Book Endorsements
"I wish The Daily Pursuit of Excellence had been available and part of the required reading list when I was in business school. It doesn’t matter if you are just starting your career or if you are a CEO, Sam Smolik’s book is a must read. It clearly illustrates how to achieve Operational Excellence, which should be the ultimate goal of any business or organization.”
*****Rogers Hoyt, Jr., Chairman of the Board, Ducks Unlimited, Inc.
"The Power of Goal ZERO, Sam's first book, inspired me with great safety ideas. I used it as one of the textbooks in my Construction Safety courses to introduce safety culture. The book delivers safety ideas from real cases enabling me to explain safety concepts from different perspectives."
*****Dr. Chien-Ho Ko, Director of the Craig and Diane Martin National Center for Construction Safety; Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering; University of Kansas
"In his humble, unique way, Sam has turned a lifetime of learning into a must-read book on the essence of common sense in leadership. He has taken a subject many take for granted and provided a clear roadmap for current and future leaders to achieve Operational Excellence. His passion for leading people leaps off the page and is a powerful, contagious lesson. Thanks Sam, for reminding us that Goal ZERO is achievable through motivating people to perform at their best."
*****Chet Thompson, President & CEO, American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM)
“Built on his experience as a successful senior operations executive and influential board member, Sam Smolik’s practical advice on leadership and driving outstanding business performance is an invaluable guide for executives of all levels and industries. This book is a must read for anyone seeking to take his/her organization to the next level of performance and competitive differentiation!”
*****Robert W. Bryant, Former Chief Executive Officer, Axalta Coating Systems
“The Daily Pursuit of Excellence is a must-read for any CEO seeking a shift change in his/her company performance. It guides readers step by step through the delicate journey to Excellence. It reads like a novel and speaks to safety practitioners in very clear and straightforward terms. This Opus demonstrates Smolik’s lifetime commitment to the industry and unveils an inspiring legacy to the young generation of Leaders for Excellence. Hats off, Sam. Job well done!"
*****William Garcia, Executive Director, Cefic, The European Chemicals Industry Council
“Sam Smolik’s decades of experience in high hazard industries and his passion for safety led him to write this book about Goal ZERO. Safety is about culture, people, and a focus on embedding it as a core value. Sam’s approach is to make this book a must read for anyone who wants a roadmap to safety excellence.”
*****Katie Mehnert, Chief Executive Officer, ALLY Energy
"Sam’s passion for safety really comes through in this book. Safety performance is about leadership, culture, processes, and discipline. This book is a very practical guide for achieving safety excellence."
***** Bob Patel, Chief Executive Officer, Lyondellbasell Industries
“Having the privilege of knowing Sam for over forty years, not only working for him early in our careers but later having him serve on one of my public company boards, I can attest to the power of his Goal Zero design and execution in improving business performance. His book accomplishes what hundreds of other publications have attempted to do, which is to simplify and clearly state how to achieve step change in an organization. Sam’s clear articulation and toolbox for business improvement is not limited to operations but applies to any functional or commercial improvement effort undertaken. This is an excellent read for not only senior leaders in an organization but also for mid and entry level personnel looking for ways to affect change with positive results.”
*****Charlie Shaver, Chairman and CEO, Nouryon Chemicals (Carlyle Private Equity)
"The benefits of powerful storytelling in business are clear. In his book, The Daily Pursuit of Excellence, Sam Smolik offers a clear and comprehensive guide for any business leader who wants to operate a highly successful organization. The Daily Pursuit of Excellence will help you gain an edge on your competition, grow your brand, and most importantly, develop a more loyal, engaged workforce. The Daily Pursuit of Excellence offers valuable lessons for business majors who want to launch, manage, or work in successful companies; therefore, I believe it should be required reading in business schools around the country."
*****Marianne Gooch, President, DynaComm
"Sam Smolik was my very first management new hire at LyondellBasell after I was brought in to help the company recover and emerge from bankruptcy. The stunning turnaround at LyondellBasell post-bankruptcy emergence was first and foremost a plant floor revolution. Our employees led the way with best-in-class operational performance, cost structure and most importantly, industry leading safety results. Those wearing hard hats and coveralls to work were the heroes of the greatest corporate turnaround of all time and Sam and I were among their cheerleaders.”
***** James Gallogly, Former Chief Executive Officer, LyondellBasell
“Sam Smolik is the ideal author of this definitive book on Goal ZERO. He combines senior leadership experience at three global Energy/Chemical companies with a clear, concise writing style. His book is destined to be a best seller on this topic. I highly recommend our clients use Sam’s wisdom in how they lead.”
*****George Pilko, Founder and Chairman, Pilko & Associates
“Sam Smolik is a true industry leader with a lot of proven success. His companies have prospered by achieving Excellence. The Daily Pursuit of Excellence is strong because it is real event driven with truthful outcomes.”
***** Jon Hodges, Founder and CEO, Evergreen North America
“So much of business literature is theoretical and untested. When you invest 50 years of your life into something with the passion and skill of Sam Smolik, amazing things happen. Businesses have been improved and transformed, people have been changed, and most importantly, through his focus on safety, lives have been saved. I am grateful that he took the time to document this for the rest of us, allowing his impact to continue. Very well done!”
***** Kevin Garland, Chief Executive Officer, Mountaire Farms
"Sam Smolik has had a distinguished career and has always been a champion of Operational Excellence. Sam has done an outstanding job of capturing the lessons learned as well as best practices, not only from his own experience, but also from others in the industry. This book offers a comprehensive step-by-step approach to creating an incident and injury free workplace. The principles can also be applied to improve business performance in any area. A must read for today's managers."
*****Jeet Bindra, Retired President, Chevron Global Manufacturing
"The Daily Pursuit of Excellence challenges all organizations to raise operational performance expectations and provides a roadmap/framework to meet these high-performance aspirations—no injuries, no defects, no missed opportunities. It highlights the powerful levers of strong foundational values, clear and consistent communication, and organization-wide involvement/ownership. The book is a “toolbox” of ideas (drawn from Sam’s personal experiences) on how to fully support and bring out the best in team members. Leaders at all levels can benefit from Sam’s experiences and suggestions here."
***** Phil Hawk, former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, TEAM, Inc.
“Having spent a couple decades behind the curtain at the enterprise-level with some of the world’s most advanced Operational Excellence—driven companies (e.g., Chevron, ExxonMobil, LyondellBasell, etc.), I am comfortable concluding that Sam’s book is the most comprehensive on the topic—from the tactics and anecdotes for leaders to the strategies and philosophies behind the best Operational Excellence Management Systems in industry today.”
***** Joe Stough, Founder and Former Chief Executive Officer of Syntex
"To read this book is to know Sam Smolik—honest, open, straightforward, and sincere who cares for and enjoys people. As a close friend for over 60 years, I believe I’m qualified to offer this insight on the man. Sam has always been a leader, but a leader that made others feel like they were. In this book Sam carefully lays out his experiences and path to Operational Excellence using Goal ZERO in a manner, which to repeat his words, “is easy to understand.” His story telling technique is backed by hard guidance and real examples to cover complex topics in a way that the reader can enjoy and perhaps absorb. For many readers, this is an opportunity to benefit from an industry executive that you never had the chance to interview."
*****David Zimmerman, PE and Former Group President, KBR, Inc.
“Informed by an almost 50-year career of leadership experience with some of the world’s most recognized and admired manufacturing companies, Sam has captured the essence of how strong and empathetic leadership can drive sustainable business performance to the highest levels. This book provides a rigorous yet practical approach that has relevance whether you are an emerging EHS&S or manufacturing leader, a veteran functional leader seeking to refine his/her skills or a CEO who is committed to profound change. Sam’s blend of strategic intent with real world examples of successes and failures makes for a compelling and inspiring read. Sam gets it!"
*****Don A. Young, Executive Vice President of EHS & Sustainability, J.M. Huber Corporation
"It was a privilege for me to work with Sam and contribute to the step change in LyondellBasell’s safety performance. He brought leadership and drive to LyondellBasell and changed our safety culture and mindset. Goal ZERO became, and still is, our safety motto. It is part of our daily vocabulary and ZERO will be reached in occupational safety, process safety and environment thanks to what Sam brought to LyondellBasell. His book will help you discover your journey to Goal ZERO. Enjoy!"
*****Jean Gadbois, Senior Vice President Manufacturing Europe, Asia, and International, LyondellBasell
“Sam knows his stuff. Through his leadership at some of the safest companies in the world, he has reduced risk, saved lives, and driven Operational Excellence. This book describes how to apply the highly successful Goal ZERO approach to both safety and Operational Excellence, all wrapped up in a management system. This book is based on sound theory and practical implementation. A must read for leaders committed to world-class performance!”
*****Laurence Pearlman, Senior Vice President, Consulting Solutions, Marsh Advisory
"By collecting decades of experiences in his book, The Daily Pursuit of Excellence, Sam Smolik created the definitive blueprint for manufacturing excellence. It simplifies the complexities of operating discipline into a step-by-step instruction manual that both the newest and most seasoned professionals can immediately use. Sam’s fun stories, simple wisdoms, and insightful perspective will change the way you think, improve your organization’s performance, and is a book that every new engineer should read on Day One of his/her career."
*****Dustin Olson, Chief Manufacturing Officer, Purecycle Technologies
"I witnessed first-hand the power of Goal ZERO when I went to work for Sam. Goal ZERO is about a complete culture shift in the beliefs workers have regarding how to take the best and safest actions to become excellent in everything they do. The change was remarkable; over time an observable culture shift had taken place. As a Safety & Health professional, the Goal ZERO transformation was one of the most exciting and rewarding experiences of my career."
*****Cynthia Childs, CSP/CIH (retired), Former Americas HSE Director, LyondellBasell
"I had the privilege of working with Sam during my global road safety role in Shell International and contributing to the Goal ZERO journey in road safety. Thinking outside the box, challenging the routine, striving to continuously improve, and leading from the front are hallmarks of Sam Smolik. Add to this a unique ability to motivate thousands of staff across all continents and a perfect team player—that is the Sam I knew. In my 40+ years of industrial experience, I always felt that there is vast gap between academic’s style of teaching and industry requirements particularly in logistics and Operational Excellence fields. With writing this valuable book, Sam has bridged this yawning gap. A must read for all managers who want to achieve lasting success in their operations."
*****Ashok Kulkarni, Former Road Safety Manager—Asia, Africa, Middle East & Oceania, Shell International
"Sam Smolik has taken a lifetime of experiences and crafted a toolbox for leaders and aspiring leaders who have the courage to grab the tools, follow the blueprint and transform the effectiveness and efficiency of their organizations. This book will charm you with its style, capture you with its numerous examples and guide you on a pathway to a better tomorrow. Take a well-deserved break, sit down, and enjoy a challenging read. You'll be glad you did."
***** Alex Pollock, Equipping You LLC
"Sam's Goal Zero approach enables teams and organizations to translate their business aspirations into individual and collective actions which very quickly bring tangible improvements. On a personal level, Sam's leadership was second to none and he had the rare ability to take you on a journey with him—you were determined to play your part in making a positive contribution. I highly recommend his Goal ZERO strategy and related actions for making a step-change in any company's organizational effectiveness."
*****Tim Wotton, Head of Communications, Peninsula Petroleum, London
"This book should be required reading for anyone in operations or EH&S roles, as it will accelerate their understanding of both the systems and the behaviors required to drive improvement. Not only does The Daily Pursuit of Excellence clearly describe the mindset required and the justification for setting a goal of zero for undesirable events, but the book also provides a road map to take the necessary steps to get there."
***** Mike McCandless, Managing Director—Operational Excellence/Risk Management, Pilko & Associates
