“Culture is what you practice, promote, and permit.”
This great quote from Tim Kight – a speaker, writer, coach, and CEO who left a legacy of leadership development and culture training – is both factual and inspirational. Quality is one of our core values at GES and ensuring that quality is ingrained into our culture is a key goal of our Quality Program. The three Ps in this quote provide insight into a path to achieve this goal.
For something to be part of your culture, you must do all three – practice it, promote it, and permit it. Let’s look at each of these three Ps in the context of quality.
How do you practice quality?
Adhering to company and industry standards and using proven methods are good habits for demonstrating a quality culture. You can elevate your practice by being intentional and focused.
One of the most important ways to practice quality is by seeking feedback and applying it to improve your quality skills. This demonstrates not only a culture of quality but also one of continuous improvement.
When can you promote quality?
Encouraging people to make time for quality, do things the right way, and avoid shortcutting are fundamental ways to promote quality. Following through with your own actions is imperative. Verbally advocating for quality and following through with your own actions is a powerful combination for fostering a culture of quality and professionalism.
What does it mean to permit quality?
Allowing people to be trained and mentored to perform their jobs competently is one of the core permissions you can provide. Empowering them to take the time for quality to deliver high-quality work is another critical permission. By maintaining a high bar for the quality you permit to be conducted and delivered, you can drive a culture of quality and technical excellence.
These three Ps work together to develop, foster, and maintain a culture of quality. Removing any of these three – practice, promote, or permit – will undermine the desired culture. Be thoughtful and purposeful with your commitment to your culture.
Practice it. Promote it. Permit it.