Region Band Auditions

The Need to Achieve

By Dr. Lee J. Colan
The need to achieve is one of the more visible needs in our society. It fuels performance in the worlds of sports, music, politics, media and certainly business. We all have a need to achieve. At one level or another, everyone wants to succeed at something.

An unfulfilled need leads to frustration, disappointment and a decreased sense of self-worth. These are not feelings you want your students experiencing, and you definitely don't want the reduced productivity that accompanies them.

You can use two simple strategies to help fulfill your students' need for achievement:

Eliminate barriers

Define crystal clear goals

Eliminating barriers to achievement is one of the most powerful ways to engage your group. Students want to achieve results -- for themselves, for the team and for you. In fact, the human need for achievement is so strong that, for the most part, all you need to do as a leader is get out of the way! In other words, make it easy for your students to succeed.

This is not lowering your standards. Making it easy for students to succeed means eliminating barriers so their basic need to achieve can be fulfilled.

Some common barriers to student achievement that leaders can control include: insufficient materials, equipment or tools; lack of authority to accomplish goals; slow or unclear decision-making processes and undefined goals. These barriers choke a student's need for achievement rather than fulfill it.

The second strategy for meeting the achievement need is to define crystal clear goals and then keep students focused on those goals. To illustrate the importance of staying focused, consider two sources of energy: the sun and a laser. The sun is a powerful source of energy. It showers the earth with billions of kilowatts of energy every hour. Yet with minimal protection, say a hat and some sunscreen, you can bask in the sunlight for hours with few negative effects.

On the other hand, a laser uses a weak source of energy and focuses it in a cohesive stream of light, producing intense heat and power. With a laser, you can drill a hole in a diamond or defeat a cancer. That's the power of focus!

It works the same for your students. Clear goals require less energy to yield greater results because your employees' efforts are laser-like. Clear goals make it easier for students to achieve because they can better prioritize their time and energy to focus on things that are important to your team's success.

From: Passionate Performance - © 2004 Lee J. Colan LCM-003-007651 Visit Dr. Lee J. Colan's Website

Why Audition for Region Band?

Almost a diatribe, factual without the preachiness, I hope, for achievers

by Michael A. Hernandez for the Plano Band
In biology, the term is called "Overload Principle." The body will adapt to the stresses placed upon it. The more you do, the more you are capable of doing. Any manner of "training" you put yourself through causes an adaptation to occur. Unaccustomed at first, the body, physiologically/mentally/cognitively changes to handle that situation the next time it occurs.

So the question becomes, should you carry yourself with this mindset all of the time, that of always wanting to highly achieve?

I'm not a glass half empy/half full kind of guy. I'm one who knows that the glass is going to need to be eventually cleaned out. I think achievers are not gamblers, that is, they are ones who prefer to work on a problem rather than leave the outcome to chance. In other words, work hard to set up the highest odds of success.

When the idea of "risk" comes into play, I think people tend to be extreme in their attitude towards it. One extreme would dictate a big risk because the outcome is out of their hands, so rationalization of personal responsibility is negated. Another extreme is to take a small but secure risk therefore minimizing anything going wrong or blame being placed their way should things not go as planned. My preference lies in an aggressive middle ground. Take on a moderate level of risk, choosing to let my efforts, abilities, and experiences influence the outcome.

Rewards vs. Awards

I find myself more motivated by personal achievement rather the awards of success. Not to say that awards should be rejected, but they are not as essential as the accomplishment itself. The beauty is in the winning or solving of a challenge rather than the award or praise received. I think this is because more time is spent on thinking about doing things better. Thinking in achievement terms means things start to happen.

So what about region band? The importance lies in the process of starting at point A and finishing at point C. Whether its region band auditions, solo contests, giving speeches, or interviewing for a job, the backbone of getting things done is the same. Learn to feel a high need to achieve through one of our music experiences and you will find yourself in other settings getting ahead because you get things done.

Hey, what happened to B?

Yes, I mentioned getting from point A to C. What about B? Going from A to C means that achievement is attained, certainly. Because we are in the business of teaching students, "B" is important because it represents the 'human' side of things.

High achieving individuals find their success in the quality of work they produce. They get things done so the fruition of their work grants them status. "B" represents the area of adaptation for the individual to work with others, who at times, may not function to the capacity of the individual. "B" is where we learn people skills, patience, and effectiveness within a group dynamic. This balance is very important in becoming an effective achiever.

Audition for All Region Band in hopes of making the All State Band? Sure, nothing wrong with that, many open doors await you.

Audition for All Region band in hopes of discovering valuable information about oneself and getting a kick out of the adventure? Without question!

How 'bout that for a no lose situation?!