A meeting, a debate, but above all, an exchange. Three men from completely different fields: Religion, Health, and Gastronomy. Three eminent representatives: Monsignor Sankalé, Bishop of Nice, Jean-Jacques Romatet, Director of the Nice University Hospital, and Jacques Chibois, a celebrated three-star Michelin chef at La Bastide Saint-Antoine in Grasse. This roundtable, organized during the Entreprenariales, was marked by the calmness of the three speakers. The words were carefully chosen, the terms thoughtful.
In the bible, we find this maxim: “The excellence of the spirit is a perpetual feast.” A fitting phrase given the combined presence of Monsignor Sankalé and Jacques Chibois. And this feast, the listeners devoured. They left with beautiful and flavorful sentences like the one pronounced by Monsignor Sankalé: “One step together is better than ten steps taken alone”. This man of Faith, a graduate of HEC, precisely defines and analyzes our society.
Their commonality is being leaders, having responsibilities. “Power is being able to act. It’s not just occupying a platform,” explains Jean-Jacques Romatet. He leads 7,000 people at the hospital. He must set an example, be followed. For him, with humility, “one must not claim to be excellent but must aspire to be.” He explains how a hospital strives for excellence: “Firstly, do what is expected of us. That is treating a CEO and a homeless person in the same way. Knowing what is right for the patient. I call this the exercise of our responsibility: being able to give a patient care Y even if they demand care X. Lastly, it’s teaching with a will to excellence by instilling the values just mentioned.”
Even though they are aware of their leadership role, they like to be in the midst of their troops. “I was on a pilgrimage when I was in Guyana, with many followers, both young and old. Thanks to my long legs, I walked ahead effortlessly. But I thought of those who were struggling a bit more. I stopped and waited for them, to be with them. In life, one step together is worth more than ten steps taken alone,” recounts Monsignor Sankalé. That is his philosophy. Even if he is at the top of the clerical hierarchy, he wishes to accompany and be close to Catholics, likely to understand them better. This makes him a modern bishop, and not just because he has a blog.
Jacques Chibois, for his part, hopes every day to see happiness in his restaurant, the biggest proof of his excellence and competence: “Excellence is being happy when I cook. Cooking is a gift, an art of living. Pleasing someone, my clients. Excellence is getting up every morning and wanting to give your best. Even if sometimes the products are not up to my expectations, it’s about making the best dish possible. Therefore, one must question oneself every morning. Be rigorous. Excellence is found by adding lots of little touches. As soon as we put a little less attention, excellence fades away. And the customer can leave disappointed. For me, excellence is therefore when I see the happiness of the people as they leave the restaurant.”
With the examples of Jean-Jacques Romatet, Monsignor Sankalé, and Jacques Chibois, we can conclude by saying that to excel is to be competent, to be in a position one aspired to, to have all the qualities necessary to hold that position and to satisfy the greatest number.
Vincent Trinquat
What do you think of Excellence and the definitions given by the three speakers? Who is excellent? It’s your turn to debate on our forum. Provide your definition of excellence.
