Jack Nehlig and Trevor Robinson come together for a great episode of "Hey Jack..." focused on “Quality & Excellence.” Their discussion reaches anyone leading teams in organizations—particularly those in the crucial middle management positions who shape company culture and drive daily operations. The three most relevant points for this audience are: the shared responsibility of quality across leadership; continuous improvement as a leadership discipline; and the importance of structured methods like DMAIC for making real progress. These concepts are not just theory—they are practical shifts that can redefine performance and results throughout any company.
Quality: A Shared Leadership Discipline
Jack Nehlig addresses a common misconception: “Bringing quality and excellence to life is not the quality manager’s job. It’s the job of the entire leadership team.” Too often, organizations isolate quality as the concern of a single department. This approach misses the fact that quality impacts every function, from accounting to engineering, production to HR. When all leaders make quality part of their daily focus, they strengthen the company’s competitive edge.
Nehlig compares organizations that rely on one person or team for quality to those where everyone takes part. The difference shows up in performance and resilience. By spreading responsibility, leaders encourage ownership and proactive behaviors. Nehlig notes this is “the differentiator topic”—one that separates good organizations from great ones. In industries where competition is fierce, those companies whose leaders invest in quality across the board will usually outpace those who treat it as someone else’s problem.
Excellence as a Mindset and Ongoing Pursuit
Trevor Robinson brings up the idea that excellence is “almost like a mindset that you have to embrace.” Nehlig expands, urging leaders to view excellence not only as a high standard but as a target—a moving goal to approach rather than a fixed destination. He uses the famous Lexus tagline “the relentless pursuit of perfection” to convey the attitude leaders should model and instill in their teams.
This mindset is about more than just maintaining standards. Nehlig observes, “The improvement of the output needs a set of skills, and that’s where quality and excellence come in. It’s a set of skills and tool sets that help you do the quality and the excellence part so that your outputs get better.” Leaders must consistently champion the idea of improvement—celebrating wins, but also identifying gaps and setting even higher marks. The most enduring organizations are those where everyone, regardless of level or department, is motivated not by fear of failure, but by the opportunity to improve.
Company culture plays a significant role. Robinson recalls quarterly meetings where transparency about metrics and goals led to greater alignment and optimism, even during tough periods. When leaders openly share successes, setbacks, and their plans to improve, they build trust and focus the organization on what matters most: getting better together.
Structured Improvement: Employing Proven Methods Like DMAIC
Talk of continuous improvement often remains vague without a clear method. Here, Nehlig introduces DMAIC—a cornerstone of Lean Six Sigma: Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control. He explains, “If you are a leader today in any decent industrial company, manufacturing company that we’re talking about, and you’ve never heard the name DMAIC, you’ve got a lot of work to do in your mind to become a better leader on quality and excellence because it is the fundamental of any team.”
The discussion traces the evolution of major improvement movements, such as ISO certification and Lean. These systems provide leaders with a roadmap for not just documenting what they do, but analyzing it, measuring its impact, and guiding practical improvements. Nehlig and Robinson emphasize that DMAIC is not limited to manufacturing; its principles help managers in any area—sales, accounting, HR—create lasting change. Regularly assessing processes for waste, error, and inefficiency keeps organizations responsive and ensures that improvement becomes a habit, not a one-time event.
These methods also foster a culture in which open dialogue and feedback drive progress. Robinson and Nehlig highlight examples where improvement reviews—such as triannual ISO quality meetings—increased engagement and accountability, turning what once were “sleepers” into meaningful forums for debate and decision-making.
Key Quote From The Episode
“Bringing quality and excellence to life is not the quality manager's job. It's the job of the entire leadership team.” – Jack Nehlig
Key Takeaways
Quality is a responsibility shared by all leaders, not isolated to one department.
- A mindset focused on continuous improvement is essential for personal and organizational growth.
- Applying methods like DMAIC ensures improvement is actionable and repeatable across all business areas.
Wrap Up
For leaders aiming to improve their organization’s outputs—and their own performance—this episode lays out a practical path. Treat quality as a leadership duty shared across teams. Embrace the mindset of ongoing improvement and set new targets regularly. Make structured improvement, through tools like DMAIC, part of the company’s DNA.
Managers can take action now by reevaluating how quality is addressed in their teams, investing time in understanding and teaching DMAIC, and scheduling regular forums to discuss progress and challenges. Open up improvement initiatives to input from all levels, linking each person’s daily work to the organization’s larger pursuit of excellence. The rewards will show in better products, more efficient teams, and a culture built for long-term success.
