Matt Kupec shares valuable lessons learned throughout his life from various mentors, emphasizing the importance of perspective, preparation, and celebration. Key lessons include the notion that everyone faces challenges similarly ('they put their pants on one leg at a time'), the need to savor successes ('pizza theory'), and the significance of risk management in investments. He encourages others to reflect on their experiences and share their own lessons learned.

1. Memorable Lessons Learned
For Your Professional & Personal Life
By Matt Kupec (mattkupec.com)

2. By Matt Kupec (mattkupec.com)
 Have you ever worked with somebody who taught you a
valuable lesson that you have used in your life? Has
anybody given you sage advice? It could be a boss,
colleague, parent, teacher, coach, religious leader or
somebody else whom you have been associated with
during your life.
 A good lesson learned will be etched in your memory and
probably part of your daily routine. You can recite them in
your sleep? Your poor family and friends have heard the
lessons hundreds of times. You probably have tried to
impart these valuable lessons to colleagues at work!
 And sometimes they can be so simple it is astonishing that
the lesson you learned has stayed with you for so long!
Memorable Lessons Learned
For Your Professional & Personal Life

3. By Matt Kupec (mattkupec.com)
Memorable Lessons Learned
For Your Professional & Personal Life
#1: “They Put Their Pants on One Leg at a Time
 I was just fourteen years old and playing in a baseball all-star tournament.
My team was set to go against a player who was an all-world pitcher. At
practice the day before the game we were all intimidated by what we
considered the herculean task of defeating this behemoth. We were even
more of an underdog than Davis vs. Goliath! At least it felt that way!!
 But I’ll never remember my coach, Mr. Wilkerson, telling us not to be
intimidated by this guy and that he “puts his pants on one leg a time” just
like we do. His message was clear. This guy was mortal and he was beatable.
Well, we went out the next day and won the game to advance to the National
Championship Babe Ruth World Series.
 And thanks to Mr. Wilkerson and his simple lesson I never ever let anybody
intimidate me before a game for the rest of my career!! Any imposing
situation I face, I recite the words of wisdom from Mr. Wilkerson!

4. By Matt Kupec (mattkupec.com)
Memorable Lessons Learned
For Your Professional & Personal Life
#2: “Pizza Theory”
 This one came from former UNC Chancellor Michael Hooker. Chancellor
Hooker was a visionary boss. You remember the old commercial about the
financial services company that said when “EF Hutton talks, everybody
listens?” Well, the same in real life could be said for Chancellor Hooker.
When he spoke, he had the undivided attention of all.
 One of his theories was “the pizza theory.” Pizza theory??? What it means is
that when we order a couple of slices of pizza we are so in a hurry to get to
the second piece that we forget to enjoy the taste of the first slice of pizza! I
find myself doing exactly the same with pizza and life. I rush through that
first slice, stuffing it done my face, so focused on getting to the next slice that
I forget to enjoy the taste of the first piece!
 So, a great leader must make sure to pause and celebrate the success of the
team. Enjoy the success. You will move on quickly to the next “pizza slice”
in your business journey but don’t cheat yourself of enjoying the “first slice”
or first business success.

5. By Matt Kupec (mattkupec.com)
Memorable Lessons Learned
For Your Professional & Personal Life
 This one comes from Mark Yusko, the very successful CEO and Founder of
a multi-billion dollar investment firm. Mark was a colleague at UNC
where he served as Chief Investment Officer at UNC. Mark, who is a good
friend, is a very wise and smart investor.
 His lesson was simple and dealt with managing risk and looking for
opportunities in growth and value of your investments. When you have a
stock that trades at $4/share and it drops to $2/share that is a 50%
decrease. To get back to the original price of $4/share, you will need a
100% return - taking the stock from $2/share to $4/share! Simple but
profound!!
 His point was that with endowment and investment returns you don’t
want to decline or go backwards because a 50% drop will necessitate a
100% increase to bring you back to the price where you started!
#3: “It Takes a 100% return to break even when you have lost 50%”

6. By Matt Kupec (mattkupec.com)
Memorable Lessons Learned
For Your Professional & Personal Life
 This lesson comes from my former UNC head football coach Bill Dooley.
Coach Dooley - probably the coach most responsible for elevating the
level of football being played in the ACC - was tough and as former
offensive lineman, he was totally committed to the running game and
the discipline and power it took to run the ball,.
 This lesson learned from Coach Dooley was one his favorite sayings was
that you needed “to put yourself in a position where good things will
happen.” It meant that as players we must know our assignments, we
must have prepared and practiced hard for the game, and we must have
gotten our rest. If we were physically and mentally prepared to put
yourself in a position where good things will happen, then undoubtedly
good things would happen. We make the plays and create the
opportunities.
 So, much like everything we do in life we have to be ready, we have to
prepare and then we have to execute. If we do, we will have “put
ourselves in a position where good things will happen.”
#4: “Put Yourself in a Position Where Good Things Will Happen”

7. By Matt Kupec (mattkupec.com)
Memorable Lessons Learned
For Your Professional & Personal Life
#5: “The Ask is Part of the Cultivation”
 This lesson comes from Paul Fulton, one the true giants I have ever worked
with. Paul’s resume includes President of Sara Lee Corporation, the huge
consumer goods company, Dean of the UNC Business School and Bank of
America Board of Director member. Paul was the co-chair of the Carolina First
Campaign which raised $2.4B and at the time was the 5th largest completed
university campaign in U.S. history!
 This lesson comes from his role as Campaign co-chair where we had a number
of fundraisers who would take prospects to lunch every week but would never
get around to asking for the philanthropic gift! And then they would go to
lunch the following week with the same outcome.
 Finally, Paul - in a bit of frustration - taught us the lesson that the “the ask is
part of the cultivation!” This means that to move the process to closure it is
often important to put the proposal on the table even if it doesn’t close at that
meeting.
 Asking for the business helps to drive future conversations between the
prospect and fundraiser and puts everybody on the same page. A truly great
lesson for all of us in whatever line of business we are in.

8. By Matt Kupec (mattkupec.com)
Memorable Lessons Learned
For Your Professional & Personal Life
Questions & Feedback
These are but a few of the countless lessons I have learned over the years that have impacted the
decisions I make in my professional and personal life. I’d love to hear examples of lessons you
have learned if you would be willing to share them. Please go to mattkupec.com and on the
contact page, let me know the lessons you have learned.
About the Author (mattkupec.com)
Matt Kupec is a fundraising professional with 32 years of significant higher education development
experience. He has directed three major university fundraising campaigns and nearly $5 billion has
been raised under his leadership. He has led the fundraising programs at the University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill, Hofstra University, Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute and
HelpMeSee, a New York City based non-profit.