There are times when a Quality practitioner may be called upon to support team members in ways that go beyond the strict interpretation of the role. These are described in a way that indicates the necessary situation, along with the constructive outcomes from such involvement.

The purpose of this article is to show different examples of how a quality professional can exert influence on colleagues and team members, without having direct authority over those participants. 

What are the characteristics of a quality leader? For many, leadership comes down to each of us identifying and searching for the characteristics that are most appealing to us. For instance, I spent a career with a company that was mostly Juran-centered but also had a significant Deming slant.

In 1984, I joined the wafer quality group at Motorola Semiconductors Sector in Austin, TX. My first quality act was to join the American Society for Quality. 

Fellows to be honored at ASQ’s World Conference on Quality and Improvement in May.