Minerals Technologies

Most founders hate discovery calls. I get it. You spend thirty minutes asking questions about problems you already know how to solve. The prospect gives vague answers. You walk away with no clear next step. And then they ghost you. Here is what is happening. You are treating discovery like an interview. Not a conversation. You ask: “What challenges are you facing?” They say: “Sales is hard.” Groundbreaking insight right there. You ask: “What is your current process?” They give you a twenty-minute walkthrough of something that clearly is not working. You nod. Take notes. Ask more process questions. And you walk away knowing how they work today. Not why they would change. Discovery is not about understanding their current state. Discovery is about understanding the cost of staying there. The right questions do not ask what they do. They ask what happens when it breaks down. Not how it works. Why it has to be different. Not their process. Their pain. When you ask the right questions — the prospect starts selling themselves. They describe the cost. They explain the urgency. They tell you the timeline. And by the time you get to your solution, it feels inevitable. What is the best discovery question you have ever been asked? Drop it below. 👇

I was working with an instrument student last night on ILS approaches and he was struggling with localizer and glideslope. I gave him a technique to try and he got worse, but believe it or not it actually was for the better. I had the sneaking suspicion that he wasn’t catching the back half of his corrections. He would put in a turn or a power input to fix a problem but wasn’t rolling back or reducing power to stop the fix before it became a problem the other way. Anyway the only thing I told him to do was to start talking out loud. There is nothing novel about this, but it always seems to close the mental loop and help students tell if they are staying up with the machine and specifically correcting their corrections. His next ILS got worse because even though he was seeing and correcting more fully, that in itself increased the workload. But with subsequent laps and with my ever present nagging to keep talking he improved not just in keeping up but in checking his work. This doesn’t mean he has glideslopes fully figured out now, but it was a step in the right direction. What struck me afterward was this. The student was not failing to act. He was failing to monitor the consequences of the action. That is a huge part of flying. A lot of students think flying is primarily about making inputs. Experienced pilots eventually realize flying is equally about noticing when the input has accomplished its purpose and removing it before it becomes the next problem. Correcting left on the localizer is only half the task. The other half is recognizing when the correction has worked and taking it back out before you drift through the other side. The same thing happens with pitch, power, trim, and almost every other control input we make. The broader point is this. Almost every action in flying has some sort of check tied to it. Closing the door. Is it secure? Start complete. Starter disengaged? Flaps selected up. Flaps actually up? Fuel tank changed. Did the engine continue running smoothly afterward? Everywhere in aviation there are action and verification pairs. We generally do a good job of teaching specific checks, but are we specifically teaching students the underlying principle behind them? Are we teaching that competent pilots are constantly seeking out, identifying, and performing checks on the consequences of their own actions? That is something I think students need to hear from day one.

Have you ever wondered "what's all the buzz about FLUORO-SORB"? This article is a great way to get "in the know"! Let us know how we can help with PFAS issues!

Looking for Immediate Joiners Only with 1-2 Years of Experience into I-9 please share your updated profile to shubha.dj@sagility.com

Thanks to SEMAFOR for asking me to share my thoughts on the trends I’m seeing in the minerals industry at last week's Semafor World Economy conference in Washington, DC. As we continue to see new markets emerging around applications like PFAS remediation, waste reduction, and sustainable aviation fuel, MTI’s global mineral reserves and technological expertise are enabling us to deliver the solutions customers need.

Two weeks ago, I joined Syensqo as Chief Strategy & Transformation Officer, excited to help shape what comes ahead. These first days have been extremely energizing. I have already experienced a very warm welcome and a genuine sense of community across the company. Getting to know colleagues and teams has been both easy and inspiring. What already resonates with me is the culture. @Syensqo brings together a strong legacy of expertise with fresh perspectives, and this gives me great confidence in what lies ahead. I have already had many opportunities to exchange with colleagues across Syensqo. A few themes consistently stand out: the importance of moving at speed with a clear focus on execution, the need to speak openly and address alignment gaps, and a shared commitment to holding ourselves and one another accountable for our actions and results. I am optimistic about what we can achieve together and look forward to turning this ambition into impact. #Syensqo #AdvancingHumanity #WeAreExplorers