The unending pursuit of quality, of perfection, is the single most important action any individual or organization can take to resolve problems and achieve goals. – Subir Chowdhury , in his new book THE POWER OF LEO.

How much you put emphasis on quality in whatever you do? On a scale of 1 to 10 what’s your current score on quality?

I’m sure your answer would not be anything less than 9.

Now honestly, how is it being implemented in the work you do today? Not an easy answer if we really have to answer that in true honesty. The point is not to revel under the false elation that I deliver a perfect 10 on quality. That’s more of  false bragging than a reality – the point is to efficiently continue on the pursuit to offer best quality of work in whatever you do, you might not be perfect but tending toward perfection always gets you there. That’s where this book offers an awesome inspiration, and not just about quality –“it offers a template for intelligent, organized and data-based decision making in any circumstances”.

The book,  THE POWER OF LEO: The Revolutionary Process for Achieving Extraordinary Results, aims to achieve these goals:

  • Offering a powerful new management approach that can help you achieve quality at all levels of an organization.
  • Informing readers that when you implement LEO, you work toward making your product better and more cost-efficient.
  • How careful, intelligent listening is a crucial step on the road to organizational success. Listen hard and listen well to your customers.

And it does very well in getting these essential points across with successful case studies examples making it more evident that LEO can be easily embraced by everyone within an organization. The results are what everyone aspires for – improvement in your operations, products and bottom line.

With the basic aim of making your operations more optimized for superior results, The Power of LEO is a must read book for all who seek excellence, quality and success in our professions. AND WHO DOESN’T? Chowdhury reveals a groundbreaking concept that enables companies to achieve quality at all levels. It is not conceptual but a proven technique that Subir has seen being applied at organizations of every size and variety and you’ll see how easy the ideas can be to implement at your company right now.

As Subir Chowdhury says:

No company’s operations ever achieve perfection. Total quality is always going to be a goal rather than a reality. And the extra effort toward greater quality at reduced cost will benefit everyone, customers and employees alike.

What is LEO?

LEO’s game-changing approach is comprised of three basic elements:

Listen:  Observe and Understand

To obtain a deep understanding of the issue at hand, assumptions must be put aside and interaction with all relevant parties – including customers, suppliers, and employees – is critical.  “You must get up close and personal and go to the target,” explains Chowdhury. That could be the factory floor, a call center, or a customer’s home.  And listening is not only about asking questions, but about observing – whether that means watching a worker perform a task or a customer use a product.

 Enrich:  Explore and Discover

Once the real nature of the problem is uncovered, the next phase is about searching for the best solution.  Chowdhury advocates a special type of brainstorming session that encourages people to relax and try to come up with numerous ideas, no matter how far-fetched they may seem.  An informal environment where every idea receives a full and respectful hearing is key.  “To get the most out of the Enrich process, you need to embrace change and the idea that what you have now, and what you have done up to this point, simply isn’t good enough,” the author writes.


Optimize:  Improve and Perfect

During this phase, participants review the solutions that have already been proposed.  They look for flaws and find ways to improve the solutions, making them even more effective.  This is a step that some organizations think they can skip.  But it is essential, because good-enough no longer works, contends Chowdhury.  Everyone needs to strive for the highest quality possible.  “If you want to turn out the kind of products or services that will truly delight your customers and attract new ones, you need to keep raising the bar on quality,” he writes.  Once the Opitmize stage is complete, and only then, can the solutions be implemented.

In THE POWER OF LEO, Chowdhury uses detailed case histories of many different types of companies – from an automobile manufacturer, to a hospital, to a candy factory  – to show how the LEO approach has been used in real business situations.


It is one of those books that you would like to reach for every now and then; whenever you need help figuring out how to incorporate better quality and service in your business. And what will amaze you is that each time you’ll get some new inspiration on how to achieve these essential goals that lead a company to success and sustenance.

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
SUBIR CHOWDHURY is Chairman and CEO of ASI Consulting Group, LLC, a world leader on LEO and Quality leadership implementation, consulting, and training.  Hailed by The New York Times as a “leading quality expert” and by BusinessWeek as “The Quality Prophet,” Chowdhury is the author of thirteen books, including the international bestsellers The Power of Six Sigma and The Ice Cream Maker.  He has received numerous international awards for his leadership in quality management.  Chowdhury lives with his wife and two children in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.