By Paul Scicchitano

Drafters of the ISO 9001 quality requirements have for the foreseeable future shelved a possible return to the tiered approach that once gave companies a choice of multiple certification standards, depending upon whether or not they were responsible for designing their products and services.

Nigel Croft, who chairs Subcommittee 2 (SC2) of International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Technical Committee 176 (TC 176), which will be responsible for carrying out any future drafting work through a consensus process, tells Sustainable Success Alert that the committee surveyed nearly 12,000 users around the world between late 2010 and February 2011 on the types of changes that they would like to see in the next iteration of the best-selling voluntary standards.

“We’re pretty sure on what the market doesn’t want and they don’t want a return to three standards,” explains Croft. “That option was not supported in the user survey. There was some indication of support for a maturity level model based on a single standard.”

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By Rich Horwath

There comes a time in both our professional and personal lives when we must make a stand. Through all the swirling complexity, change and challenges we face, we must at some point assert ourselves and set our bar of standards.

This means refusing to be engulfed in the comfortable molten lava of mediocrity that flows through many lives and organizations. It means accepting the accountability and responsibility that go hand-in-hand with excellence. And in business, it means working every day to generate strategic insights, using those insights to set direction and then fiercely executing strategy with both mental agility and perseverance.

If you’re not content being with the majority of managers dog paddling around in the tactical end of the pool, then it’s time to commit yourself to becoming a better strategist. This path to becoming a highly strategic manager begins with understanding the seven sins of strategy and the action steps to avoid them.

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We have all heard the saying that "the one constant in life is change." However, change also brings with it uncertainty — and with uncertainty, fear can develop. And, fear can foster an aversion to change. And if entities are not willing to recognize the need for change, or are unwilling to engage in the process of change then the risk of obsolesce increases.

In the natural sciences, Charles Darwin described the need for biological systems to adapt to changing environments to ensure survival. Darwin used the term requisite variety to describe the characteristics of organisms to adapt. This same term is used in the social sciences, and is frequently referred to as social-Darwinism. So, why are we talking about this?

Organizations and professionals alike frequently ignore the need to monitor change and end up losing their competitive edge. For organizations this can mean going out of business, reduced revenues, and reduced customer satisfaction. When professionals are not paying attention to the need for change, it typically impacts their ability to provide value to their organization and/or customers.

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By Susan Meredith

An early incident didn’t help matters. Ian was just starting to feel comfortable when he sailed down a hill, careening on one training wheel while he wobbled the front wheel back and forth trying to regain control.

He didn’t know how to use his brakes and eventually toppled. Ian had pads on and wasn’t physically hurt, but his confidence was shaken. He figured he would leave bikes alone and let other people ride them. He was interested in how the equipment worked, but wasn’t so sure he was ready.

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