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By Dale Seidlitz
HARMAN Luxury Audio

The success of the HARMAN brands is due to the quality that we embed in everything we do every day. What words or definitions of quality come to mind when you think of the term quality? Most people think of customer satisfaction, and they would be correct. Without a satisfied customer we do not have a returning customer or a customer that tells their friends and family how great our products are! The next most common response to quality is quality products = great products. If we do not engineer and build great products, customers will not keep buying them. They will tell their friends and family not to buy them. And they might not tell us about their negative experience, they will simply move on.

Like a sports team, a Quality Team must understand the goals and direction, and quickly adjust as needed when changes occur. Our team must understand the strengths and weaknesses of all team members and utilize each member for the success of the team. At the same time building the individual weaknesses into strengths and utilizing the strengths for success. Teams that fail to do this will simply fail. Teams that learn to trust each team member are tremendously successful. This is true in sports and in business. It is important to get to know and understand the role of your colleagues and respect them. The HARMAN Luxury team has worked hard to create this level of success within our team and to support our customers at every level.

In my 35 years of inspecting and managing quality, I have been asked numerous times what my definition of quality is. I have quoted definitions from the great gurus of quality, Dr. Deming and Dr. Juran. Now, I have realized that successful people create successful companies. These successful people have one common trait. They have a positive attitude. A never give up and never give in attitude.

As I reflect on the past year and think about HARMAN Quality, I think back to the challenges and the successes we have had along the way. The HARMAN Luxury Audio team are one together, one team with a common purpose and goal. However, we are all unique and creative individuals that bring so much enthusiasm, knowledge and diversity to the team.

Now when I am asked for my definition of quality my response is: Quality is an Attitude. It is the attitude that we put into each and every thing we do. How we start and finish our day and everything in between. This is also my approach to everything I do in my business and personal life. I have always believed that quality is an attitude, and that attitude is what sets us on our path to success each day.