The Weight of Excellence : a Memoir of Leadership, Standards, and the True Cost of Getting It Right

THE WEIGHT OF EXCELLENCEA Marine’s Journey from Kitchen Chaos to Leadership WisdomWhat Happens When INTENSITY Meets EXCELLENCE?Tony May spent THIRTY YEARS learning the brutal truth: the same drive that creates extraordinary results can destroy everything else if you don’t learn to channel it properly. From Marine Corps discipline to restaurant chaos, from failed partnerships to consulting liberation, this memoir reveals what sustainable excellence actually COSTS—and how to achieve it without losing what matters most.THE HOLY TRINITY of Operational ExcellenceSYSTEMS that create predictabilitySTANDARDS that demand excellenceSOLUTIONS that prevent problems instead of just reacting to themMost operations fail because they confuse activity with progress, chaos with challenge, putting out fires with actual management. May’s Three-Tier System shows how to leverage human nature rather than fight it, turning ordinary teams into extraordinary performers.Beyond the Kitchen: Universal Leadership PrinciplesThis isn’t just another restaurant memoir. Every principle was forged in extreme pressure environments and tested across 75+ consulting engagements in multiple industries. The frameworks apply whether you’re managing a kitchen crew or a corporate team, launching a startup or turning around a failing division.Learn How To:Identify “seedlings” who can transform your cultureManage the HELEN KELLERS (can’t see problems) and TOM MURPHYS (see too many problems) on every teamEliminate the “chaos creators” sabotaging your operationBuild NON-NEGOTIABLES that inspire rather than intimidateNavigate the line between confidence and arroganceCreate accountability that develops instead of destroysThe BRUTAL Truth About LeadershipMay doesn’t sanitize the cost of excellence. His intensity built legendary restaurants while destroying his marriage. His pursuit of perfection created transcendent dining experiences while alienating his children. His refusal to accept mediocrity transformed struggling operations while burning through partnerships.”Sorry is just NOISE. We should never be sorry. We should only try to be BETTER.”This memoir reveals how to harness intensity without being consumed by it, how to demand excellence without destroying relationships, how to build something extraordinary without sacrificing everything else.Still WAIT-ing for ExcellenceAfter three decades of pursuing perfection, May acknowledges the ultimate truth: excellence isn’t a destination where everything becomes easier—it’s a STANDARD you maintain regardless of circumstances. The weight never gets lighter; you just get stronger at carrying it sustainably.THE WEIGHT OF EXCELLENCE is essential reading for anyone who refuses to accept “good enough” but wants to learn how to pursue “extraordinary” without destroying what they’re supposedly trying to protect.From Sunday dinner chaos to systems mastery—this is how leaders are actually forged.