Words to Work By
Transcript of Words to Work By
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WHEN YOUR JOBis tomake the world work better,
its not without its challenges. A
little inspiration can go a long
way toward solving problems
effectively, motivating a team
and fostering personal and pro-
fessional growth.
Inspiration is very personal.
For many quality professionals,
quality quotes are more than
just words. They embody the
essence of their motivation. In
recognition of World Quality
Month, QP asked readers to tell
us the words of wisdom thatresonate with them and why.
Here youll find quality quotes
that are old and new; spoken
by recognized gurus or created
by readers from all corners of
the world. Each sayings moti-
vational force and their power
to shape the way we think and
work is evident in each accom-
panying personal story.For some, quality quotes
are profound reminders to do
their best at work and at home.
Others said their favorite quote
reflects what they believe to be
qualitys overarching purpose.
Others find quotes to be a useful
tool for teaching quality prin-
ciples to colleagues.Only a sampling of submis-
sions is highlighted in print.
Go to this articles webpage on
www.qualityprogress.com to
find the entire QP collection.
We hope youll be inspired to
add your voice and visit www.
QPQuote.com to customize a
poster to print or share.
Compiled by Megan Schmidt,
contributing editor
Readers share their favoritequality quotesand reflect on
the wisdom of the words
Fun with Quotes:Visit www.QPQuote.comto create a custom posterfeaturing your favorite qual-ity quote to print and display,share on social media oremail to colleagues.
WordstoWorkBy
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QP www.qualityprogress.com November 2013 QP 19
This quote is significant to me because it is my guiding
principle and personal mantra to fail forward and learn from
my experiences. As a 20-year quality practitioner, I have
learned to truly embrace failed initiatives as windows to
improved efficiencies and to learn from missteps to experi-
ence true and sustained success. Success is not sustained
by accidental happenstance, but rather, as
Foster states, by sincere effort, dedication,
and sticking with the plan.
Ronald Bazil, director of audit and compliance,
Childrens Services Council of Palm Beach
County, Boynton Beach, FL
Employees must maintain high standards to produce quality prod-
ucts and keep customers happy. Happy customers ensure repeat
business and job stability. Involvement is the act of engaging a
participant. It implies some professional, personal or emotional
attachment. Involving employees in the operations of the orga-
nization and allowing them to contribute more than their muscle
is very important. A level of trust and honesty must be evident
so that employees work to help satisfy the customer. Success
depends on trust among employees, middle man-
agement and senior management. There should be
trust that everyone is doing his or her job accord-
ing to what is written.
Ing. Luigi Sille, quality manager,
Red Cross Blood Bank Foundation, Curacao
Everyone always says Ill do my best or I did my bestwithout realizing thats not sufficient. Every sitcom dating
back to The Honeymooners, with bus driver character
Ralph Cramden in the 1950s, is full of characters doing their
best but falling short of their desired outcomewhile creat-
ing entertainment for the rest of us in the meantime. This
quote stresses the importance of acting based on accurate
data and an understanding of underlying
principles and behaviors, rather than acting
based on gut or intuition.
Tony DeMarinis, independent consultant,
Total Quality Management, Warwick, RI
Quality means
doing it right
when no one is
looking.
Henry Ford
Quality is never an accident;it is always the result of highintention, sincere effort, intelli-
gent direction, and skillful ex-ecution; it represents the wisechoice of many alternatives.
Will A. Foster, Gabel-RisdonCreamery Co.
Its not enough todo your best. You
must first knowwhat to do, andthen do your best.
W. Edwards Deming
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cap. Ullamet iustrud dipit nulla alit nonsecte modolenibh eum
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er sim quatet illa facidunt wisi.
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ea feugiat iusto consed tatie dolorper iril utat etueraessis ex
eugiamc onulpute modoloreet lum augueril dit vulputem venit,
sit nulput ut voloborper illa feum vendrer cincipi sisit, conse
erciduis dolorperos nulputpatum dolor iusto odolore rciniat,
se venis ad dunt lum ip ea facidunt ea am, veleniam volortinit
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This quote aligns with my philosophy as a quality manager,
trainer and advisor. When you choose to take on the role of
quality manager, you must believe in what you are doing,
see it as a mission and be very persistent. Being a quality
manager is one of the most frustrating professions on earth.
You work very hard to see the fruits of your labor, but in theend, after you reach your goals, it is very satisfying. Never
believe the person who says there is nothing you can do to
make something better.
Mirit Ziman-Shomer, management and quality consultant, Israel
This quote emphasizes perfection and excellence. I
understand this quote to mean work is worship. The
quote has always reminded me to do my work with full
involvement and dedication in personal and professionalcontexts. It has motivated me to excel and demonstrate
discipline in every activity and task I perform. It has
inspired me to achieve everything, from being punctual in
the office to solving yield and productivity
issues.
Mahantesh Hunagunda, manager of
production and fabrication components,
Bharat Electronics, Bangalore, India
This quote captures why quality is important to me: It
invites effectiveness and efficiency. It invites discipline. It
invites familiarity with our work, and that familiarity likely
leads to fewer problems or faster solutions. It invites im-
provement. It invites constructive discus-
sions rather than blame. It invites manage-
ment to convey intent. It invites workforce
awareness of what is expected.
Wally Robinson, STRS Ohio, Columbus
Remember,yourw
orkmay
beonlytosweepa
railway
crossing,butiti
syourduty
tokeepitsocleanthatno
othercrossinginth
eworld
isascleanasyour
s.
SirMokshagunda
mVishveshwariah
,
Indianengineeran
dBharatRatna
recipient(Indiash
ighestcivilian
achievementhonor
)
All work is a process.
Philip B. Crosby
In the race forquality, there is
no finish line!Eliyahu M. Goldratt, business
management guru. (This quote has
also been attributed to David T.
Kearns, former CEO of Xerox)
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cap. Ullamet iustrud dipit nulla alit nonsecte modolenibh eum
at, quat. Ibh eui ea faccumsan henim atue magna faccum quat.
Odolortio odo dolor alit ipis at, con utatuer ad tat luptatumsan
enissecte molendrem iriure er acil eu feum eummolobor iurem
er sim quatet illa facidunt wisi.
Gait nullam quat. Ut inibh ero ex exerostrud tat nos autet ex
ea feugiat iusto consed tatie dolorper iril utat etueraessis ex
eugiamc onulpute modoloreet lum augueril dit vulputem venit,
sit nulput ut voloborper illa feum vendrer cincipi sisit, conse
erciduis dolorperos nulputpatum dolor iusto odolore rciniat,
se venis ad dunt lum ip ea facidunt ea am, veleniam volortinit
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November 2013 QP 21
In quality, as in everything else, we are regularly presented
with varying statistics and lists of numbers used to convince
us of one thing or another. A recent example is the unemploy-
ment rate in the Canadian province of Quebec. Depending
on the period examined, the government and the opposition
claim that either thousands of jobs were created or lost. Many
times, the presenter has chosen his or her numbers to reflect
the expected trend, and this slant can have
damaging effects on the actual situation being
reported. Ahhh statistics. Truly an art.
Jean-Pierre Amiel, quality project coordinator,
technical services, Montreal Transit Corp., Quebec
Jobs quote on being the yardstick of quality really hits home with
me because I work in healthcare. I believe he used the word yard-
stick to refer to measuring performance outcomes and to bethe organization that others will benchmark against and aspire to
become. More than ever, the healthcare environment has an ex-
pectation of excellence. Those who choose to work in healthcare
must use robust and error-proof processes with meaningful mea-
surements to ensure excellent clinical outcomes.
Nothing is more important than someones life.
Jean Hammelev, executive director of program office
and quality, Sonora Quest Laboratories/Laboratory
Sciences of Arizona, Tempe
I think this quote speaks to the root of what
drives quality: culture, systems, management
and alignment. If those elements work properly
and are aligned, an organization is bound to be
pointed in the direction of top qualityor, at
least in the best position pos-
sible to do so.
Brent Brewington, quality
specialist, Kirby Risk Service
Center, Lafayette, IN
Figuresdont lie,but liars
do figure.Mark Twain
Allorganizations
areperfectlyalignedtogettheresultstheyget.
ArthurW.Jones,sociologist,author,andfinancialjournalist
Beayard
stickof
quality.Somepeople
arentusedto
an
environment
where
excellenceis
expected.
SteveJobs
,co-founder,
chairandCEO
ofApple
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cap. Ullamet iustrud dipit nulla alit nonsecte modolenibh eum
at, quat. Ibh eui ea faccumsan henim atue magna faccum quat.
Odolortio odo dolor alit ipis at, con utatuer ad tat luptatumsan
enissecte molendrem iriure er acil eu feum eummolobor iurem
er sim quatet illa facidunt wisi.
Gait nullam quat. Ut inibh ero ex exerostrud tat nos autet ex
ea feugiat iusto consed tatie dolorper iril utat etueraessis ex
eugiamc onulpute modoloreet lum augueril dit vulputem venit,
sit nulput ut voloborper illa feum vendrer cincipi sisit, conse
erciduis dolorperos nulputpatum dolor iusto odolore rciniat,
se venis ad dunt lum ip ea facidunt ea am, veleniam volortinit
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One needs many tools, and trying to use the same
quality tool for every situation does not work.
Jeanne Yudin, senior quality engineer,
Universal Alloy Corp., Canton, GA
Im always seen as the product stopper or the conveyer
of bad news. However, its important that everyone re-
alizes the value of my contribution and the importance
of it. Without our effort, we would have products ofpoor quality and a dented reputation among consum-
ers. My quote represents that the critic
of the product is essential, and without
him or her, the product never succeeds.
Raghavendran Rangarajan, tech lead at
Ingersoll Rand, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Before I retired as a quality professional, I often helped
with various process improvement activities. I dont
remember the source of this quote, but it was a use-
ful comeback to those who sought to improve process
quality after they themselves had fiddled with various
variables and held everything else constant. I would ask
them what had been held constant, at what levels and
how they knew they remained constant. It was a sneaky
way of introducing experimental design principles. I made
a 40-year career out of doing this and had a lot of fun.
I hope it made real and lasting process
quality improvements.
Jeff Lackey, former member of the ASQ Boardof Directors, retired self-taught woodworker,
St. Simons Island, GA
Criticsarecritical
totheproduct.
Variables are.Constants arent.
Unknown source
I suppose it is tempting,if the only tool you haveis a hammer, to treat
everything as if it werea nail.
Abraham Maslow,
psychologist
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WORLD QUALITY MONTH
This is what I say when people seem content to merely
achieve their targetsusually specific, measurable,
achievable, relevant and timely (SMART) goals. The
bulls-eye is what gives groups and organizations the
advantage to beat their competition. Its the essence
of continuous improvement to focus on zero defects.
This archery theme also fits in well
with the Chinese saying, 100 shots,
100 centers hit.
Kimo Cummings, independent consultant,
Singapore
This Spanish phrase loosely translates to
giving your all in your assigned or volunteer
task with passion, emotion and commitment.
This motivational quote has served me well
throughout my personal and professional
quality career. It is what pushes me to read
one more page of The ASQ Auditing Hand-
book, to solve one more ASQ Certified Quality
Engineer sample exam problem and to rewriteanother ASQ Certified Manager of Quality/Or-
ganizational Excellence practice essay.
The phrase puts me up to the task of
finishing final arrangements for the ISO/AS
surveillance audit, organizing an employee
luncheon, assembling a team for an upcom-
ing project, facilitating my ASQ sections
strategic planning session, helping organize a
conference, and preparing for an ASQ Board
of Directors meeting.
Elas Monreal, ASQ Board of
Directors, quality engineer,
Industrial Tool, Die &
Engineering, Tucson, AZ
I work in an FDA-regulated industry and I am constantly asked
by co-workers, Am I allowed to do this or that? Specifically,
colleagues who may be unfamiliar with regulationsengineers,
designers and developersoften ask me, What is allowed?
This quote I created is my stock response to those inquiries. Yes,
we have procedures in place to meet quality goals, but not every
procedure covers every situation. Sometimes following thoseprocedures letter-for-letter is just not practical.
Most quality folks think in black-and-white terms. Unfortunate-
ly, in this gray world we live in, keeping things running smoothly
and meeting goals often involves stepping out of that black-and-
white. How do you do that? With documentation.
And justification for why youre doing it. I later
added legal because, unfortunately, as learned
from experience, you cannot assume that.
Denise Wrestler, director of quality assurance and
regulatory at AutoMedx Inc., Flower Mound, TX
In archery, youwin by aiming
at the bulls-eye,not by merelyaiming to hitthe target.
Darleganas!
Youcandowhatyouwants
olongasitsdocumentedandjustified.Andlegal.
November 2013 QP 23
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cap. Ullamet iustrud dipit nulla alit nonsecte modolenibh eum
at, quat. Ibh eui ea faccumsan henim atue magna faccum quat.
Odolortio odo dolor alit ipis at, con utatuer ad tat luptatumsan
enissecte molendrem iriure er acil eu feum eummolobor iurem
er sim quatet illa facidunt wisi.
Gait nullam quat. Ut inibh ero ex exerostrud tat nos autet ex
ea feugiat iusto consed tatie dolorper iril utat etueraessis ex
eugiamc onulpute modoloreet lum augueril dit vulputem venit,
sit nulput ut voloborper illa feum vendrer cincipi sisit, conse
erciduis dolorperos nulputpatum dolor iusto odolore rciniat,
se venis ad dunt lum ip ea facidunt ea am, veleniam volortinit
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This quote is my own. This is important because when failure or
defect occurs, quality and reliability engineers often hurry to do
statistical analyses without truly understanding the physics and
root causes behind the failure. Understanding
the physics of failure is a key to correcting it.
Andre Kleyner, global reliability engineering leader,
Delphi, Kokomo, IN
This quote is important to me in my
work as a quality systems consultant. I
often find that organizations place more
interest and priority on the production
end than on quality. They dont see the
cost of poor quality when products are
returned, reworked and replaced, and
when schedules and customer percep-
tion are adversely affected. Simply
pushing product out the door without
ensuring the quality of the product is
often counterproductive.
Bill Goss, president and
senior consultant, QSC
Group LLC, Newburyport,
MA
The QP glossary defines quality as, A subjec-
tive term for which each person or sector has
its own definition. Quality definitions from
other institutions allude to a lack of defects or
adequate performance. I created this defini-
tion to reflect how customers, regardless of
the product or service received, view quality.
I say it is time for the quality community to
stand up and define quality the way consum-
ers perceive the term. Ask any consumer whatthe sales representative means when he or
she refers to a quality product. They know
that it means that its a good one. Though no
numbers are assigned, a value judgment is im-
plicit. The consumer may respond that, for his
or her purposes, he or she doesnt really need
something of that quality and ask to be shown
something of lesser quality. If the marketplace
knows what quality means, why do those
most responsible for the term avoid or deny
that definition?
Edward Lawson, chief
metrologist and quality engineer,
Gleason Metrology Systems
Corp., Dayton, OH
Productionisnotproductionwithoutquality.
Quality is the degree ofexcellence with which aproduct or service fulfills
its intended purpose.
Inreliabilityand
qualityengineering
,
physicsalways
trumpsmathematic
s.
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cap. Ullamet iustrud dipit nulla alit nonsecte modolenibh eum
at, quat. Ibh eui ea faccumsan henim atue magna faccum quat.
Odolortio odo dolor alit ipis at, con utatuer ad tat luptatumsan
enissecte molendrem iriure er acil eu feum eummolobor iurem
er sim quatet illa facidunt wisi.
Gait nullam quat. Ut inibh ero ex exerostrud tat nos autet ex
ea feugiat iusto consed tatie dolorper iril utat etueraessis ex
eugiamc onulpute modoloreet lum augueril dit vulputem venit,
sit nulput ut voloborper illa feum vendrer cincipi sisit, conse
erciduis dolorperos nulputpatum dolor iusto odolore rciniat,
se venis ad dunt lum ip ea facidunt ea am, veleniam volortinit
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WORLD QUALITY MONTHWORLD QUALITY MONTH
The quote is important to me because in life you will be
presented challenges every day that have positive and nega-
tive outcomes. Failure is a part of life and your attitude is key
in whether or not you learn to better prepare yourself for
the future. Every positive and negative experience has parts
that went well from which you can build. There may also be
disappointments, and you can examine what went wrong. A
negative attitude or a belligerently positive attitude can be
blinders when it comes to learning from experiences.
J. Andrew Pratt, international direct distribution advisor,
FedEx, Memphis, TN
Most people take good quality for
granted and dont realize the im-
portance of it until theres a quality
crisis. This behavior seems to beperennial. I always remind people
to make quality a
priority.
Sng Yang Seng, ST
Electronics Group,
Singapore
This quote motivates me to be my best
regardless of the circumstances. I believe
in moving on and working with enthusi-
asmeven during tough times. Whether
in a personal or organizational context,
you must hold responsibilities on your
shoulders and give your best. Never have a
fear of loss. Accept the end result in good
spirits, make conscious efforts to improve,
believe in yourself and put
in your best for a produc-tive outcome.
Prateek Dhariwal,
project engineer, Dubai
I added but it matters to the cat to this common oldphrase. The point is that process, not just results, is also
important to the customer and supplier.
We can either do something the right and
best way, or it may be painful.
Doug Krumm, principal project quality
manager, Rockwell Collins, Cedar Rapids, IA
Success is alearning process,failure is an
attitude.
Thereismoret
hanoneway
toskinacatb
utitmatters
tothecat.
If you have no time
for quality, then whydo you have time for
rework?
Driveoutf
ear,
workwithzest.
Beapioneer,
deliverthebest!
November 2013 QP 25
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