Quality begins with the people you manage

by Dan Oswald

The other day, I was driving through a small town and saw a sign on the side of a building that read, “Nobody ever regrets buying quality.” That got me thinking about quality. Did the proprietor of this business have it right? Does no one ever regret paying for a quality product or service?

We all talk about quality—quality people, quality experiences, quality products and services. In my experience, quality is something we recognize when we see or experience it, but it can be hard to describe without being very specific. Here’s how Webster’s defines it: “the standard of something as measured against other things of a similar kind; the degree of excellence of something.”

But I think Peter Drucker really got it right with his definition: “Quality in a product or service is not what the supplier puts in. It is what the customer gets out and is willing to pay for. A product is not quality because it is hard to make and costs a lot of money, as manufacturers typically believe. This is incompetence. Customers pay only for what is of use to them and gives them value. Nothing else constitutes quality.”

It’s always about the customer! You can produce the greatest widget in the world, but if nobody wants it because it doesn’t provide any value, then it’s not a quality product. Makes sense, doesn’t it?

Like everything else, in order for you, the department you manage, or your company to produce a quality product or service, it starts with people. You must decide that quality is important to you. You must hire people who are willing and able to do high-quality work. And you must work for a company that wants to stand out by providing a product or service that is superior to that of its competitors.

William A. Foster said, “Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction and skillful execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives.” Think about his description of what it takes to produce quality:

1. High intention. You have to want to produce something of quality. The desire to be better than everyone else must exist.
2. Sincere effort. You can’t fake your way to quality. If you want extraordinary results, you must do the work.
3. Intelligent direction. Someone must be able to manage and coordinate the effort if you are to achieve superior results, and it must be done smartly.
4. Skillful execution. You can’t just do the work. It must be done skillfully, proficiently, and adeptly.

If you make the right decisions, choosing among the various alternatives available to you, then you will produce quality. You see why it must be intentional!

Quality is all about the people doing the work. If you don’t believe me, put the best tools in the hands of an unskilled worker and see what he produces. The people make the difference, not the tools. If it’s all about the people, then you as a manager must understand a few things about getting the best out of them:

1. Hire right. It’s easier said than done, but hiring people who have a passion for excellence and want to be the best at what they do is the first step in producing quality. If you mess up on the hiring, the rest of the job just got that much tougher.
2. Expect excellence. If you expect the best out of your people and hold them to a high standard, not only will they exceed your expectations, but they also will appreciate you for helping them deliver the best work they possibly can. Refuse to accept anything less.
3. Coach them up. No one—not one of us—does his or her best work every single day. It’s your job to manage, motivate, and inspire your people to give their best—even when they don’t want to. We’re all human with our distractions and moods, but to produce quality, there must be a consistent effort, and you’re the one who must get that out of your people.

Successful people want to produce quality products in which the customer finds value and is willing to purchase. Of course, every one of your competitors is trying to do the same thing. So to stand out—to be the company that provides the product or service that is of the highest quality as perceived by the customer—you must make it a priority each and every day.