The Importance of Accountability: Why Leaders Must Establish a Quality Policy

Following on from last week’s Lead the Standard where we talked about Janette and how she realised the importance of the Quality Policy for establishing the intent, commitment and purpose for a business, I thought it would be timely to follow on with why it is important for leaders of a business to be accountable for establishing the quality policy.

As you will remember from last week’s Lead the Standard Janette is the owner of a commercial cleaning company and while I was working with her, she was amazed by the connection between her vision and the potential of a quality-focused approach. I was able to successfully help Janette appreciate the value of quality and its positive impact on the business. As a result, Janette was inspired to lead the establishment of the quality policy within her company, allowing her to set objectives and strategies that would enable the achievement of her passionate vision.

This revelation that Janette had was just the beginning. She understood the ‘why’ of a quality policy and now it was up to her to lead the way. Janette knew that if she did not share the ‘why’ with her workers then they would have the same negative attitude that she did to start with. If she didn’t lead the way with the intent, commitment and purpose then she knew this would result in nonconformances, customer complaints, lack of clarity and direction for the workforce and the business and missed opportunities. This was not what Janette wanted!

Janette set to work and implemented the following actions:

1. Employee involvement – Janette ran workshops with all employees and work groups in all locations. Employees and contractors were able to provide their input and suggestions to the overarching intent and commitment. There was a lot more that came out of these workshops than just the quality policy inclusions. The strategies to achieve them, quality objectives to set and how they could be managed as well as who would be responsible.
2. Training, education and communication – Janette invested in internal training programs for her workers. These were conducted by external parties (yes – Auditor Training Online!) to help with some external perspective which brought about further ideas and opportunities for improvement.

This of course built a culture of continual improvement and ownership by all workers. I still continue visiting Janette and her business and seeing the passion behind their quality management system. Not only Janette’s passion, but all of her workers as well – including their customers of course!

 “The very essence of leadership is that you have to have a vision. It's got to be a vision you articulate clearly and forcefully on every occasion. You can't blow an uncertain trumpet.”
 – Theodore Hesburgh - President University of Notre Dame (35 years)

Leading a business is like leading a hike through uncharted territory. The guide must have a clear vision of the destination and must communicate this vision to the group in order to navigate the terrain in the right direction. Just as a guide cannot afford to be vague or uncertain when leading a hike, a business leader cannot afford to be indecisive when leading their company towards success. The guide must also be aware of the group's needs and limitations and must make adjustments along the way to ensure that everyone can keep up and stay on track. Similarly, a business leader must be attuned to the needs and limitations of their team and must adjust the company's strategy as necessary in order to achieve their goals.

Creating a Meaningful Purpose

According to author Hubert Joly, former chairman and CEO of Best Buy, Best Buy’s purpose has been central to the way the company has grown and evolved — and continues to. It’s what helped inspire previously discouraged and anxious employees and boosted the company’s share price about tenfold since 2012. The article from Harvard Business Review (HBR) shares the Heart of Business which includes looking for your companies purpose.

Looking for your Company's Purpose

It lies at the intersection of these four circles. 

To land on a meaningful, authentic, credible, and powerful purpose, explore all four circles thoroughly. Here are some factors to consider:

• What the world needs: What specific, important unmet needs exist in the world? How critical is it to address these needs? What difference will it make?
• What people at the company are passionate about: What drives people at the company? What difference are they keen to make in the world? (These apply to senior leadership as well as the overall employee population.)
• What the company is uniquely good at: What are the unique assets that allow it to address certain needs in a way others can’t? How do they need to evolve/be augmented to address the chosen needs in a way others aren’t?
• How the company can create economic value: What business opportunities stem from these considerations? How attractive are the associated potential profit pools? Can the company capture enough of this value?

Your Next Steps

1. As a Leader take ownership for establishing the quality policy.

2. Engage your workforce and involve them in the process.

3. Engage an Expert to support you through this process.

Continue the Conversation with the LTS Podcast

This article is just the beginning. Join us for the extended discussion on the podcast, available on Spotify and YouTube.