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88 PCB007 MAGAZINE I NOVEMBER 2019 Further, there are many benefits to making quality initiatives fun. For example, customers notice employees who: • Enjoy their job • Like their company • Embrace the quality policy • Believe in the culture • Talk the talk and walk the walk 1. Choose a Battle Cry First, develop a battle cry. Your battle cry should be a common theme for the quality sys- tem and be memorized along with your qual- ity policy. To develop a battle cry, you could hold an internal contest. Once established, you could print your battle cry on T-shirts (Figure 1), which you could wear during major au- dits/customer visits; you could also give these items out as ISO rewards. Whatever you decide to call your "battle cry" (e.g., your slogan, mantra, or call to action), this technique provides a central theme around which to unite your workforce and "rally the troops" around. The creativity of your battle cry is only limited by your imagination. One I have used very successfully in the past is, "Say what you do, do what you say, and prove it!" The Ford Motor Company's famous battle cry, "Quality is job #1," is recognized around the world and served as a rallying point for employees as the company pulled itself out of some difficult times. This slogan was born out of Ford's implementation of Total Quality Man- agement in the early 1980s, which now associ- ates the name Ford with quality automobiles. These are the types of messages this technique should try to capture. 2. Publicize Your Battle Cry Second, capitalize on the battle cry every- where you can, such as on T-shirts, posters, signage, plaques marketing promotions, busi- ness cards, etc. Make it fun by rewarding em- ployees for being able to recite it by memory on demand. Hold an internal contest to come up with a logo, mascot, or another symbol of the battle cry. Integrating your battle cry into the workforce daily vernacular is a major step in creating a culture of living and breathing the quality system. These activities empower the workforce and facilitate buy-in, which will be the most effective and cheapest advertising you will ever find. 3. Hold Rallies Third, you can fully engage and energize the entire workforce by holding company-wide rallies, much like the pep rallies you remem- ber from your high school years. The manag- ers could become the quality "cheerleaders," and much like the high school functions, could lead audience participation "games" created around the quality system. This is a perfect forum to communicate the status of key mile- stones of the implementation plan, bring in guest speakers, and encourage open dialog on the system. And don't be afraid of employee questions. The willingness to openly address concerns, challenges, and rumors will go a long way in building the trust that a significant change like this will need to be successful. Publically re- ward even the smallest successes of individu- als or teams during these events. Nothing gen- erates perpetual momentum like recognition and acknowledgment that the new thing is a good thing. Figure 1: Battle cry T-shirt example. (Source: Quality 101 Handbook)