ISO-9001 is an international quality management certification based on seven foundational principles. Today, in our ongoing series on ISO-9001, we focus on principle #2: Leadership.

The idea that successful businesses require leadership is hardly an insight. Businesses without successful leadership fail. But what defines leadership?

The quote from the International Standards for Organizations states the following: “Leaders at all levels establish unity of purpose and direction and create conditions in which people are engaged in achieving the organization’s quality objectives.” 

Clear purpose and direction for the organization should be the primary focus of leadership. A definite plan for where the organization is headed makes it possible to implement policies to achieve that goal, and begin allocating time and resources towards those goals.

Communication between all levels in the company is a necessity. Employees who don’t understand the ultimate goal will seldom have any personal investment in the success or failure of the organization as a whole. Communication results in a sense of community, which is necessary to get all levels of the company invested in an “above and beyond” approach to success.

While encouragement and inspiration are important to these goals, accountability within the organization is also critical. Holding leaders to the same standards as employees gives the sense of a level playing field. A sense of entitlement at the highest levels of the organization creates a lack of interest and focus at other levels.

At Cypress Technologies, we believe in the top-down approach to leadership: our leaders are invested in the company goals, and passionate about customer satisfaction. The #1 way to make customers happy is to have committed, engaged, and happy employees who work together toward a common goal of excellence within the field. Visit us today, and learn how our leadership values translate to excellence in contract electronics manufacturing.