Country Music Star Influences Global CEO

A country music superstar influences a global CEO to power through pandemic pressures. The relationship offers lessons for everyone during COVID-19. The following is adapted from a news release published on Feb. 2, 2021. 

“After inviting country music superstar Collin Raye to perform at our company’s annual convention, I was invited by Collin himself to perform with his band on tour,” said Kevin Guest, author, musician, and CEO of USANA Health Sciences. “Collin said he saw my passion for music and wanted me to tour with his band part-time. I was astonished, thrilled, and terrified all at once.”

USANA’s full-time chairman and CEO was reminded of three aspects that can help today’s workers through the global pandemic:

1. Passion
2. Hard work
3. Performing

A Passion for Music

“I had a passion for music from an early age,” Guest said. “My dream as a kid was to become a rock star, to play music for adoring fans, maybe even to be heard on the radio. Creating, composing, and performing music was my passion.

Kevin Guest performs with Collin Raye at the 13th Annual HealthCorps Gala in New York on April 16, 2019.

“I daydreamed for hours, imagining myself on stage in front of tens of thousands of screaming admirers who loved my music. That dream was a driving force in my life, so performing with Collin Raye was a dream come true.”

Guest writes in his bestselling book, All the Right Reasons: 12 Timeless Principles for Living a Life in Harmony, that his parents loved music so much his dad bought a piano before buying a car and rode a bike to work with Guest’s mom on the back of the bike on trips to the store.

The indelible lesson on Guest was “when you really want something, make it happen,” which Guests dubs “The Piano Principle” in his book.

“I really wanted to make this happen, so I worked my heart out to be flawless. It was Collin’s career and product I was presenting on stage,” he said. “I spent hours learning the music and honing my skills. Although I love to play music, that was hard work. And I honestly wondered if I had bitten off more than I could chew.

“So, instead of relaxing after working a full day at USANA, I learned how to play every one of Collin Raye’s songs.”

Get On Stage & Perform

Guest writes, according to psychology professor Angela Duckworth, extraordinary success is a combination of passion, perseverance, and grit, which she says is far more important to achievement than natural talent and is a better predictor of success than virtually any other quality or measurement.

“The next step is to perform. To get on stage and take your best shot. Whether that be to your boss, your team, or to larger audiences,” Guest said. “That act alone makes the preparation real and helps a person improve. Working with Collin Raye has allowed me to play with and meet some of the finest musicians on the planet in some of the most famous settings in the music world.

“I’ve performed with Collin when we shared the stage with Brooks and Dunn, Keith Urban, Diamond Rio, and many others, even playing at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry more than once, something that would’ve never happened had I not taken these steps.”

Pursue Your Own Passion

With the pandemic influencing work and personal lives for months ahead, Guest recommends:

1. Pursuing your passion
2. Working hard to improve your skills
3. Performing in front of others for accountability

“When you combine those three steps, you’ll find your work not only becomes more enjoyable, but you get better at doing the things you’re passionate about,” he said. “In these times, that may be the best way to find harmony and balance in a less-than-normal daily schedule.”

All the Right Reasons: 12 Timeless Principles for Living a Life in Harmony is available on Amazon. All proceeds benefit The USANA Foundation and its mission to feed hungry children. Each book purchase provides 40 meals.