Last year, People Incorporated established the first official set of Core Values in the agency’s history. One of the biggest challenges for an organization as diverse and geographically spread out as People Inc. is finding ways to establish a common sense of purpose, understanding, and vision. That’s why I felt that establishing a set of Core Values for the agency was an important step in our efforts to make People Inc. a more impactful organization. They are grounded in the ideas that have contributed to People Inc.’s long history of success.
On Progress: A Core Value that Drives Our Success
PROGRESS: We are driven by a passion for service and helping people and communities reach their full potential. Progress is impossible without change, and we are committed to ensuring that the people and places we serve have the tools, resources, and opportunities to build brighter futures.
When we start with the knowledge that improving anything—be it a family’s well-being, their financial position, or even our work relationships—requires a positive change from the current reality, then we begin to understand that the idea of progress plays a big role in our work.
As CEO, I firmly believe that progress is the driving force behind our collective journey of growth. Helping our clients and colleagues to make progress towards their goals is essential to our culture and helps to shape everything that we do.
1. Striving for Continuous Improvement:
Progress is ingrained into our DNA. In fact, the first name of our organization was the Progressive Community Club of Washington County, VA. We have always believed in challenging the status quo and seeking opportunities for improvement. That is one of the main reasons that People Inc. has emerged as one of the most accomplished Community Action Agencies in the nation. By embracing progress as a Core Value, we can inspire a growth mindset among our clients and our coworkers, encouraging them to strive for personal and professional development and to learn from their experiences. Together we can foster an environment that values creativity, innovation, and adaptability, helping us to stay ahead of the curve.
2. Unlocking Potential and Achieving Excellence:
Progress fuels our pursuit of excellence, which is the Core Value that we will discuss in the next post. By pushing boundaries and setting ambitious goals, we can unlock potential for our clients and staff. Pursuing progress encourages us to step out of our comfort zones, take calculated risks, and explore new ways of doing things. As a result, we can create a culture of high performance, where everyone becomes more comfortable using their talents and contributing their unique ideas, which will help us to reach new heights.
3. Building Resilience and Navigating Challenges:
When things get tough, one of the things that I try to keep in mind is that if this work were easy, everyone would be doing it. We all run into challenges, encounter obstacles, and face adversity. However, progress helps us navigate our challenges with resilience and determination, which is absolutely what we seek to instill in our clients. A key to getting through the tough times is to have a forward-looking mindset, and to think of setbacks as opportunities for growth and learning. Valuing progress means encouraging a supportive environment where failures are seen as part of the process to achieve success. Through progress, we can adapt and emerge stronger from any setback that comes our way.
4. Creating a Positive Impact:
Progress is not only about advancing our organization or the lives of our clients; it is also about creating a positive impact on the world around us. By continually improving and pushing boundaries, we develop new ways to address community needs and challenges, which is our role as a Community Action Agency. Progress guides us to make a meaningful difference and leave a lasting legacy. Our success is intertwined with the well-being of our communities, and we must be committed to using progress as a catalyst for positive change.
