AP Perspectives—The View From Via Del Mirlillo: Most Excellent!

The August 9, 2024 New York Times had an article, “What The Olympics Can Teach Us About Excellence”, by Brad Stulberg. It is well worth reading. The article talks extensively about examples of excellence from the recent Olympics in Paris, but not in the ways you might expect — who won gold medals or other medals in their various sports is not the focus here. Rather, Stulberg talks about personal excellence — the excellence in becoming the best you can be. Here is a key quote explaining what he means:

“Excellence is not perfection or winning at all costs. It is a deeply satisfying process of becoming the best performer — and person — you can be. You pursue goals that challenge you, put forth an honest effort, endure highs, lows and everything in between, and gain respect for yourself and others. This sort of excellence isn’t just for world-class athletes; it is for all of us.”

He cites several examples of Olympic athletes who recognize this through their embracing other competitors after an event, helping them, and cheering them on. Who can forget the picture of Simon Biles and Jordon Chiles smiling and bowing to the gold medal winner Rebeca Andrade of Brazil? Stulberg continues by making a key point about excellence:

“Understanding that excellence lies in the pursuit of a lofty goal as much as in the achievement of that goal allows us to expand our definition of success…The real reward for excellence is not the medal or the promotion, but the person you become and the relationships you forge along the way.”

We often feel that achieving a goal is all that is needed to make us feel content and pleased with ourselves. But then, think about it, there’s that next goal, and the next, and the next — are we ever really satisfied? Does reaching a goal make you an excellent person? 

Fundraisers have many reasons to feel a sense of satisfaction. Closing the big gift, establishing an effective outreach program for new donors, holding the big event that is a major success. We’ve all felt the sense of accomplishment when we reach those points in our work. But how do you feel about yourself? Are you working towards the best person you can be? Yes, there will be some not so successful points in your work and maybe even failures. What do you learn from these, too? How have they affected your relationships with others — your staff, your board, your donors, and your various publics? In my own work over the years, I believe I learned more about myself and who I am from my not-so-successful efforts. 

I was consulting with a Chicago cultural organization and was to present my feasibility study report and recommendations on how to raise $3 million+ for the renovation and new construction of a classic movie theater into a cultural center. The forty-plus board members assembled, and the chair called the meeting to order. He started off by saying, “Gene’s here to go over his report and how we can raise the money we need for our work on the Center. But first I would like to get some recommendations from the board.” I was puzzled about what was a higher priority than my study report and recommendations. I was even more puzzled when he pulled a very large binder out from under the table. He continued, “Now, let’s see what the board thinks about some possible carpet colors for the halls and offices.” He started going through each carpet sample. The board members responded individually with comments like, “Oh, that’s too blue.” “I don’t like the stripes, especially in those colors.” “Is that reddish? I can’t see it from here.” “Too dark, go back to the lighter color.” On and on it went, with little agreement. As we moved towards one hour of discussion, the chair finally realized there were too many opinions and closed the sample book. After some more business items, we finally had a few minutes left to (very) briefly go over my report and recommendations before adjournment. 

At first, I was very angry, but restrained myself from saying anything. Then I started thinking — what could I have done to change the focus from carpet colors to my report? I could have been direct and said to the board chair, “I think we need to first discuss how the money will be raised to pay for the construction, renovations, and the carpets before we start picking colors.” Or I could have been less direct in some way. What would you have done? So, I learned in such cases to try to take more direct approach when things go off the rails rather than just let things happen. It was a lesson I would remember, and apply in my work and life.

Stulberg’s article does not speak very much about the role of competition. As a fundraiser or consultant who really is your competition? You might answer it is the other organizations out there raising money, especially similar causes to yours. As a consultant, is it the other firms competing for business? In both cases, of course the answer is yes. But maybe look at it a little differently. The more immediate competition is you. Everything I did at every organization I worked for, and even when I worked by myself, encouraged me to look at what happened and why and to say to myself, “I can do better the next time, and here are some ways I can improve.” This applied to times I was not as successful as I had hoped, but also when everything seemed to move forward in a very positive way. When there were criticisms of my work, I tried to listen, not get defensive, and create a dialogue with those being critical. For me, excellence was not something I achieved, but always strived towards. I did not reach excellence, but my key word was and is “better” — better the next time, better in all that I am doing, better for those I work with and for. That’s what excellence means to me.

Fair Play
Matt Starking
2023
(excerpt)

“Winning is important, there's no doubt
But not at the expense of others, so don't shout
For it's not just about you, but everyone
So play fair, and let competition be fun.”