ATTITUDE -- INFORMATION - COMMITMENT - INTEGRITY

A Definition of Quality……………by Bill Houghton

We believe QUALITY is defined both internally and externally. Quality defines not only the appearance and usability of the product we sell, but the overall ease of the transaction between us and the client. How well informed they were in comparison to how well they wanted to be informed. How maturely and professionally we handled the implementation and follow through of the order.

The reason we need an internal and external definition is because the clients' response to whether we delivered quality as defined above, or not, always outweighs our response to that same question. Quality, like good service has to be defined by the client, the person that pays you for your products and services. Our internal definition of quality goals, while worthwhile and aggressive in comparison to many of our peers, would never be presumed to allow for all of our current and future clients' needs.

ATTITUDE -- INFORMATION - COMMITMENT - INTEGRITY

SUCCESS

To laugh often and love much;
To win the respect of intelligent persons and the affection of children;
To earn the approbation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate beauty;
To find the best in others;
To give of one's self;
To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition;
To have played and laughed with enthusiasm and sung with exultation;
To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived-this is to have succeeded!

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Courage

It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out
how the strong man stumbled or where the doer of deeds
could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man
who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust
sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and cones
short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms,
great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who
at the best knows in the end the triumph of high
achievements; and who at the worst, if he fails, at least
fails while daring greatly; so that his place shall never be
with those cold and timid souls who know neither defeat
nor victory.

Theodore Roosevelt
April, 1899

The Qualities of
A Leader

"A person in authority is not necessarily
a saint, an artist, a philosopher or a hero,
but he respects truth, appreciates what is
beautiful, knows how to behave himself, and
is courageous in meeting his obligations."

"He will have intellectual curiosity and will be always learning. He is tolerant, liberal and unshockable. If he is not always affable and urban, he at least is never truculent or overbearing. He will be a cultured, broadminded scholar who lives according to the spirit of reasonableness."

That's a definition of a leader. How did you qualify? A leader is a person in authority….such as a parent, or boss of any sort. A Hindu proverb says, "There is nothing noble in feeling superior to some other person. The true nobility is in being superior to your previous self." Those who have shown that they can lead their own lives effectively are best fitted to accept responsibility and authority. The true function of leadership is to bring out the best efforts of others, and people most willingly pay heed to those whom they consider most able to direct.

The best leaders are almost always those who do not seek leadership, but who have demonstrated in their own lives, in their work and attitude, that they should lead. The desire for power was to the Greeks and the early Christian church a reason for not giving it. Plato's rulers were to be given absolute power only upon the condition that they did not want it, and a man appointed to the episcopacy in the church was required to say, "I do not want to be a bishop."

The problem is that social and industrial progress are impossible where there is no one in authority. There must be someone in control of an operation if anything useful or distinguished is to get done.

"Authority" means having the power to judge and act, to issue instructions and enforce obedience. These are qualities that are not found in committees, but in strong personalities. Yet, you want a person who does not deliberately seek power.

The animal kingdom is studded with evidence of creatures in authority, from the pecking order of the birds to the stamping ground of the buffalo. Every mass human activity needs and has an elite group of qualified persons exercising the major share of authority. The excuse for an elite is that it takes the lead and accepts accountability.

For its very existence, human society demands order. No way had been found in modern civilization of producing order without allocating a degree of authority. This is clearly evident in the armed forces, in education, in law enforcement, in business, in government and in sports. An umpire is a person in authority, and many a player has been thrown out of a game because he failed to recognize tha…managers, too.

The leader is the person who acts when the situation requires action. The masses do not accomplish much in history; they follow the lead of people of purpose, able to plan, fit to administer. They make the difference. And we never have enough of the right kind.

Go placidly amid the noise & the haste and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible without surrender, be on good terms with all persons.

Speak your truth quietly & clearly; and listen to others, even the dull & ignorant; they too have their story.

Avoid loud & aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain & bitter; for there will always be greater & lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery,

But let not this blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection.

Neither be cynical about lobe; for in the face of all aridity & disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.

Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.

But do not distress yourself with imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue & loneliness

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe, no less that the trees & the stars; you have a right to be here.

And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore, be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be.

And whatever your labors & aspirations, in the noisy Confusion of life, keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery & broken dreams….

It is still a beautiful world.

Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

Written by Max Ehrmann in 1927, this has always been one of my favorite writings.