In Praise of Quality

For many managers, quality management is not the highlight of your profession.

You know that you need to understand quality. And, of course, you need to deliver it.

But that hardly makes it a source of excitement.

Put Quality at Number 1

So, I want to make an argument for putting it at the top of your priority list. And I am not going to use the familiar reasons, that you already know:

• Your client, your boss, or your organization is paying for it
• Your reputation is tied to the quality of your deliverables
• Poor quality means tedious re-work
• Right-first-time saves time and money
• Poor quality can create health and safety threats
• And low quality can compromise security

There's Another Reason to Prioritize Quality

This one is entirely personal. And it's not easy to articulate.

Yet it is something I suspect we have all felt at times. Part of it is a deep pride in doing something really well. That's the part that's easy to explain.

But pride is not quite the point I want to make.

Sometimes, there is a deep pleasure in getting lost in doing something well. It is a sense of complete comitment that is deeply fulfilling. I suppose a part of it is the feeling of 'being in the flow' that you get when you are wholly engrossed.

The sense I am straining to get to is Mindfulness

When we take the time to dedicate our complete focus on something, magic can happen. It's about the way we feel, the sharpness of our senses, and confidence in our work.

I am thinking about how you can get lost in your work so that doing it gives you complete satisfaction. And, when you have finished, your pride in its quality is about the satisfaction that you have done the best you can.

You can Put Quality First in Anything

In this sense, you can put quality first in anything you do. It might be producing a deliverable, holding a conversation, or eating your lunch. Turn every scrap of your attention over to the task at hand. And see what a difference that makes.