This week continues the discussion of three time-tested truths of business success, and focuses on my favorite of these truths:
 
2. Quality counts.
A top quality staff, a quality product or service, and high quality treatment of customers and employees. No organization will ever be faulted for maintaining an unwavering commitment to quality.
 
This is my favorite of the three time-tested truths because I’ve always believed that anything worth doing is worth doing right. No person, no company, no product is perfect. There will always be some shortcomings. However, those shortcomings will often be forgiven when there is a high level of quality in some other component of the person, company, or product.
 
A perfect example of this can be found in the Maine-based company L.L.Bean, Inc.  The company’s guiding principle is to keep customers satisfied, even boasting “100% Satisfaction Guaranteed”.
 
A couple of years ago, I purchased a pair of Bean Boots for my daughter for Christmas.  I placed my order in late November with an expected delivery of mid-December.
 
A few days after the expected delivery, I received a small package from the company notifying me of a delay in availability of the boots.  The note of apology came with a beautifully-made keychain (a miniature replica of the Bean Boot).  The delivery date was adjusted to early January.
 
Two weeks later: I received another note of apology (along with a $10 L.L.Bean gift card) for yet another delay in delivery.  This time, the company was unable to project a delivery date.
 
I think it’s safe to say that my experience was not unique and I bet there are a large number of customers who did not receive their intended holiday gifts on time.
 
I’m sure you’d agree that this is the type of snafu that could cost any company a huge loss in customer base.  However, I doubt it had much impact on L.L.Bean.  Customers will continue to shop from L.L.Bean despite it failure to deliver on time.  Why?  Because L.L.Bean offers exceptional quality products and superior customer service.  Sure, they failed to deliver to their customers on time, but they wouldn’t compromise on the quality of their product simply to get it out the door faster.
 
As I said: “No organization will ever be faulted for maintaining an unwavering commitment to quality.”

Last month, I wrote about three time-tested truths upon which I believe almost every successful business person has built an operational foundation.  Today, I’ll discuss the first of these truths:
 
1. People, not technology, make an organization successful.
The best companies hire the best people. Even the most innovative piece of technology can not replace what hiring the best people can do for an organization.
 
To say that technology has come a long way over the past half-century is an understatement!  From predictive analytics and cancer detection to wearable and implantable devices, the way technology impacts our health and wellness today was unimaginable 50 years ago.  Yet, none of these advances would ever have been possible were it not for the people in the companies producing these items.
 
Successful companies know that it takes the best people to conceptualize new ideas, develop useful products, incite consumers to purchase, deliver quality results, and provide the best possible service to customers.  No piece of technology—however cool—can replace what hiring top performers can do for an organization!