Tim George: Strivers have much to learn from quiet volunteers

Last fall, I drove to Earlham College to see one of my favorite authors and commentators, David Brooks. I am inspired by his concept that businesspeople should focus on “eulogy virtues” rather than resume virtues as a true measure of our impact on the world. How will our lives be remembered after we are gone?

Admittedly, I am a striver — as are many of my business and civic friends — with a heavy professional focus on ambitious goals, career advancement and, yes, recognition (with social media as a primary forum).

Yes, we volunteer with nonprofits and share our expertise to make a difference. But as my professional colleagues and I move into later career years and think about retirement, still full of energy and a desire to give, I’m realizing there is something to learn from quiet, everyday volunteers outside the traditional business world. They work hard to improve the world around them with no desire for recognition.

In the last 18 months, several people in my orbit have died, and at each of their funerals, their eulogies hit me right between the eyes, reading like inspiring novels.

Bernie Price worked for more than 50 years for the Catholic Youth Organization while tirelessly working, week by week, to ensure her beloved Bean Creek neighborhood was clean and safe. She led her parish youth group for decades and served other organizations with inspired humility, even after a cancer diagnosis. She received a Governor’s Sagamore of the Wabash award while in hospice, something I’m sure she never would have imagined in her decades of serving the community.

Douglas George, my father, retired from a long federal career in his early 60s and promptly started volunteering at the food pantry at Emmaus Lutheran Church. At his funeral, it was noted how he approached his weekly duties — picking up donations and cleaning the pantry — like a job. When my parents traveled on vacation, he made sure his shifts were covered. A true member of the Silent Generation, he never talked about the countless hours he spent ensuring the pantry was well-managed.

David Humpal was a leader in my son’s Scout troop, and no job was too small in his work serving kids and helping them grow in Scouting. At his funeral, his next-door neighbor mentioned that Dave and his wife made it a point to pray for their neighbors as they took walks in their north-side neighborhood. I knew he always put others first but didn’t realize how much he cared about his neighbors — something he never mentioned.

What struck me most were these steady, unglamorous commitments: Week after week, they served others, did what needed to be done and asked for nothing in return.

These lives offer practical lessons for those of us accustomed to measuring success by titles and outcomes:

Invest your precious volunteer time carefully. Focus your hard work toward causes you truly love, where recognition matters less.

Not everything has to be posted. I’m guilty of posting for recognition as well as marketing purposes. Perhaps it’s best to focus instead on encouraging others through example.

Be all-in where you choose to serve. Work just as hard when you volunteer as you do in your professional role. Treat it like a job.

Another favorite commentator, Harvard professor Arthur Brooks, speaks about finding personal happiness by being a sage, not a prince — sharing what you’ve learned rather than chasing status. Focusing on using your gifts to help others thrive instead of on personal striving perhaps is the ultimate way to be remembered in our eulogies.•

__________

George is senior vice president of CHA Consulting.