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Joseph A. Muzikowski
In Their Own Words:
"Lao Tzu is quoted as saying, 'A leader is best when people barely know he exists and not so good when people obey and acclaim him... But of a good leader who talks little when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say, we did it ourselves.'
As a consultant, I see my role like that of the best leaders. My job is to talk little, listen a lot, to point out to my clients the high-leverage things they should focus on, and to explain why those are important. Then, it's to help them address those issues, but in a way that keeps me in the background and allows them to learn and discover as they progress.
My proudest moments as a consultant then are when my clients 'get it' and internalize the information I've passed on to them, so that it becomes their own and not mine. In the end, I was just a guide, and they 'did it themselves.'"
Joseph A. Muzikowski
Experience
Joe formerly was Vice President, Business Processes and Strategic Supply, for Solvay America, based in Houston, Texas. In this position, Joe was responsible for guiding the company's purchasing and supply chain strategies for Solvay's fifteen North American operating units and coordinating related efforts with Solvay's operations worldwide. He also served as an internal consultant in a broad capacity to these companies, offering expertise in change management; business process improvement; supply chain management; strategy identification, development, and deployment; measurement system design and use, including balanced scorecards; satisfaction/dissatisfaction measurement and analysis systems for customers, suppliers, and employees; knowledge management; and training and application of numerous quality improvement techniques.
Joe is an ISO 9000 lead auditor and a Six Sigma master black belt. He currently works in a consulting role with manufacturing, service, and health care organizations implementing various process improvement approaches.
A mechanical engineer with graduate training at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, Joe is a senior member of ASQ. He has served on the Board of Examiners, Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, as an Examiner (1994 and 1995), Senior Examiner (1996–99), Judge (2000–02), and Alumni Examiner (2003-09). He was Chairperson for the Panel of Judges in 2001 and 2002. In these capacities, he has evaluated a wide variety of business, education, health care, and nonprofit organizations. He also serves on the Board of Governors for Quality Texas and has assessed organizations in Europe using the Criteria of the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) and in Asia using Baldrige-based criteria.