Do It Right the First Time, Every Time

 Today, I noticed a glaring error in the calendars I prepare and send to friends each year.

Yom Kippur is incorrectly listed as September 22 in the 2027 calendar.
Several days ago, I realized that Rosh Hashanah was missing from the 2027 calendar template used by the printing company. That was troubling enough. I spoke with one of my Jewish friends and asked whether she would mind if I added the holiday to her calendar myself.

Today, as I prepared to send her calendar, I discovered another problem: Yom Kippur was included—but on the wrong date. It was listed as September 22.

Now, I’m Catholic, but I know that Yom Kippur follows Rosh Hashanah. I checked the dates and confirmed that in 2027, Rosh Hashanah begins at sundown on October 1, and Yom Kippur begins at sundown on October 10.

I wrote to the printer’s corporate office to report these serious errors. I don’t know how they happened, and I am not suggesting they were intentional. Still, at a time when antisemitism is a serious and growing concern, the omission of one important Jewish holiday and the incorrect dating of another feel particularly troubling.

Accurate recognition of religious observances is a basic matter of respect and inclusion. People should be able to trust that a professionally produced calendar has been carefully checked—especially when it includes holidays that hold deep meaning for millions of people.

Years ago, when I was a corporate trainer at Johnson & Johnson, I taught classes on quality improvement. Our guiding principle was:

Do it right the first time, every time.

I seem to be seeing less and less of that kind of care these days. Mistakes happen, but organizations must have systems in place to catch them before their products reach customers. Quality is not simply about producing something that looks beautiful. It is about paying attention, checking the details and respecting the people who will use it.

In the spirit of quality improvement, I also have to ask what I could have done differently. I caught the missing Rosh Hashanah date before printing, but I did not notice the incorrect Yom Kippur date until the calendars arrived. In the future, verifying every holiday will be part of my final review. Still, customers should be able to trust that the dates built into a professional calendar template have already been verified.

I’m glad I noticed these errors before sending the calendars to my Jewish friends. I have now prepared correction slips to include with every calendar. It may be a small action, but accuracy—and respect—matter.

Comments

  1. AnonymousSeptember 27, 2026 at 10:06 AM

    Thank you Nancy for the work you do and the lovely photos you take for the calendars. It supports wonderful causes. Corporate needs to pay attention to their customers. We all help them stay afloat. ♥️

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousSeptember 28, 2026 at 10:05 AM

    Thank you for your comment- it is my pleasure to create these calendars and provide our local not for profits a bit of extra funding.

    ReplyDelete

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