Excellence Doesn't Mean Perfection

Several years ago, we were called in to mediate and listen to staff members of a nonprofit that served people living with food insecurities. There had been tensions between the staff members and the leaders and they hoped that a mediated conversation with one another would result in better understanding of the perspectives of everyone involved.

All those present had the opportunity to share their hopes, their affirmations, and their concerns about the organization and the way it was led. 

In response to our question about what everyone thought that each person should strive for in their roles within the organization, one of the leaders answered forcefully,

“Excellence.”

On the surface and at the first hearing of that response, we thought,

“Of course, if everyone is doing excellent work, the organization could thrive and serve well the people who needed their services. That would be a very good thing.”

But as the response sank in a bit and as the conversation that followed also had various answers to the question, it became increasingly apparent that the excellence the leaders were talking about actually meant “perfection”. 

The thing is,expecting perfection can easily lead to disappointment, because not one of us is ever absolutely perfect. Trying to achieve absolute perfection can also lead to undue and extreme stress on everyone trying to meet that standard. Plus, it can quickly lead to judgment and resentment between members of the staff, the leaders and the board. 

We also heard in the conversation that the staff were paid salaries that were far noticeably lower in proportion to the work that they were expected to do. Some were having challenges making ends meet at home. Higher turnover among the staff was also a challenge, which persistently threatened the quality of the services the nonprofit could provide. They just didn’t feel appreciated, especially when being expected to be perfect.

One of the board members present requested to meet alone with us a week or so following that listening/mediation meeting. We met off-site to be freer for the member to express their opinions and concerns. 

What we heard in that meeting chilled us to the core of our values. 

“Well, this is a nonprofit. They should want to work here because of the services we provide in the community and the joy they can receive by helping to provide them. Being content with the privilege of serving should be enough. If they don’t like it, they should go somewhere else.”

Too often, that attitude prevails in a lot of service professions, about the “noble” sacrifice that people in those professions should accept without complaint, desire for anything more, or less-demanding working expectations. They should know going in what they are getting into. But when perfection is demanded, the quality of the service will begin to suffer.

Excellence doesn’t mean perfection.

Perfection requires superhuman skills and actions that are ultimately impossible for any one of us to achieve. It’s unrealistic to expect anyone to never make a mistake, never forget something, never say something that someone else might take issue with or may not like. 

When we expect perfection, we will nearly always be disappointed, discouraged, or dismissive of others. But if we strive for excellence, always trying, and sometimes missing the mark, to serve with empathy, kindness, intention, thoughtfulness, and fairness, we will be serving with excellence. Those are marks of excellent responses to the needs at hand and the jobs that need to be done. 

Open hearts, caring spirits, and considerate interactions are essential for excellence. So are practiced skills and experience. With practice that is met with grace and encouragement when some things aren’t exactly perfect, we can grow into excellence that isn’t always stressful or overwhelming. 

It’s incredible what excellent things can be accomplished when perfect perfection isn’t demanded or expected. But when grace is coupled with generosity and reassurance when things don’t go exactly as planned, the road to excellence can be so much more satisfying for everyone involved.  

When the pressure and the expectations are not so overwhelming and unrealistic, tremendous service can be achieved.

Photo by Arif Mills on Unsplash