Posted by Dawn Marie Bailey Who are the folks who judge applications for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award? In an ongoing blog series, we have been interviewing members of the 2015 Judges’ Panel of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. In the interviews, they share their insights and perspectives on the award process, on their experiences, and on the Baldrige framework and approach to organizational improvement. Dr. Mike R. Sather, a third-year judge Director Emeritus, Cooperative Studies Program Department of Veterans Affairs, Clinical Research Pharmacy Coordinating Center What experiences led you to the role of Baldrige judge? Past member of Quality New Mexico’s Board of Directors Past member of Quality New Mexico’s Panel of Judges 2003 ISO 9001 Registration (Quality Management System) 2004 Recipient of the VA’s Robert W. Carey Award for Organizational Excellence 2004 Recipient of Quality New Mexico’s ZIA Performance Excellence Award 2009 ISO 15378 Certificate of Conformance (Packaging of Pharmaceuticals) 2009 Highest-Ranking Officer of Clinical Research Pharmacy Coordinating Center, Recipient of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award 2013 ISO 21500 Certificate of Conformance (Project Management) 2013 inquiry by Dr. Harry Hertz as to my willingness to serve on the Baldrige Panel of Judges You have a great deal of experience in the nonprofit sector. How do you see the Baldrige Excellence Framework as valuable to organizations in that sector? The Baldrige framework is a holistic foundation for all quality management systems. Medically, we treat patients in a whole-person fashion (physical, emotional, and spiritual), which is often referred to as a holistic approach to the practice of medicine—it’s seeking optimal health and wellness (i.e., the wellbeing of the person). It is only common sense then that we apply this same principle to managing a nonprofit organization or any organization. Organizations are made up of many different types of people and components with missions and visions, and it is reasonable to believe that taking a holistic approach to managing an organization will enhance its ability to fulfill its mission and move closer to accomplishing its vision. That holistic approach to management is inherent in the Baldrige framework and its Criteria. How do you apply Baldrige principles/concepts to your own work experience/employer? The Baldrige framework is being used in our organization as the primary framework by which all other quality management systems (ISO, OPM3, Lean) are being integrated to create a Total Performance Excellence System (TIPES) or Quality Hierarchy (The True North), while exploiting the core strengths of our organization. As a judge, what are your hopes for the judging process? Or, in other words, as a judge, what would you like to tell applicants and potential applicants about the rigor of the process? Baldrige training for examiners, offered each year, is exceptional. The rotational group approach to teaching these Criteria/principles offers much in the way of interaction, meaningful discussion, and group learning. The Baldrige Criteria are always in a two-year cycle of continuous improvement that ensures their relevancy to the real-world environment. The Independent Review and Consensus Review processes require numerous hours of review and discussion on an application, leading to a feedback report that is specific to your organization. If you as an applicant are fortunate to receive a site visit from the Baldrige Program examiner team assigned to your application, your organization will receive the benefit of many hours of additional review, discussion, and consensus, making the feedback even more meaningful to you as an organization. The judging process adds even more rigor to the reviewing process. A lead judge is assigned to your application and receives comments from each of the other judges on your application. The lead judge makes a presentation of your application during the closed all-judges meeting; an intense discussion of your application then occurs with the examiner team leader (via teleconference to answer specific questions only) to determine whether or not you will be recommended as an award recipient. The entire Baldrige review process (i.e., Independent Review, Consensus Review, Site Visit Review, and judging processes) offers a rigor and robustness that ensures the "deservingness" of each recipient of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. What encouragement/advice would you give examiners who are reviewing award applications now? Your all-encompassing work in evaluating compliance with the Criteria and attention to detail is extremely important to the judging process. Making a rigorous effort to understand the workings of an organization in relation to the Criteria is principal to a meaningful and successful review process for the applicant. See other blogs from the 2015 Judges’ Panel: Dr. Ken Davis, Michael L. Dockery, Laura Huston, Miriam N. Kmetzo, Dr. Sharon L. Muret-Wagstaff, Ken Schiller, Dr. Sunil K. Sinha, Dr. John C. Timmerman, Roger M. Triplett, and Fonda L. Vera. Greg Gibson, a candidate for the 2015 panel, pending appointment, will also be interviewed for this series.

Imagine if every person acted like a lady or gentleman…. Etiquette Tip: Ladies and gentlemen are polite when speaking on the phone. At The Ritz-Carlton, we utilize a system called the Three Steps of Service when we interact with guests in person, via email or over the phone. Step one involves using a warm and sincere greeting. Your phone greeting should reflect the professionalism and competency of your organization. There’s a difference between speaking on your personal mobile phone and a phone conversation in the workplace. Starting a conversation with "Hey" or "What’s going on?" may feel friendly to some, but more likely, it will feel too casual and off-putting to most of your clientele. Phone calls should begin with an appropriate greeting such as "Good morning" or "Hello." This level of polite professionalism should be maintained throughout the call. For example, if employees need to answer another line, they should ask "May I place you on hold?" and then wait for the reply and assent—before picking up the new call. When returning to a caller placed on hold, be sure you thank the caller by name for waiting. When concluding a call, always thank the lady or gentleman on the other end of the line and bid them farewell using his or her name. Using good phone manners may feel more formal. However, combining a warm and friendly tone of voice with polite words creates a welcoming and inviting impression of your organization. ∞ The motto of The Ritz-Carlton is "We are Ladies and Gentlemen serving Ladies and Gentlemen." This motto sets a tone of goodwill and grace for all. The Blog Post Etiquette & Engagement: Polite appeared first on The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center.

Who would have thought a successful leadership career would stem from a high school suspension. But that is what happened for Alex Malley. His school suspension is just one experience in a line of missteps that yielded important learnings that led him on a path to become a successful CEO, television host, educator, and mentor. All of these experiences inspired him to write The Naked CEO, a compilation of the learnings he has accumulated and shared over the years with young people preparing to leave college and enter the business world. Malley’s key message is to never let fear or embarrassment hold people back from pursuing their dreams. Unless individuals are comfortable with their own journeys, they are unlikely to truly help others on theirs. Young people can start their careers and build the "big life" of their dreams through courage, hard work, and paying attention to the following truths: Dare to dream. Individuals who are authentic and true to themselves, know what they want, and apply themselves toward their goals can achieve great things. The past does not determine the future. Individuals are affected by their early life experiences. Those experiences can create fears that sometimes get in the way of achievement. However, with self-awareness and the determination to overcome those fears, success is within each individual’s control. Creating one’s universe is the first step to success. Understanding one’s unique gifts and contributions and visualizing how to use that understanding to effect change is how an individual creates his or her "universe." The process requires self-reflection and having the determination to follow one’s "passion, imagination, and vision." This is the path to personal success. Without authenticity there is nothing. Every individual has unique qualities and unique contributions to make. However, without being true to oneself, those qualities and contributions cannot be brought to fruition. Success is based more on relationships and less on knowledge. Ultimately, it is people, not knowledge, that make the business world go round. More opportunities are created through networking and building authentic relationships than anything else. Wisdom is a collection of experiences. By using trial and error, making mistakes, "sucking it up", and not fearing failure, people can reach their "big lives." To learn more, please visit http://www.bizsum.com

How to turn your dissertation into journal articlesDepending on your institution’s guidelines, you will either finish your PhD by having a number of papers accepted for publication, or by writing a "big book"-style thesis. This post is entirely aimed at those of us who spend months on end delivering a thesis of several hundreds of pages. We might be overly proud of…

ASAE15 and the treats in store for association executives in DetroitThis weekend marks the start of the annual American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) conference, this year taking place in Detroit, MI. With a host of great speakers, talks and case studies from societies and associations across the US, an Opening Ceremony at the Henry Ford Museum and a 5K fun run (won by Wiley’s…

Twentieth Century Fox released a trailer safe for all audiences as well as a red-band one full of bloody violence and profanity.

'We're going to drill Hillary,' the sitcom star said.

"Why CGI Sucks (Except It Doesn't)" contends that computer-generated imagery is better than audiences think it is.

"Ricki and the Flash" opens in theaters nationwide on Aug. 7.

The previously unreleased song comes from a new five-CD set, "Tennessee Ernie Ford: Portrait of an American Voice."