A true leader is one who designs the cathedral and then shares the vision that inspires others to build it.
Any time a customer comes into contact with any aspect of a business, however remote, is an opportunity to form an impression.
If you’re not serving the customer, your job is to be serving someone who is.
The moral of the story: perceptions are everything. During each moment you are in contact with a customer, you are the organization.
Quality doesn’t mean we have to be 100 percent better in any one thing; it means we strive to be 1 percent better in 100 things.
Do not fear adversity. Remember, a kite rises against the wind rather than with it. People are not willing to take risks when they feel afraid or threatened. But if you manage people by love-that is, if you show them respect and trust-they start to perform up to their real capabilities.
Giving someone the freedom to take responsibility releases resources that would otherwise remain concealed.
You cannot improve one thing by 1000% but you can improve 1000 little things by 1%.
An individual without information can’t take responsibility. An individual with information can’t help but take responsibility.
Problems should be solved on the spot, as soon as they arise. No front-line employee should have to wait for a supervisor’s permission.
If anything goes wrong, the customer doesn’t care whose fault it is. He’s the one who’s going to suffer anyway.
The only thing that counts is a satisfied customer.
I learned that, before you reach an objective, you must be ready with a new one, and you must start to communicate it to the organization. But it is not the goal itself that is important.
Setting a good example is truly the most effective means of communication – and setting a poor one is disastrous!
We have 50,000 moments of truth every day.