On excellence
“There are some painters who transform the sun into a yellow spot, but there are other painters who with the help of their art and their intelligence, transform a yellow spot into the sun.”
— Picasso
1) Of The Place ‘mise-en-place’
2) Less Is More
3) Vibrant Collaboration
4) No Repeats
5) Consolidation & Speed
6) Confidence & Competence
7) In And Out Service
8) Pursuit of Excellence
9) Details Matter
10) Know Your S**t
11) Focus
12) Service
13) Time
14) Not About You
15) Perfect Means Perfect
16) No Excuses
17) Respect Tradition
18) Push Boundaries
19) Clean As You Go
20) Break Down Boxes
21) Shirts Perfectly Pressed
22) Personal Hygiene
23) Teaspoons
24) No surprises
25) Technique. Technique. Technique.
26) Change Menu Every Day
27) Constantly Evolve Through Passion and Creativity
“Once I went to a new dentist and he said, “That crown is beautiful. Which dentist did it?“ Most people wouldn’t think dentistry is art. But there’s opportunity for je ne sais quoi in every field.”
— Wesk Kao, Turning a yellow spot into the sun
“Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren't used to an environment where excellence is expected.”
— Steve Jobs
“Elevated standards create elevated results. You notice this whenever you work with an outlier. The bar they set for themselves and others is beyond what most people imagine. Standards apply not just to the quality of work you produce but the opportunities you work on. If you accept substandard work from yourself, you'll only get average work from
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“I think one thing that is a really important thing to strive for is being internally driven, being driven to compete with yourself, not with other people. If you compete with other people, you end up in this mimetic trap, and you sort of play this tournament, and if you win, you lose. But if you’re competing with yourself, and all you’re trying to
... See moreAd legend Bill Bernbach letter on creativity, written in 1947:
Dear ________:
Our agency is getting big. That’s something to be happy about. But it’s something to worry about, too, and I don’t mind telling you I’m damned worried. I’m worried that we’re going to fall into the trap of bigness, that we’re going to worship techniques instead of substance
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