In Tough Times, Values Matter More Than Ever

Almost a year out from the moments when all our lives started to change in ways we had never imagined, we decided to take stock of how our core values have held out through the turbulence.

Like many other organisations we know, we adopted values to remind us of what was most important to us and what we most need to hold onto. If we lose sight of these in difficult times, where do we go?

Our values do not instruct us in how to behave; they guide us back to how we need to be. They have served us well just lately.

We seek to put People First. Alongside our clients and partners, we have recognised the need to dial up kindness and empathy at this time and we have supported others in developing the skills of leaders to do this. We have also taken the opportunity to expand our team, including taking on new graduates and seeking to nurture talent.

We are Straightforward, something which has been in greater demand than ever against a backdrop (in the UK at least) of confusing and conflicting communication from government. We have helped others deliver true clarity in helping their people work safely.

We are Progressive in our openness to new ideas and technologies. When successful author Nick Drake Knight approached us to take his brilliant content online, we responded positively and rapidly with an experience which fully exploits the possibilities of digital learning. We also increased our commitment to the development of our people, finding new opportunities for pursuing learning and qualifications.

And in these challenging times, we have remained Passionate, remembering that we do what we do because we love doing it, using our passion to fuel our positivity and keep us strong when we needed to be.

Looking back on ourselves has been a useful and affirming activity. It has demonstrated many things, perhaps most importantly that our values are not rules and we don’t work for them.

Our values work for us.