When I think of quality, I realize that my thinking has gone through three distinct phases. I doubt I am unique. It reflects the process one goes through in being open, learning and understanding, and then believing.
Initially, a Citigroup senior began talking about the subject. He was a champion, passionately believing that this was the missing link to success. My initial response reflected my lack of openness. I was sure that the ideas he was promoting were, at best, a fad. I was skeptical. I did not see how they would work. Even if they worked, would they be sustainable?
My cynical attitude began to shift as I listened to early adopters. They spoke of insights. They talked of changing perspectives. They walked with a strut reflecting renewed confidence. One person was not convincing. A community was a powerful voice.
With a crisis looming, I remembered the testimony and embraced the tools out of necessity. As I used them, I began to understand their purpose. What had been theoretical was now real. The ideas I had been asked to imagine had become tangible stories that I was a part of! My thirst to know more grew each day. My rhetoric expanded to include the aspirations I hope would come from the idea.
With time and results, my views matured. I understood that this was not one off. Quality was way of thinking, being, and doing. It permeated everything. It could be integrated with every aspect of developing, deploying, and executing a service.
In the end two things changed. I had a new way to understand where quality fits. I also had a fresh perspective of hearing Wisdom.
Those that voice Wisdom are Master Storytellers. Their stories extend to all aspect of life. In reflecting what it means to live life at the maximum, Paul’s advice comes through as a Master. “There’s more to sex than mere skin on skin. Sex is as much spiritual mystery as physical fact. As written in Scripture, ‘The two become one.’” (1 Corinthians 6.16)
A master’s voice is a gift.
