How important is quality control?

How important is quality control? How important is doing your job diligently and doing it well?

Today, I’ll deviate from business talk one would usually expect whenever the subject of quality comes up. Instead, I’ll share with you a true story from Steve Farrar’s book God Built. I love stories like this, so I hope you’ll enjoy this.

Elgin Staples was a 19-year-old sailor who served in the USS Astoria, a New Orleans heavy cruiser in the Second World War. One morning, one of the large guns exploded and threw Staples overboard. He had shrapnel in both legs, and he was in shock. The only thing that kept his head above water was a lifebelt he was wearing at the time. When he hit the water, he was just conscious enough to trigger the button, inflating the device. The belt saved his life.

Four hours later, a passing destroyer plucked the young sailor out of the sea and returned him to his ship. Several hours after that, the captain decided to try to beach his ship, since the damage was much worse than what he originally thought.
The attempt to beach the ship, however, didn’t go according to plan, and, incredibly, Elgin Staples found himself back in the ocean. He had never taken off the lifebelt that had saved his life, and it saved him again. Hours later, he was rescued by another ship, the USS Andrew Jackson.

Lying on a bunk in sick bay, Staples never let go of the inflatable belt that had saved his life – twice. He studied every inch of its surface, noting its sturdy construction. Someone had very carefully put that belt together. Time and time again, in that hospital bed, he would examine that belt and marvel that such a device could save his life twice in the same day. The irony was that, the belt had been made in his own hometown of Akron, Ohio, at the Firestone Tire and Rubber Co.

After his hospitalization, he was given an extended leave to go home and see his family. In his own words, he describes the homecoming:

“When I finally took my 30-day leave, I went home to my family in Ohio. After a quietly emotional welcome, I sat with my mother in our kitchen, telling her about my recent ordeal and hearing what had happened at home since I had gone away. My mother informed me that “to do her part”, she had gotten a wartime job at the Firestone plant. Surprised, I jumped up and, grabbing my life belt from my duffel bag, put it on the table in front of her.

“‘Take a look at that mom,’ I said, ‘It was made right here in Akron, at your plant.’

“She leaned forward and, taking the rubber belt in her hands, she read the label. She had just heard the story and knew that in the darkness of the terrible night, it was this one piece of rubber that had saved my life. When she looked up at me, her mouth and her eyes were open wide with surprise. ‘Son, I’m an inspector at Firestone. This is my inspector number,’ she said, her voice hardly above a whisper.

“We stared at each other, too stunned to speak. Then I stood up, walked around the table and pulled her up from her chair. We held each other in a tight embrace, saying nothing. My mother was not a demonstrative woman, but the significance of this amazing coincidence overcame her usual reserve. We hugged each other for a long, long time, feeling the bond between us. My mother had put her arms halfway around the world to save me.”

End of story.

People may call it a coincidence; I call it God’s Providence.

So, how important is quality control? Maybe it could be as dramatic as saving the life of your own son.

(Leadership skills are life skills. Spend two whole days with Francis Kong discovering the beauty of both on Sept. 12-13 at the EDSA Shangri-La Hotel. For further inquiries, contact Inspire at 09158055910, or call 632-6310912 for details.)