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...
17 days ago • 1 min read
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...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
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...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
UPSIDE DOWN EXCELLENCE Quality that's simple Hey Reader Why Don’t CEOs Talk About Quality Like They Talk About AI? Why don’t CEOs send out bold emails saying that adopting quality practices is an essential business practice, the same way they do with AI? Pause here and check out Spotify’s CEO memo on AI: 👉 https://x.com/tobi/status/1909251946235437514 Seriously, go read it. I’ll wait. Back? Now, have you ever heard someone talk about quality like that? Me neither. Why is that? Here’s the...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
UPSIDE DOWN EXCELLENCE Quality that's simple Hey Reader “I don’t know what answer to give you, Mike. It was human error. He just didn’t do his job, and that’s why the part’s not good.” This was an argument I recently encountered at a heavy manufacturing facility with hard-working individuals. They had shipped a bad part, missed one step, and the customer required a corrective action. So what do you do? It’s one part from a manual process where somebody forgot to attach one component. 14 of...
2 months ago • 4 min read
UPSIDE DOWN EXCELLENCE Quality that's simple Hey Reader Making quality the way your company operates will transform the way you do business. Can I tell you a story of how I did it? One of my first roles in quality was helping my predecessor retire. He was a brilliant, kind man, someone who had carried the company through the early days of ISO, QS, and TS. He’d seen it all and kept the system afloat through sheer determination and personal effort. But the quality system he built? It ran...
2 months ago • 4 min read
UPSIDE DOWN EXCELLENCE Quality that's simple Hey Reader Concept: Quality becomes "cool" when it's simple, effective, and delivers real results, without feeling like extra work. At the ASQ World Conference, someone asked: “Who’s going to make quality cool again?” My answer? Quality is already cool. What do you mean? But let’s be honest—many organizations still see quality as a burden or a cost. Something they have to do, not something they want to do. But as Philip Crosby said: “Quality is...
3 months ago • 1 min read
UPSIDE DOWN EXCELLENCE Quality that's simple Hey Reader Concept: Leadership defines quality culture, and everyone has the power to influence it. Strong quality systems don’t begin with standards or audits—they begin with leadership. Whether you sit in the boardroom or on the shop floor, your influence shapes your organization’s quality culture. Here are 3 points to help you improve your quality influence. Was this email forwarded to you? Subscribe Here Who Owns Quality at the Top? A recent...
5 months ago • 3 min read
UPSIDE DOWN EXCELLENCE Quality that's simple Hey Reader Concept: Adherence to procedures defines today's heroes. Checklists are the vehicle to do this. Details: (2 min read) I recently read a book called The Checklist Manifesto. The premise of the book is right in the title; checklists are more useful than you think. I highly recommend it! Many industries never learn from their mistakes. Their response is to try harder next time or to just cover the issue up. (Can you relate?) Quality has a...
10 months ago • 2 min read
