The truck was already loaded and ready to be delivered to an important customer when a quality issue came to light. When the operations leader found out about the problem, he quickly arranged a solution. The entire staff was called to help sort through the truck and remove the defective product. The truck left two hours late, but with all the defective product pulled out. Kathy Lyall was in her first supervisor role and she still remembers how well the operations manager handled the situation. He demonstrated great leadership in recognizing the importance of the quality team, brought all hands on deck, and got everyone involved.
Lyall is now the quality director at RTI Surgical as well as the marketing chair of the ASQ Inspection Division. Rallying people together has always been part of her life, and this skill continued in her professional career.