We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Tom Palmatier. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Tom below.
Hi Tom, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?
I am the son of a WWII combat veteran who demonstrated each day the value of hard work. My mother was a truly brilliant woman whose family didn’t even consider college as an option because of her gender. Throughout her long work career, she repeatedly was asked to train male new-hires to be her supervisor! Both of them modeled a great work ethic and they expected me to live up to that.
When I joined the Army in 1977, I immediately saw it as a place where hard work would be rewarded. One of my early First Sergeants continually said, “Early is on time and on time is late.” Throughout my entire career I repeatedly saw that jobs usually went to the people who could be counted on who were not always the most gifted.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I was in the Army for over 37 years and in my final posting was Leader and Commander of The U.S. Army Band “Pershing’s Own” in Washington, D.C. It’s the largest music group in the U.S. Armed Forces and I was also the senior music director in the Armed Forces.
Since then, I have stayed busy with several “side hustles” that allow me to contribute to the arts locally and around the world.
In 2019, my daughter and I opened the Evergreen School of Ballet. I handle the business and she is the Artistic Director. We have grown to have 100 students today! I also work as a Music Conductor all over the world and locally, am the Conductor of the Thornton Community Band. Finally, I’m Editor-in-Chief of SBO+ Magazine (School Band and Orchestra Plus) that goes monthly to nearly 40,000 readers. Whenever I have spare time, I teach music in Jefferson County Schools and help local music groups.
Combined, all of these things, plus being a grandfather of three, keeps me busy. But each one of them is something I love and feel very strongly about!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Early in my career I was advised to stop worrying about the future! The advice was to do the very best job at whatever you were doing, and allow others to take care of your career advancement. I found that to be 100% true. I enlisted in the Army as a Private and retired as one of the senior Colonels. Not once did I “campaign” for a job or looked past my current position to what was next. I just tried to do my best at every job and it’s true. Others took care of me!
I was once advised that if I didn’t understand how budgets and financial management worked, I would never really be in charge. I’d really be working for those who understood how resources flowed. On my own I got certified as a financial comptroller. At every stop in my career (and today!) that knowledge and training has been invaluable.
Never stop learning! I try to get better at whatever I do by reading, learning from others, and having a self-improvement plan at all times. If you don’t actively seek how to do whatever your job is at a higher level, you’ll be moving backwards! Get a mentor and then be a mentor.
Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?
I strongly recommend LOTS of books but there are two near the top of my list. “Leading Change” by John Kotter is a must-read for anyone who wants to improve the culture of any organization. Its eight step approach is time-proven. Don’t skip steps!
The other is “Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies” by Jim Collins and Jerry Porras. They look at 18 companies that have been at the top of their field for decades. All of them had a well thought out set of organizational values to guide them through the years. Even if technological changes eliminated their original purpose or product, their set of core values helped them chart a course for future success.
Contact Info:
- Website: ThomasPalmatier.com
EvergreenBallet.com
SBOMagazine.com - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EvergreenBallet
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/colonel-thomas-palmatier-7b6ba822/
