Quality Isn't an Option

I did something unusual tonight as I made the bed, having just retrieved the clean sheets from the dryer.

I took my time.

No, that doesnt quite describe it. I took all the time in the world to make the bed just right.

I spread the sheets so they would fit perfectly. I positioned the comforter so its seams were symmetrically aligned.

By hand, I ironed away the ripples and wrinkles.

And I finished the task in the very same mood that I started; not cursing the fact that I had to do this plebian grunt work, but calmly, and with utter peace of mind.

Of course, by tomorrow morning that set of sheets, pillows and bolsters will be askew, and will probably stay that way for the day, or longer. But for now, the entire ensemble is at blissful repose, as I am.

Robert Pirsig, who wrote a national best-seller in ZEN & THE ART OF MOTORCYCLE MAINTENANCE is one of the unheralded fathers of the quality movement that swept America in the 80s and 90s. His contribution wasnt offered up to big corporations and to countries as were those made by quality gurus Peter F. Drucker and W, Edwards Deming.

Pirsig created quality revolutions in one reader at a time, and he still does. I commend his book to one and all.

Pirsig points out that quality is many things. Its technical. When we buy a car or a computer or sound system we expect them to function flawlessly. If they deliver as promised, we say they possess quality.

But quality is also artistic, says Pirsig. The car should be beautiful, well designed, the speakers sleek and pleasing to the eye as well as to the ear. Objects that possess quality should arrest our attention, grip our emotions like an awesome painting, and make us say, Wow!

But theres something else, that is essential to producing a quality product, says the author.

It is the frame of mind of the people who make it. It is the attitude they bring to the task.

If they dont care about what theyre doing, are angry, impatient, or dont meld with the object of their creation, inevitably something will be wrong with the outcome, for everyone.

Not only will the audiophile or car enthusiast be disappointed, the worker himself will be alienated from his job.

Without quality, everyone suffers.

Pirsig shines when he says that quality is the same thing, really, whether were making a bed, comforting a crying child, designing a spacecraft, or composing a letter to a dear friend or distant relative.

As people, we know it, we need it, and we wither without it.

Quality can be many things and take many forms, but there's one thing it isn't.

And that's an option.

Dr. Gary S. Goodman is a top trainer, conference and convention speaker, and sales, service, and negotiation consultant. A frequent expert commentator on radio and TV, he is also the best-selling author of 12 books, more than a thousand articles. and several popular audio and video training programs. His seminars are sponsored internationally and he is a top-rated faculty member at more than 40 universities, including UC Berkeley and UCLA. Gary brings over two decades of sales, management and consulting experience to the table, with some of the best academic credentials in the speaking and training industry. A Ph.D. from the Annenberg School For Communication at USC, an MBA from the Peter F. Drucker School of Management, and a J.D. degree from Loyola Law School, his clients include several Fortune 1000 companies and successful family owned and operated firms.

His web site is: http://www.customersatisfaction.com and he can be seen on CNBC at: http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=417455932# and reached at: gary@customersatisfaction.com