright. So going back to feeling
like maybe you didn't belong,

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there was a lot of uncertainty. You
felt like I might've made a mistake,

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you were able to get
out of that situation.

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But is there some advice that you would
give someone who feels like they're in

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the wrong place in their career?

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First of all, I think the feelings of,
I don't know if I'm supposed to be here,

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really started changing when I was able
to offer my unique perspective to my

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teammates. And then they were like, oh,

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she knows more about this
stuff than we do. Aha moment.

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So seeing that I was able to share
something and bring value to the team,

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I think really helped kind of flip my
view and make me feel a little bit less

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like an impostor. And then it
actually worked out really well,

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which kind of lends into diversity and
things like that with all of people's

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different backgrounds.

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They would help me with the engineering
things and teach me thermal dynamic type

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stuff, and I'm just like,
here's what a piston does.

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It was an exchange,

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a meeting of the minds where you were
able to exchange valuable information to

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behoove your work together.

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Right, right.

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Very cool.

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So I guess back to your question is the
second thing outside of finding ways

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that your differences can bring
value is finding a mentor.

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I've had a mentor for almost
as long as I've worked here,

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which has been a really cool opportunity
that I've had in order to connect with

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people in other roles, other
women in position of leadership.

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And that's really helped
me throughout my journey,

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working in the shop and
getting my footing there.

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There was a lot of obstacles to
overcome being the woman in the shop,

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the girl stereotypically, the
guys must know more than me.

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Even when I was the manager and
I had other girls working for me,

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we would get a lot of things
from customers talking about,

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I don't want you on my car. I'm like,
okay, you can have one of the boys,

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that's fine. But I trained them.

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Right. So whatever you get, I've helped.

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Yeah, I've helped make it happen. So
I make it sound easy, but it wasn't.

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You got to get some really
tough skin to deal with that.

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So the amount of time that it took me
to kind of overcome and be comfortable

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with the fact that not everyone's going
to trust me and that's their problem,

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it's not mine. Coming to Cummins,
I was a little worried. I was like,

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am I going to have to start this all
over again with a different audience and

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not externally customer facing,

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but now I've got coworkers and engineering
is also a really male dominated

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field. So I was like,
how is this going to go?

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But I was very pleasantly surprised.
We had a lot of diversity on our team,

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other women, people from other countries.

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So I got to learn a lot about people
from other origins and learn about their

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cultures and things like
that, which is super cool.

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But I would say that just my entire time
being able to connect with other women,

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like I said, in leadership
positions, other female engineers.

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We have female technicians
too, which is super cool.

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I have two right now that
work on my team, so shout out.

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But in general,

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I would say that it's been a very pleasant
surprise that I don't face really any

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of our adversity here at
Cummins because I'm a girl.

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It's really amazing to know that you came
from having to deal with being a woman

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in a male dominated field.

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Coming into this perspective with
Cummins thinking you had to rebuild your

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entire reputation and your repertoire
and knowing that that wasn't the case at

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all, everyone was really welcoming,
everyone was approachable,

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and you felt like you were in a space
where you could be your best and continue

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to thrive.

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Absolutely. And even being
a manager, it's like,

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are the technicians that report to me,

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are they going to think that I'm
lesser because I'm not a man? No.

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The only thing that they're going to think
lesser of me is if I'm a bad manager.

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And that's like your skillset and what
you are able to bring to the table as

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opposed to, are you a male? Are you a
female? Or whatever. That doesn't matter.

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Right.

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Let's talk about Cummins impact.

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What's one thing that Cummins
does that fills you with pride?

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I'm really a huge fan of just the
history, the roots of the company.

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I really enjoy working for a company
that is so deeply rooted in just American

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history. We're talking first
diesel engine in a vehicle.

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I know you had Lori on. That was
super cool. I love listening to her.

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I also really enjoy that we
do a lot for the community.

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Some of my favorites are
our Earth Day EEEC events.

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And what are EEEC events
for those listeners who are
not a part of the Cummins

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ecosystem?

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So EEEC is Every Employee Every Community.

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Cummins really and empowers its employees
to contribute to the communities in

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which we live and work.

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So one of the things that we do at the
tech center is a tree giveaway in April.

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So I like to help hand
out trees to everybody.

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You get a free tree sapling and
you can plant it wherever you want

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and it's good for the environment.

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And you're a proud plant parent at home.

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So I'm sure you love being able to see
the others that you give way get nurtured

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and grow as well.

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Absolutely.

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Speaking of planting, you've got
some other interesting hobbies.

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Tell me about how those tie
into your work at Cummins.

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I'm obviously really into plants.
I have a vegetable garden.

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I have my houseplant collection
that tends to get neglected in the

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summertime when I'm outside with my
vegetables and my bees. I do keep bees.

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At least I'm trying my best to,

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it seems like all they ever
want to do is try to die on me,

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so I have to be there to support them.

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And all of these kind of go
with the theme of environment,

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greenery, sustainability, and just a
healthier planet, more prosperous world.

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Was that intentional that all of your
hobbies tie into some of what Cummins

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focuses on?

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I don't think so. I think those are
just the things that I really love.

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And so I try to seek out the
things that I love in my work too.

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So getting to be a part of our
environmental volunteer opportunities.

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There's been a couple, so I try to
jump on those when I can. Currently,

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I'm trying to see if maybe we can get
a pollinator garden going at the tech

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center. We'll see.

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In my apartment complex, they have garden
beds and you can run a space there.

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I was too late to jump on board to
do one. I was also afraid to commit.

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But if I were to start one, what
is something you would recommend?

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A good mix.

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So I would say you want to bring some
flowers that are going to bring the

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pollinators in and preferably some
that are going to be pest resistant.

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Keep the bag bugs away. So
I like to use marigolds.

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Marigolds are good.
Snapdragons are also good,

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if marigolds are kind
of outplayed for you.

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Why would you assume that? Okay. But
we love all the recommendations. Okay,

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continue.

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Yeah. And then your vegetables,

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whatever's your style for that.

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I love chilies and basil. I love Thai
basil specifically. I love to make,

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I just love the way they smell.
I love the way they taste.

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I like infusing them in
mocktails. I don't know.

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You can't go wrong with those two things.

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Yeah. Well, I love my herbs too.

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I built a nice little herb pole on my
back porch so I can just go out there and

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pick things and bring
'em into the kitchen.

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Nice.

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But yeah,

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herbs are always good and most of them
actually also are pretty good pest

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deterrence too.

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Good to know. Earlier you mentioned
your team. Tell me more about your team,

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because what I think is so fascinating
is you came into this wondering like,

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oh my gosh, are they going to like me?
Am I going to bring value to the team?

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And then they were all hyping you
up. Like, Taylor, you're amazing.

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We would love to work for you. So
tell me more about that dynamic.

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I would say in my past pre-Cummins,

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I learned a lot about how
to not be a good manager.

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That speaks volume, but
we'll leave it there.

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So with that being said, you can
look at things in different lights.

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So you can either just say, this is
terrible, I hate this, I'm miserable,

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my manager's awful. All of the things.

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I kind of chose to look at it through
the lens of what can I learn from this?

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How can I make sure that
I'm not like that person?

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How can I be a leader that
people want to follow?

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And that's been a really
important theme for me.

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Just because you're a leader doesn't
mean you're also not a human.

226
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I put myself on the same level as my
team. I tell them, Hey, I'm not perfect.

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They know that.

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00:12:36,790 --> 00:12:39,430
They know that I'm not
above being called out.

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Let me know if I've done
something that you don't like.

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And I'm also not afraid to
admit my mistakes. And I
think that's really the key:

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leveling with people and
saying, Hey, oops, I'm sorry.

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We're all human. And it
makes you more approachable.

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That level of communication,

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I feel like that opens the lines for
more communication to give that feedback

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real time.

236
00:12:59,950 --> 00:13:03,700
Yeah, I definitely like
to lead from the group.

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00:13:03,760 --> 00:13:08,740
I don't like to lead from the back or
the front or whatever it is. I mean,

238
00:13:08,740 --> 00:13:10,420
if I could be in the test
halls with them, I would.

239
00:13:11,320 --> 00:13:12,730
Because you miss it.
You get FOMO, don't you?

240
00:13:12,730 --> 00:13:15,040
I do miss it. Yeah.

241
00:13:15,040 --> 00:13:16,060
Talk to me more about that test.

242
00:13:16,150 --> 00:13:18,160
Can you paint a picture of
what that actually looks like?

243
00:13:18,520 --> 00:13:21,070
The tech center is one of the
very coolest places to work.

244
00:13:21,130 --> 00:13:24,220
I love working at the tech
center. It is so cool.

245
00:13:24,640 --> 00:13:28,360
We get to see all the super
top-secret new product testing,

246
00:13:29,410 --> 00:13:32,710
so it makes us feel
really special. But yeah,

247
00:13:33,160 --> 00:13:37,000
new engine platforms that are coming
out, obviously we need to test them,

248
00:13:37,000 --> 00:13:40,450
make sure that they're going to be good
before we get 'em in the hands of our

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00:13:40,450 --> 00:13:44,350
customers. There's a lot of really cool
stuff that goes into testing. I mean,

250
00:13:44,350 --> 00:13:47,290
we got an engine hooked up to
a dyno in a room that is...

251
00:13:47,350 --> 00:13:48,160
A dyno?

252
00:13:48,160 --> 00:13:48,700
Yeah.

253
00:13:48,700 --> 00:13:49,533
What is that?

254
00:13:50,200 --> 00:13:53,320
Basically it is what spins
the engine to get it going.

255
00:13:53,320 --> 00:13:57,790
And it measures a lot of things for us
like torque and speed, things like that.

256
00:13:57,820 --> 00:13:58,653
Gotcha.

257
00:13:58,660 --> 00:14:01,870
Yeah. So it's hooked up
and it's in this room.

258
00:14:02,140 --> 00:14:06,970
We have a lot, so we have a lot
of test cells at the deck center.

259
00:14:07,390 --> 00:14:11,470
We have some special ones for
altitude testing, cold cell testing.

260
00:14:11,470 --> 00:14:16,060
So we also have a tilt stand test cell
so that we can mount the engine at

261
00:14:16,060 --> 00:14:19,180
different angles to make sure that
things like construction equipment,

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00:14:19,870 --> 00:14:22,540
we want to make sure that it's not going
to be losing oil pressure and things

263
00:14:22,540 --> 00:14:24,160
like that if it gets too off tilt.

264
00:14:24,790 --> 00:14:29,290
So there's a lot of work that goes into
getting an engine together before it's

265
00:14:29,290 --> 00:14:30,123
out on the road.

266
00:14:30,250 --> 00:14:34,090
But that lends into the durability and
reliability of it because in the most

267
00:14:34,090 --> 00:14:37,690
extreme climate or conditions, they've
already been tested against that.

268
00:14:37,750 --> 00:14:38,583
Right, right.

269
00:14:38,590 --> 00:14:42,520
And then we have our field test group
that they take the engines out into what I

270
00:14:42,520 --> 00:14:43,390
say, the real world,

271
00:14:43,870 --> 00:14:47,710
but we try to mimic that as close as
we can in the tech center within four

272
00:14:47,710 --> 00:14:50,980
walls. We go on a lot of long drives
without ever leaving the building.

273
00:14:52,040 --> 00:14:53,270
I like the way you put that.

274
00:14:54,350 --> 00:14:58,910
And so there's a lot of
different places to test

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00:14:58,910 --> 00:15:02,360
products. How many people are
on your team helping to do this?

276
00:15:03,020 --> 00:15:05,480
So my team specifically, I have 25.

277
00:15:05,840 --> 00:15:06,673
Whoa.

278
00:15:06,860 --> 00:15:09,950
And my department is the
emissions technology test.

279
00:15:10,130 --> 00:15:14,180
So we do all of the emission
certification testing.

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00:15:14,420 --> 00:15:18,380
We also make sure that the OBD system
is working the way that it should

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00:15:18,650 --> 00:15:19,483
detecting...

282
00:15:19,580 --> 00:15:22,280
OBD, you've lost me. What are we
doing? What are we talking about?

283
00:15:22,670 --> 00:15:25,460
The onboard diagnostics. So
basically, your check engine light.

284
00:15:25,700 --> 00:15:26,533
Gotcha.

285
00:15:26,960 --> 00:15:30,920
A part of emission standards is we have
to make sure that the check engine light

286
00:15:30,920 --> 00:15:35,060
comes on. That's something people don't
really know about that they're like, oh,

287
00:15:35,060 --> 00:15:36,650
I just have this annoying
light on my dash.

288
00:15:36,710 --> 00:15:39,440
That's exactly how I view it. I am like,
oh great, that's going to cost money.

289
00:15:39,440 --> 00:15:41,450
I see dollar signs when I
see my check engine light.

290
00:15:41,870 --> 00:15:45,260
But we're required to make sure that
that is telling people that there's

291
00:15:45,260 --> 00:15:49,280
something wrong so they can get it
fixed and not be out on the road and

292
00:15:49,280 --> 00:15:51,410
potentially putting out more
emissions than they should be.

293
00:15:52,190 --> 00:15:53,360
So we have to make sure that works.

294
00:15:53,570 --> 00:15:54,403
Right.

295
00:15:54,560 --> 00:15:58,940
How do you go about mentoring and guiding
and leading with 25 people on your

296
00:15:58,940 --> 00:15:59,773
team?

297
00:16:00,440 --> 00:16:04,490
It definitely takes some
skill. It takes really my team.

298
00:16:04,940 --> 00:16:07,490
I'm not going to sit here and
pretend that I do all of it myself.

299
00:16:07,580 --> 00:16:09,020
I have a very talented team.

300
00:16:09,080 --> 00:16:14,060
I have some trades associates
that essentially are kind of

301
00:16:14,060 --> 00:16:16,700
the in-between between me
and the rest of my team.

302
00:16:17,390 --> 00:16:18,740
Their sole function is support.

303
00:16:18,890 --> 00:16:21,530
So they do a lot of the teaching
and guiding of the team.

304
00:16:21,560 --> 00:16:26,030
We kind of all work together to train
our new people. So being on night shift,

305
00:16:26,270 --> 00:16:30,020
we have this interesting circumstance
where we don't have a lot of guidance,

306
00:16:30,020 --> 00:16:32,660
leadership, things like that. It is us.

307
00:16:32,720 --> 00:16:36,770
So that creates a lot more of a
tighter knit group, a lot of teamwork,

308
00:16:36,770 --> 00:16:40,130
a lot more. We rely on each other to
problem solve and get through issues,

309
00:16:40,130 --> 00:16:41,060
things like that. So.

310
00:16:41,120 --> 00:16:42,620
You've cultivated your own community?

311
00:16:43,400 --> 00:16:44,360
I certainly try.

312
00:16:44,540 --> 00:16:46,820
It sounds so fun. I'd love
to join you one evening,

313
00:16:47,150 --> 00:16:51,860
but it is way past my bedtime.
I can't even lie. Taylor,

314
00:16:51,860 --> 00:16:54,260
I've had so much fun talking to you today.

315
00:16:54,260 --> 00:16:59,030
I know we've had a prior conversation
where I spoke about my experience coming

316
00:16:59,030 --> 00:17:01,940
from social media in sports marketing,

317
00:17:01,940 --> 00:17:06,260
and coming from my experience of being a
woman in a male dominated field where I

318
00:17:06,260 --> 00:17:09,710
was always asked, oh, who's plus one
are you? When I'm like, no, no, no.

319
00:17:10,010 --> 00:17:13,040
It is me. I will be the one talking
to the athletes. Thank you so much.

320
00:17:13,370 --> 00:17:14,203
Yas queen.

321
00:17:15,070 --> 00:17:15,620
But it,

322
00:17:15,620 --> 00:17:19,490
it's been good to hear your perspective
and see others' experience of going

323
00:17:19,490 --> 00:17:22,490
through something like that. I
also love that you become a leader.

324
00:17:22,520 --> 00:17:26,960
Not only do you get the mentorship
and the female leaders around you,

325
00:17:26,960 --> 00:17:28,280
you are also one yourself.

326
00:17:28,670 --> 00:17:31,040
Thank you again for taking
time to come on the podcast.

327
00:17:31,700 --> 00:17:33,920
,-Absolutely. It's been a pleasure.

328
00:17:34,430 --> 00:17:36,230
So what's the big idea for this episode?

329
00:17:36,650 --> 00:17:39,140
Just like the greenery that grows
through the cracks of the concrete,

330
00:17:39,320 --> 00:17:41,690
resilience isn't just about
getting through the hard stuff.

331
00:17:41,930 --> 00:17:45,200
It's also about taking your unique
experiences and making it work for you.

332
00:17:45,770 --> 00:17:47,840
Taylor reminded us that
no matter where you are,

333
00:17:47,870 --> 00:17:51,420
your real-life experience can set
you apart. And at the end of the day,

334
00:17:51,450 --> 00:17:52,920
if you ever feel out of place,

335
00:17:53,250 --> 00:17:55,920
just remember that your differences
could be your biggest strengths.

336
00:17:56,430 --> 00:17:59,370
And when you put in the work and
you see the impact of your efforts,

337
00:17:59,520 --> 00:18:01,650
it's like the satisfaction
of a summer harvest.

338
00:18:01,920 --> 00:18:05,610
You get to see all the
good that it's creating.

339
00:18:05,670 --> 00:18:06,990
Power Onward.

340
00:18:13,050 --> 00:18:17,130
Thank you for listening to Power Onward.
Your support means the world to us.

341
00:18:17,640 --> 00:18:20,760
If you enjoyed this episode,
please don't forget to subscribe,

342
00:18:20,790 --> 00:18:23,700
rate and review on your
favorite podcast platform.

343
00:18:24,150 --> 00:18:26,310
If you want to dig deeper
on what we covered today,

344
00:18:26,380 --> 00:18:29,250
check out the show notes for
additional links or go to

345
00:18:29,250 --> 00:18:33,180
cummins.com/podcast. Until next time,

346
00:18:33,660 --> 00:18:34,950
Power Onward.

347
00:18:39,030 --> 00:18:40,110
We are from Cummins,

348
00:18:40,470 --> 00:18:44,100
the company that's been innovating
toward the future for more than a hundred

349
00:18:44,100 --> 00:18:47,010
years. We're no strangers to rapid change,

350
00:18:47,160 --> 00:18:49,470
global shifts and economic uncertainty.

351
00:18:50,130 --> 00:18:54,630
We want to be your constant during
the energy transition. Whenever,

352
00:18:55,020 --> 00:18:58,710
wherever, forever. Power Onward.