As a business executive, you face many difficult daily challenges like creating and dominating new markets or finding and keeping the best people.  But then, like many executives, do you find yourself spending too much time solving everyday problems (that only you can solve, right?), which prevent you from growing your business and becoming a better manager?  You may be making some of these management mistakes:

1. Do you have a compelling vision for your company, that projects a remarkable future, but few of your employees have heard of it or could explain it if asked?

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It probably seems to you like every time you want to talk about compliance, everyone runs away and hides, they ignore you and hope you go away, or they fuss and moan. Compliance is a fact of business life, however. Your company must comply with:

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Officially, the worst global economic recession in several generations ended over a year ago and we are on the way back, according to the U.S. National Bureau of Economic Research. Unofficially, they need to revisit their definition of “recession”, as most of us are still plagued by a tight money supply, a lethargic job market, stagnating production and a general crisis of confidence.

Some of you aren’t buying the “fear, uncertainty, and doubt“ story, though. You’re going about your business logically, methodically, and with a clear sense of direction and purpose. You’re making things happen now and you’ll be in the lead when 2011 rolls around.

For the rest of us, there are many things we could be doing to make great strides forward in the coming year. Among them are implementing or refining the following key procedures:

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In part 1 of this two-part series, we discussed three important reasons why quality management systems (QMS) projects fail. Here are four other reasons:

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Our topic this month is the importance of hearing the voice of the customer.  More importantly, we have been discussing ways of going beyond the activities most commonly used by organizations:  tracking complaints, handing out surveys, and asking customers for lists of specifications or requirements. 

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I heard an expression once that rang really true with me. It said, “If an employee is surprised by anything in their performance review, then you are doing a poor job as a manager.” We should all recognize the importance of good communication, but how good are we at executing and employing basic communication principles as managers? If any of your employees come into a performance review unsure of what is going to happen, then you should know you are not doing as well as you could.

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Last week’s article talked about crafting marketing message from your customers’ perspectives. This week we will discuss how a simple visual story can simplify a message complicated with symbols and shapes.

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Do you know your organization’s vision statement?  Every organization should have one, and it should serve as a guiding principle for its members.  Then, the organization’s mission statement should directly align with the vision statement, and in a more specific way state how the visions is going to be fulfilled. 

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Leadership has been the theme of our recent articles and it was also an important theme at the ASQ St. Louis Spring Quality Conference. On conference day, the keynote address featured leadership, followed by a full-day of Leadership Track breakout sessions. Several of the pre-conference workshops focused on aspects of leadership as well. “Leadership is an important topic for an ASQ conference,” said Steve Mundwiller of Bizmanualz, Section 1304 Conference Chair.

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Our recent articles have explored the topic of innovative leadership and its effect on an organization.  While good leaders who initiate structure and show consideration are typically successful, innovative leaders can take organizations to new heights. 

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