Before a recent boxing match, a trainer had his fighter repeat “I’m the man! I’m a tiger! I’m a beast! I’m invincible!” That motivation was effective until shortly after the bell. About two minutes after the match began, the fighter was KO’d by his opponent who actually knew how to box!

It’s rare that managers, or even most quality auditors, discuss how closely tied the findings of manufacturing audits are to the long-term ability of their companies to compete in this highly competitive market.

I learned a long time ago that quality standards, issues and performance are goals people can rally around, unlike other goals like cost reduction or productivity improvement.

Team is defined in Webster’s New World Dictionary as “joint action by a group of people in which individual interests are subordinated to group unity and efficiency.” When reading this, I am reminded of the comments from a member of one of our early teams about the challenges the team has experienced.