Every year, I return from the Baldrige Program’s Quest for Excellence Conference energized and full of pride in the success that can be achieved by people working together. And every year, I try to synthesize what I’ve heard into some key themes that reflect the best practices of the United States’ new role-model organizations. This year, I’ll share nine summary impressions, plus a tenth piece of personal advice for good measure.

Nine key themes

1. Senior leaders set the tone. Category 1 of the Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence is “Leadership.” This ordering is intentional. Leaders guide the organization and set the cultural tone that drives success. The attributes and actions that set great leaders apart are exemplified by this year’s Baldrige Award recipient leaders.

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