UPSIDE DOWN EXCELLENCE Quality that's simple Hey Reader Setting Expectations: Begin with the End in Mind Recently, I’ve had conversations with three executives from three different companies. None of them knew each other, but every one of them began our meeting with the same question: “What does success look like?” Within the first five minutes, they had already defined what success would mean for that conversation. They knew what they needed to do to succeed, and by doing so, they...

UPSIDE DOWN EXCELLENCE Quality that's simple Hey Reader Prioritize and Execute This phrase comes straight from the Navy SEALs. And it’s just as true for quality as it is on the battlefield. As quality professionals, we face 1,000 competing priorities from every direction. The successful ones know how to do two things: prioritize and execute. I’m not going to lie and tell you there’s a magic bullet—because there isn’t. But I’ll share what has worked for me, in real-world quality terms. Hearing...

UPSIDE DOWN EXCELLENCE Quality that's simple Hey Reader My Vision for Quality To instill quality ideals so deeply into organizations that compliance and improvement become effortless. Now, you might say: “Mike, that’s a nice vision statement, but come back to the real world. That’ll never happen!” To which I ask—why not? The hard truth is this: when quality is done right, it disappears. It’s no longer a separate department, a compliance headache, or a checkbox. It becomes one with the...