The Pursuit of Excellence
Success: Being the Best
Greatness Vs. Excellence
Booker T. Washington
Stradivarius
Self Evaluation
Joe Theismann
Henry Kissinger
Excellence in Plumbing
Standards in Art
Principles for Excellence
What People Do Best
Topic : Excellence
Jimmy Carter
His interviews were legendary. Rickover always wanted to cut through glib, rehearsed answers to get a look at the person underneath. He especially wanted to know how candidates would act under stress. On occasion he had them sit in a chair with the front legs sawed off an inch or two shorter than the back, to keep them off-balance.
In his autobiography Why Not the Best?, President Jimmy Carter tells about his Rickover interview. The admiral asked how he had stood in his class at the Naval Academy. “I swelled my chest with pride and answered, ‘Sir, I stood 59th in a class of 820!’ I sat back to wait for the congratulations. “Instead came the question: ‘Did you do your best?’ I started to say, ‘Yes, sir,’ but I remembered who this was. I gulped and admitted, ‘No, sir, I didn’t always do my best.’ He looked at me for a long time, and then asked one final question, which I have never been able to forget—or to answer. He said, ‘Why not?’”
The Pursuit of Excellence
Edwin Bliss once said, “The pursuit of excellence is gratifying and healthy. The pursuit of perfection is frustrating, neurotic, and a terrible waste of time.”
Success: Being the Best
Brian Harbour picks up on this theme in Rising above the Crowd: “Success means being the best. Excellence means being your best. Success, to many, means being better than everyone else. Excellence means being better tomorrow than you were yesterday. Success means exceeding the achievements of other people. Excellence means matching your practice with your potential.”
Greatness Vs. Excellence
In his fine book, Excellence, John Gardner says, “Some people have greatness thrust upon them. Very few have excellence thrust upon them .They achieve it. They do not achieve it unwittingly by ‘doing what comes naturally’ and they don’t stumble into it in the course of amusing themselves.
All excellence involves discipline and tenacity of purpose.”
Booker T. Washington
Excellence is to do a common thing is an uncommon way.
- Booker T. Washington
Stradivarius
The name Stradivarius is synonymous with fine violins. This is true because Antonius Stradivarius insisted that no instrument constructed in his shop be sold until it was as near perfection as human care and skill could make it.
Stradivarius observed, “God needs violins to send His music into the world, and if any violins are defective God’s music will be spoiled.” His work philosophy was summed up in one sentence: “Other men will make other violins, but no man shall make a better one.”
Self Evaluation
The work of Japanese painter Hokusai spanned many years before his death in 1849 at age 89. But toward the end of his life, the artist dismissed as nothing all the work he had done before age 50. It was only after he reached 70 that he felt he was turning out anything worthy of note.
On his deathbed Hokusai lamented, “If heaven had granted me five more years, I could have become a real painter.”
Joe Theismann
Joe Theismann enjoyed an illustrious 12-year career as quarterback of the Washington Redskins. He led the team to two Super Bowl appearances—winning in 1983 before losing 0’3 the following year.
When a leg injury forced him out of football in 1985, he was entrenched in the record books as Washington’s all-time leading passer. Still, the tail end of Theismann’s career taught him a bitter lesson: I got stagnant. I thought the team revolved around me. I should have known it was time to go when I didn’t care whether a pass hit Art Monk in the 8 or the 1 on his uniform. When we went back to the Super Bowl, my approach had changed. I was griping about the weather, my shoes, practice times, everything.
Today I wear my two rings—the winner’s ring from Super Bowl XVII and the loser’s ring from Super Bowl XVIII. The difference in those two rings lies in applying oneself and not accepting anything but the best.
Henry Kissinger
Henry Kissinger, in his book The Whitehouse Years, tells of a Harvard professor who had given an assignment and now was collecting the papers. He handed them back the next day and at the bottom of one was written, “Is this the best you can do?”
The student thought, “no,” and redid the paper. It was handed in again, and received the same comment. This went on ten times, till finally the student said, “Yes, this is the best I can do.”
The professor replied, “Fine, now I’ll read it.”
Excellence in Plumbing
The society which scorns excellence in plumbing because plumbing is a humble activity and tolerates shoddiness in philosophy because it is an exalted activity will have neither good plumbing nor good philosophy. Neither its pipes nor its theories will hold water.
- John Gardner
Standards in Art
Serious critics sometimes argue that the standards in art are always relative, but all artistic masterpieces give them the lie.
For many years Admiral Hyman Rickover was the head of the U.S. Nuclear Navy. His admirers and his critics held strongly opposing views about the stern and demanding admiral. For many years every officer aboard a nuclear submarine was personally interviewed and approved by Rickover. Those who went through those interviews usually came out shaking in fear, anger, or total intimidation. Among them was ex-President Jimmy Carter who, years ago, applied for service under Rickover. This is his account of a Rickover interview:
I had applied for the nuclear submarine program, and Admiral Rickover was interviewing me for the job. It was the first time I met Admiral Rickover, and we sat in a large room by ourselves for more than two hours, and he let me choose any subjects I wished to discuss. Very carefully, I chose those about which I knew most at the time—current events, seamanship, music, literature, naval tactics, electronics, gunnery—and he began to ask me a series of questions of increasing difficulty.
In each instance, he soon proved that I knew relatively little about the subject I had chosen. He always looked right into my eyes, and he never smiled. I was saturated with cold sweat. Finally he asked a question and I thought I could redeem myself. He said, “How did you stand in your class at the Naval Academy?” Since I had completed my sophomore year at Georgia Tech before entering Annapolis as a plebe, I had done very well, and I swelled my chest with pride and answered, “Sir, I stood fifty-ninth in a class of 820!” I sat back to wait for the congratulations—which never came.
Instead, the question: “Did you do your best?” I started to say, “Yes, sir,” but I remembered who this was and recalled several of the many times at the Academy when I could have learned more about our allies, our enemies, weapons, strategy, and so forth. I was just human. I finally gulped and said, “No, sir, I didn’t always do my best.” He looked at me for a long time, and then turned his chair around to end the interview. He asked one final question, which I have never been able to forget—or to answer.
He said, “Why not?” I sat there for a while, shaken, and then slowly left the room.
Principles for Excellence
In his book In Search of Excellence, Tom Peters outlines eight principles of operation that are practiced by the most excellent, innovative corporations. They are:
- Act quickly.
- Serve the customer.
- Encourage creativity and innovations.
- Know the value of your employees
- Stay close to your business.
- Do what you do best.
- Don’t get fat at the top.
- Adhere to established values while allowing employee independence.
Peters points out that some of these characteristics are so basic that they are like “motherhood” and “apple pie.” They bore to yawns the average business student. On the other hand, says Peters, these qualities are almost conspicuously absent in most large companies.
What People Do Best
The only thing most people do better than anyone else is read their own handwriting. - John Adams
