Door & Window Market • October 2016 • Fenestration Focus

Most of us have visited the bargain section in large bookstores. The books cover a wide array of topics including world history, religion, military actions, art and sports. The price of these books can be amazingly low, often much less than the price listed on the book jacket.

I search the discount sections seeking books about baseball. I am a true believer in the words of James Earl Jones in the movie Field of Dreams. "The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It's been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt, and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game, is part of our past, Ray. It reminds us of all that once was good, and that could be again." I purchase books like The Goose is Loose, an autobiography by Richard "Goose" Gossage with Russ Pate, and Rickey Henderson Off Base, Confessions of a Thief, an autobiography by Rickey Henderson with John Shea. These books never made the New York Times best-seller list and sometimes can be difficult to read. However, I read them front to back because deep within the pages are incredible stories and insights from the game I love.

I recently completed a biography of one of baseball's greatest legends, Joe DiMaggio. The book covered his entire life, from his boyhood, his baseball career, his military service, marriage to Marilyn Monroe, his passing and the continued controversial sale of his baseball memorabilia.

Strangely, what struck with me the most in this book was a letter near the end from a law firm representing the hero's estate. The letter charged the author with "malicious and intentional attempt to defame." It cautioned him against printing any "unsubstantiated allegations or comments," promising "to pursue all remedies available in connection with any false statements." The letter did not close with "Sincerely," "Best Regards" or "Yours Truly," but rather the words "Govern yourself accordingly."

The phrase appeared to be a threat, definitely not warm and fuzzy words wishing the author the best in the future. The more I thought about them, the more I appreciated their directness. Perhaps these words belonged in the training world, instructing people how to manufacture the highest-quality fenestration products.

We spend a great deal of time training production associates, quality personnel, maintenance technicians and supervisors on the correct procedures. We reinforce our training sessions with industry standards, equipment manufacturers' instructions and internal company quality requirements. We discuss some of the consequences when these guidelines, work instructions and technical documentation are not followed closely. We talk about the impact of remakes, warranty liability, company reputation and how bad products can severely affect the company's future.

Often employees ignore these documents, believing they are only suggestions, only applicable when they feel the need or when someone is watching. Keep in mind that ignoring these polices may be regarded as "malicious and intentional attempt to defame" the company. Perhaps the company should start to "pursue all remedies available" when these instructions are not followed.

Your production work instructions, equipment supplier operating procedures, preventive maintenance programs, internal quality procedures, HR polices and safety regulations are not options. They are requirements needed to safely and correctly build your company's products.

You are solely responsible for assuring that the products you manufacture are as they have been promised to your customer. Therefore, you need to always keep in mind that you must "govern yourself accordingly."