Oh no, it’s happened again! Why do I do this to myself time and again? Do I need to seek help, professional assistance of a psychological nature? I must stop doing this; it’s is as if I don’t have control over myself. It’s a habit. No, it’s not that; it’s something different. It’s worse, a disease like a virus or parasite in my brain: I can’t stop thinking about quality in everything I see or do.

Today my wife found me looking at a document, and although I wasn’t aware I was doing it, I was audibly growling—a literal “grrrrh!”—at the words and pictures on the glossy document in my hands. Sometimes I can’t control my inner quality beast, and when it escapes, bystanders have two options: run fast or improve their process.

“So what has got you sounding like an angry squirrel this time?” my wife said. (Note to self: My inner quality beast must be a small animal.) What had come into my possession was a company annual financial report, along with a corporate social responsibility (CSR) report. Because I was a shareholder, this was the company’s yearly gift to me for investing in my future benefit. In effect I’m betting that this company will perform through time.

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