|
If there is one constant in life, it is change. My life has been full of change for the last few months. That's why there hasn't been an editorial in this spot; my world has been too chaotic.
First, my father died unexpectedly after a brief illness in March. The week after my dad died, my wife's mother died, also unexpectedly. There is no way to express the odd mix of profound grief and renewed family unity that these two events wrought. I've never been sadder, but never more sure of my family's love.
After a few painful weeks, life began to return as much to "normal" as it could. Whatever "normal" means. I then had two employees leave unexpectedly, creating quite a void in our already lean staff and an incredible amount of work.
At this point, I felt like the guy on the front cover of this issue: All tied up with no means of escape. I began to feel powerless, incompetent and overwhelmed. Fortunately, I had a small breakthrough. It simply struck me that things really aren't so bad. In fact, that's become my slogan around the office: "It's not so bad!" Whenever a long deadline beckons, whenever important decisions are to be made, whenever I'm working on an article that needs a lot of help, I tell myself, "It's not so bad."
I'm not making light of what I've been through, I am just acknowledging that in the scope of things, my life's pretty good. I have faith in a loving God. I have a beautiful, intelligent and loving wife. I know that my family loves me unconditionally. I'm blessed with good health. And, I get to get up each morning and go to a job that I really enjoy.
I am also blessed with an incredibly talented and hard-working staff. I'd especially like to take this opportunity to thank our technology editor, Dirk Dusharme, and our art director, Ed Jones, for their extra effort on the past two issues. Together, they've helped to make the last two months bearable. They've shown an extraordinary level of dedication, talent and hard work that kept me focused during the last two months. Thanks, guys!
On top of all the changes I've been through, Quality Digest has a few changes I'd like to tell you about. First, we have a few new staff members: Vanessa Franco, our new managing editor; Robert Green, our new assistant editor; and Jedidiah Oliver, our new production manager. They each bring special talents and skills to our staff that will make Quality Digest better than ever.
We have also made a few changes to our editorial lineup. Starting this month, Tom Pyzdek, who used to write our SPC column, begins a new monthly column called "Six Sigma and Beyond." He will explore Six Sigma's different aspects, the technical as well as the nontechnical. He aims to help those pursuing Six Sigma learn how to do it better, and to encourage those who haven't yet begun a Six Sigma initiative to consider doing so. I invite those of you who are involved in Six Sigma activities to e-mail Tom at Tom Pyzdek with your comments about what you'd like to see discussed.
We also introduce a new columnist this month: Gregory Ferguson, who takes over our monthly SPC column. As quality manager of Parker Hannifin's Tucson, Arizona, facility, Greg has extensive SPC knowledge and practical, hands-on manufacturing experience.
As a reminder, check out Quality Digest Online at www.qualitydigest.com. You can now buy hundreds of quality-related software programs, videos and books from our Web site, instantly and easily. Just click on the shopping icon found at the top of any of our Web pages. Plus, for free information from any of our advertisers, click on the LeadNet icon on our home page. It's fast, free and easy! |
