By Jackie Stapleton
Warning: A Career Side Effect Nobody Talks About
I should have known I was too far gone in my quality career when I found myself literally leaning over a shoe store counter, completely entrenched in their manual sales recording system in an exercise book. It took my son’s mortified “Mum! What are you doing!” to jolt me back to reality and realize that perhaps not everyone finds process documentation as exciting as I do. (Though seriously, in this digital age, an exercise book? I still wonder if they’d be interested in hearing about some simple electronic solutions… but then it would be harder for me to sticky beak, wouldn’t it?)
This wasn’t an isolated incident. Just ask my family – they’ve witnessed the full evolution of what I like to call the “Quality Mind.” Like the time I asked my son to help organize the kitchen: “Mum,” he said, staring at me like I’d grown a second head, “did you seriously just ask me to put the spices in alphabetical order?” Yes, yes I did. And let me tell you, that drawer is still beautifully alphabetized to this day (even if he does roll his eyes every time he reaches for the cinnamon).
Here’s the thing about choosing a career in quality leadership – it comes with an interesting side effect. You’ll develop an uncanny ability to spot opportunities for improvement everywhere you go. And I mean everywhere. Standing in line at your local coffee shop? Suddenly you’re mentally mapping their process flow. At a friend’s BBQ? You catch yourself thinking “you know, if they just reorganized their BBQ and serving area layout…” (Yes, I’ve been that person, and no, my suggestions weren’t always appreciated!)
But here’s where it gets exciting – when you channel this superpower in the right direction, it’s incredibly powerful. Let me show you how this seemingly obsessive attention to detail and process improvement can transform into a rewarding career path that’s more relevant today than ever before…
Growing Demand for ISO Certifications
You might be thinking, “Sure, having a quality mindset is interesting, but is there really a future in this? Organizations worldwide are still racing to get their ISO certifications. And the numbers tell quite a story. As of the latest ISO Survey results, the total number of ISO 9001 certificates worldwide reached approximately 1,265,216 in 2022. This figure represents a significant presence of ISO 9001, which is the most widely adopted management system standard globally. In addition to this, here are the updated figures for other key ISO standards as of the end of 2022:
- ISO 14001: 529,853 certificates, reflecting a growth trend in environmental management practices.
- ISO 45001: 195,341 certificates, demonstrating a remarkable increase of 405% from the previous year due to the transition from OHSAS 18001.
This data indicates strong growth in ISO certifications overall, particularly in standards related to quality and environmental management, highlighting the increasing importance of these certifications in various sectors globally.
The Quality Leadership Career Matrix
The Quality Leadership Career Matrix illustrates four interconnected dimensions that make quality leadership a dynamic and rewarding career path. This model demonstrates how traditional quality management has evolved beyond compliance and control into a strategic role that shapes organizational success.
At the intersection of unique perspective and digital evolution, while balancing personal growth and business impact, quality leaders are uniquely positioned to drive organizational excellence in today’s rapidly evolving business landscape.
1. Holistic System View (Unique Perspective × Digital Evolution)
- Purpose: Enables quality leaders to see and understand the complete organizational ecosystem
- Meaning: Quality leaders develop an innate ability to spot interconnections between processes, departments, and systems
- Impact: This comprehensive perspective allows them to:
– Identify root causes of issues across departmental boundaries
– Recognize ripple effects of changes throughout the organization
– Design integrated solutions that consider all stakeholders
– Bridge gaps between different operational areas
2. AI Leadership (Digital Evolution × Business Impact)
- Purpose: Positions quality leaders at the forefront of technological transformation
- Meaning: Combines traditional quality principles with emerging technologies and data-driven approaches
- Impact: Enables leaders to:
– Drive predictive quality initiatives using AI and analytics
– Implement real-time monitoring and response systems
– Transform manual processes into digital workflows
- Lead data-driven decision making across the organization
3. Analytical Thinking (Personal Growth × Unique Perspective)
- Purpose: Develops systematic problem-solving capabilities and logical thinking patterns
- Meaning: Creates a foundation for evidence-based improvement and decision-making
- Impact: Allows quality leaders to:
– Break down complex problems into manageable components
– Apply structured thinking to unstructured challenges
– Develop and test solutions methodically
– Transfer analytical skills across different contexts and situations
4. Strategic Decision-Making (Business Impact × Personal Growth)
- Purpose: Elevates quality leadership from tactical to strategic organizational influence
- Meaning: Transforms quality insights into business value and organizational direction
- Impact: Empowers quality leaders to:
– Influence high-level organizational decisions
– Link quality initiatives to business outcomes
– Drive strategic improvement initiatives
– Demonstrate tangible value of quality investments
This model serves as both a career development roadmap and a demonstration of the evolving role of quality leadership in modern organizations. Each quadrant builds upon and reinforces the others, creating a framework for professional growth and organizational impact.
This article first appeared on Auditor Training Online‘s Lead The Standard newsletter and is published here with permission.