[Noisebridge-discuss] What "excellence" means to me

[aestetix aestetix]

As most people reading this list are (hopefully) aware, Noisebridge runs
with no policies, and one simple rule: Be excellent to each other.

This is deliberately vague, and at times, extremely confusing. Everyone has
their own interpretation of what "excellence" means, so I thought I'd share
my thoughts on it. Keep in mind that these are my own viewpoint, and while I
respect anyone who has a view which completely disagrees with mine, I'm more
than happy to offer clarification on any of it.

First, excellence implies courtesy. If I meet someone new, there's just as
much a chance they'll be awesome as an asshole, so I feel it works to
everyone's advantage to treat them like they are awesome. As I get to know
them better, I may adjust this, but to me, everyone deserves a shot at
friendship. This way, if something makes me adjust this, I am simply
changing my own reaction, rather than making an assumption on how they
should act.

Next, excellence implies accountability. If I tell someone I'm going to do
something with or for them, I will carry through to the best of my ability.
If I'm unable to carry through for whatever reason, I then make my best
effort to make sure they know this ahead of time. In general, I expect the
same type of reliability from others.

Excellence also implies acknowledging that others exist, and working both to
understand their viewpoints, and to help them understand yours. Further, it
implies considering these other viewpoints before jumping to conclusions
about things. I think over 90% of the drama I've seen at Noisebridge has
been about miscommunication and false expectations. For example, I have
freaked out about a misplaced video cable for the projector, only to
discover five minutes later that it was resting where someone else had moved
it. In almost every case of Noisebridge issues, people are trying to do what
they think is the right thing. Rather than freaking out and assuming the
worst, had I asked a few people to help me look for it, it would have become
a group effort and we'd all be doing. Or I could have put a label on it, at
which point whoever moved it could have either not touched it, or let me
know that they had moved it.

Finally, excellence implies respect, both of other people, and the space
itself. I try to respect others enough to know that they won't
(intentionally) do anything malicious, and enough to reach out to help solve
issues where I can. On the flipside, I want to respect myself enough to know
when to no longer be involved in solutions. If solving an issue is going to
take 10 hours and I only have five to give, perhaps there is someone else
who wants to solve it. They in turn might recognize not only that you are
setting a personal limit, but you respect their ability to solve the issue
enough that you're letting them handle it.

Those are just a few basic ideas of what excellence means to me. What does
it mean to everyone else?
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