Last time around we took a look at the benefits of implementing an efficient Quality Management System (QMS) in your workplace, and placed a special emphasis on customer focus, i.e. making your customers the focus of your business attentions. This time I’ll be talking about another important principle that makes up a key component of any QMS, and that is the importance of leadership in the workplace.
Before I get to that however, first off here’s a quick reminder about what a QMS is. As I mentioned in one of my previous blogs, I would always recommend having an effective QMS in place in order to help guarantee the best possible services, products, and efficiency of your company. There are a number of different principles associated with an effective QMS, last time we looked at customer focus, this time we’ll be taking a look at leadership and the benefits of having an effective management system in place. ISO9001 is arguably the most popular standard. ISO9001 is implemented in over 1.1 million businesses and organisations and provides the standards and requirements for an effective QMS. Simply put, if your business, products, or services are certified as conforming to the standards set by ISO9001, it will almost certainly be of great benefit to you. Now, onto leadership:
Leadership
In order for your business to succeed you will need to have an effective leadership and management in place to help get the best not only out of your employees, but your business as a whole. I’ve worked in a corporate environment for more than 20 years and have been in business for a couple of years now, and have employed a number of different leaders over the years. I’m not ashamed to say that some of them didn’t quite cut it in the early stages, but with a little help and guidance, I was able to get the best out of each and every one of them. That’s the thing in business, there’s room for continuous improvement and you should never settle for anything less. Leaders lead, that’s their main role as they’re there to get the best out of your employees and improve the overall efficiency of a working environment.
A few qualities that I feel make a good leader include:
- Honesty
- A desire to succeed
- A solid work ethic
- The ability to lead and inspire others
- Somebody that isn’t afraid to get their hands dirty (physically and metaphorically)
- Openness
- The ability to control and diffuse potentially volatile situations
