Thanks to all who have responded. (This is a really great forum. I wish I had more time to browse.) I'm encouraged by the responses as I think I can offer alot to the Production area and maybe they can teach me a few things as well. I just don't want to get overwhelmed such that I can't do either job well, so I plan to not try to take on too much at once.
I appreciate the warnings about ethics. I am used to the pressure -- over 10 years with a few different companies I've gotten pushed hard from Sales, Production, my Manager, even company Vice-Presidents and Presidents to compromise my ethics and "ship it". (I could tell you some stories....) I would state my reasons for refusing to do so and give them my standard line that the President is my boss, if he wants to override me and sign it he can. Sometimes the President would do that, sometimes not, but I always managed to maintain my ethics and some of those who "went to war" against me eventually found a little room for respect. The technicians who worked under me also had the same authority to tell VP's that they refused to sign off on bad product and often did so.
One of the things that made me proudest was when our #1 customer, a major international telecom, told me I was the best QM they worked with. It ain't because I'm the smartest guy in the world (by a long shot!) or have the most letters after my name, it was straight talk, applied common sense, and a refusal to try to pull the wool over their eyes.
Again, thanks to all who wrote and who might write in the future.
Mike
I appreciate the warnings about ethics. I am used to the pressure -- over 10 years with a few different companies I've gotten pushed hard from Sales, Production, my Manager, even company Vice-Presidents and Presidents to compromise my ethics and "ship it". (I could tell you some stories....) I would state my reasons for refusing to do so and give them my standard line that the President is my boss, if he wants to override me and sign it he can. Sometimes the President would do that, sometimes not, but I always managed to maintain my ethics and some of those who "went to war" against me eventually found a little room for respect. The technicians who worked under me also had the same authority to tell VP's that they refused to sign off on bad product and often did so.
One of the things that made me proudest was when our #1 customer, a major international telecom, told me I was the best QM they worked with. It ain't because I'm the smartest guy in the world (by a long shot!) or have the most letters after my name, it was straight talk, applied common sense, and a refusal to try to pull the wool over their eyes.
Again, thanks to all who wrote and who might write in the future.
Mike
