Anyone who experienced the recent performances put in from Usain Bolt can certainly have no arguments that the Jamaican athlete is the best in the world when it comes to 100 and 200 meters sprinting. However, many people and organizations claim to be the best without necessarily having a way to quantify their claim.
So what really makes something or someone best? According to the Oxford English Dictionary, best when used as an adjective is defined as the most excellent or desirable type of quality or the most suitable, appropriate or sensible. And when used as a noun, best is defined as the most excellent or desirable, the highest standard one can reach or a record performance.
When Angela Smith, the Minister for the Third Sector, said that Britain's charities and voluntary organizations were the best in the world, these specific definitions may or may not have been met but there is certainly an argument that Angela Smiths comments are true based on some impressive facts. Facts including that 73% of UK adults take part in volunteering or that 78% of people give to charity – the highest level of giving in Europe.
The UK voluntary sector may well be the best as they workirelessly to support people, communities and make the national and international environment a better place.
And so what can we all learn from their efforts to become the best in whatever we do? To begin with, people and organizations who are deemed the best seem to share a few key practices and these are determination, a hard work ethic and a belief in what they do. Many people do not necessarily set out to be the best in their field but by having a positive mental attitude and desire to succeed, they can end us as the best. Obviously having a gift like Usain Bolt helps but even those athletes who are competing against him know that even if they can not be the best in the world, they can achieve great things by being the best they can.
Going back to charities, community groups and other voluntary organizations, nobody knows who is really best, but in reality this does not really matter as the work they do is superb and it benefits society and that alone is better than any best tag. Likewise for charities who are searching for charity liability insurance or trust indemnity insurance, who is really the best insurance broker to choose from? Well since they should instead focus on choosing an insurance broker who specializes in charity insurance and who can help them get the protection they need the best possible price.
If you are looking for service providers, focus on what is best for you and there is every chance you will find the best one around.