WORKING TOWARD EXCELLENCE Praise for Working Toward Excellence
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WORKING TOWARD EXCELLENCE Praise for Working Toward Excellence Working Toward Excellence has captured my attention in a big way. It is filled with valuable and practical informa- tion. It will make a major difference in your life. Pat Williams, Orlando Magic senior vice president, author of Leadership Excellence Dr. Buyer’s excellent book weaves together thoughts, sto- ries, and quotes from top performers in music, business, and sports to help you achieve excellence. This is an in- spiring read for any performer who wants to take their game to the next level. Jeff Janssen, author of The Seven Secrets of Successful Coaches and Championship Team Building Paul’s book is a treasure trove of great advice and counsel about working toward excellence. He has done a master- ful job in researching great leaders and their approach to excellence. I believe it is definitely a “must book” and have provided a copy to all of our Head Coaches for their study and evaluation of how to work toward excellence, not only personally, but certainly for their teams and student-athletes. Terry Don Phillips, Director of Athletics, Clemson University In Working Toward Excellence, Paul Buyer takes a fresh Toward Excellence is a must read for anyone interested in look at an age old challenge: how to be the very best you achieving excellence in their field. can be. I was particularly engaged by Paul’s use of unusu- Dr. Michael Sammons, Director of Percussion, al examples of excellence from The Cleveland Orchestra University of South Alabama to Augusta National Golf Club. This is a book that grabs your attention, holds it, and motivates you to take action. Working Toward Excellence is an exceptional new book Joe Calloway, author of Becoming a Category of One about what it takes to stand out and achieve uncommon success in your industry. By breaking down values crit- Paul Buyer, in his inimitable style, has created a really ical to achieving at a high level such as hunger, effort, excellent book on “working toward excellence” . what leadership, time, and others, this book literally shows a perfect title! This book is a valuable read for anyone you how to work toward excellence and achieve it. at any stage in their journey toward success, quality and Craig Duswalt, speaker, author and creator excellence in their lives. of the RockStar System For Success, Gary Cook, Professor Emeritus of Music, University of www.CraigDuswalt.com Arizona; Past-President, Percussive Arts Society Dr. Buyer has provided us with a handbook for the pursuit of excellence—not just in music, but in life. His eight “uncommon values” are valuable touchstones in a remarkable book that should provide an inspiration for anyone who reads it. Dr. Richard E. Goodstein, Dean, College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities, Clemson University Dr. Paul Buyer articulates and defines what is inherently indefinable. The author provides logical and concrete in- sights into the process of becoming excellent. Working WORKING Also by Paul Buyer Marching Bands and Drumlines: TOWARD Secrets of Success from the Best of the Best Meredith Music Publications www.paulbuyer.com EXCELLENCE 8 Values for Achieving Uncommon Success in Work and Life PAUL BUYER NEW YORK CONTENTS Working Toward Excellence 8 Values for Achieving Uncommon Success in Work and Life © 2012 Paul Buyer. All rights reserved. Acknowledgments xi No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any Introduction xv form or by any means, mechanical or electronic, including photocopy- ing and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, 1 Hunger 1 without permission in writing from author or publisher (except by a Effort 10 reviewer, who may quote brief passages and/or show brief video clips 2 in a review). PROFILE IN EXCELLENCE Disclaimer: The Publisher and the Author make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the con- Augusta National Golf Club 23 tents of this work and specifically disclaim all warranties, including without limitation warranties of fitness for a particular purpose. No 3 Process 25 warranty may be created or extended by sales or promotional materi- als. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable 4 Quality 33 for every situation. This work is sold with the understanding that the Publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other pro- PROFILE IN MEDIOCRITY fessional services. If professional assistance is required, the services of Golf Clinic at Sea 47 a competent professional person should be sought. Neither the Pub- lisher nor the Author shall be liable for damages arising herefrom. The Consistency 50 fact that an organization or website is referred to in this work as a cita- 5 tion and/or a potential source of further information does not mean 6 Leadership 59 that the Author or the Publisher endorses the information the orga- nization or website may provide or recommendations it may make. PROFILE IN EXCELLENCE Further, readers should be aware that internet websites listed in this work may have changed or disappeared between when this work was Wynton Marsalis 72 written and when it is read. Time 75 ISBN 9781614481768 paperback 7 ISBN 9781614481775 eBook 8 Perseverance 83 Library of Congress Control Number: Morgan James Publishing Afterword 93 The Entrepreneurial Publisher Working Toward Excellence Evaluation 96 5 Penn Plaza, 23rd Floor, New York City, New York 10001 Bibliography 103 (212) 655-5470 office • (516) 908-4496 fax www.MorganJamesPublishing.com About the Author 108 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS his book is a culmination of a relentless pursuit Tof excellence in my work and life, and my sincere and genuine desire to share these lessons with others. For those who know me well, I hope I have made you proud in this pursuit, for without your love, support, and encouragement, this book would not have been written. First, I want to thank my wife April for inspiring me every day. Her giving heart and uncommon effort for making a difference in the lives of others is truly remark- able. I am a better person because of her and look for- ward to many more years of working toward excellence together. I want to thank my mother Andrea, father Richard, brother Jason, sister Kennedy, grandmother Rose, and stepfather Ken for their constant love and support, as well as my stepmother Kris for allowing me to tell her story of perseverance. I am forever grateful and indebted to my teachers and mentors Gary Cook, Erwin Mueller, and Michael Balter for showing me what I am capable of and instilling in me the eight values discussed in this book. xi xii WORKING TOWARD EXCELLENCE Acknowledgments xiii Thank you to my friend Mike Sammons for our many Finally, I am grateful for two mentors whom I have philosophical conversations about excellence and medi- never met, but whose influence nonetheless ignited ocrity, and to my friends Tony Stapleton and Larry Sloan my passion for excellence and helped guide me toward for their support and encouragement on and off the golf reaching my leadership potential: John Wooden and course. John C. Maxwell. Their wisdom is peppered throughout I would like to thank my students, past and present, these pages, and I hope their words inspire you like they for making me a better teacher and allowing me to help inspire me. them work toward excellence and reach their potential. Paul Buyer They are truly the inspiration for this book. To my colleagues at Clemson University: Rick Good- stein, David Hartmann, Mickey Harder, Linda Li-Bleuel, Mark Spede, Justin Durham, Bruce Whisler, Tim Hurl- burt, Mark Hosler, Dan Rash, Andrew Levin, and Linda Dzuris. Your collective dedication to excellence has suc- cessfully created a culture of collaboration and growth in our department. I would like to recognize and thank my editor Aman- da Rooker of Amanda Rooker Editing and the team at Morgan James for their outstanding work on this book: David Hancock, Founder of Morgan James Publishing; Rick Frishman, Publisher; Cindy Sauer, Director of Ad- ministration; Dave Sauer, Senior Author Liason; Jim Howard, Publishing Director; Bethany Marshall, Market- ing Manager; Lyza Poulin, Author Relations Manager; Jaye Pratt, Interior Design Consultant; Margo Toulouse, Author Relations Manager; and Kim Spano, Author Rela- tions Manager. INTRODUCTION Starting today, let’s banish the philosophy of medi- ocrity. No matter what your occupation or endeavor, excellence is what you and your people create on your turf. It can be done and it is done. There is no excuse for not getting on with it among your people. Tom Peters, business author and consultant his book is about working toward excellence in Tany endeavor. It is about reaching your full po- tential, being the best of which you are capable, and de- veloping a low tolerance for mediocrity. It is about raising your standards and expectations for yourself and those you lead, and about taking your work as far as you can. As SUCCESS Magazine founder and thought leader Ori- son Swett Marden states, “Just make up your mind at the very outset that your work is going to stand for quality... that you are going to stamp a superior quality upon every- thing that goes out of your hands; that whatever you do shall bear the hallmark of excellence.” xv xvi WORKING TOWARD EXCELLENCE Introduction xvii Do those words inspire you? They certainly inspire ment of Performing Arts. Prior to teaching at Clemson, me! I believe working toward excellence is a noble goal in I was a high school band director in Garland, Texas, anything you do. Working toward excellence is a wonder- just outside of Dallas. My musical background includes ful way to live your life and provides a constant source of teaching and playing a variety of percussion instruments motivation and inspiration.