Here’s to Values!
By: Andrea Dennis, CCI Greenheart Outreach Director
Yesterday, CCI Greenheart hosted an out of the ordinary all staff meeting. The special agenda revolved around CCI Greenheart Internal Values. Now, this might seem a bit unnecessary given the already high ideals of CCI Greenheart, which includes world peace in the mission statement among other things. But the CCI Greenheart Internal Values focus on office culture versus external ideals, and since people spend a 1/3rd of their life at the workplace, why not make it the best it can be?
When Laura Rose, CEO, took a closer look at developing the Internal Values of CCI Greenheart it wasn’t an easy task. How do we decide what our values are? How do we make sure we are implementing those values, not just stating them? To answer those questions she looked no further than the staff. After a survey, thorough discussion of values at the last all staff meeting, followed by a committee structuring the flow of information, CCI Greenheart has taken the first round of identifying the values and furthering them in our office culture. Yesterday’s meeting was filled with skits, role playing and a little bubbly to help invigorate the staff around these values. So what are they?
CCI Greenheart Internal Values:
- Professional Development: Ongoing staff training, mentoring, and Staff Training Library
- Health, Wellbeing and Personal Transformation: Offerings of community service, environmentally sustainable office practices and wellness through the Greenheart Beat, monthly yoga, weekly meditations, a friendly work environment, and the Greenheart Transforms’ Book Club
- Environmentally Conscious Practices: Social responsibility, nonnegotiable environmental practices, vetting environmentally conscious vendors for marketing materials, conferences and caterers, and more!
- Open and Positive Communication: Group trainings, transparency, meeting efficiency guidelines, practicing gratitude, and virtual suggestion box
- A Family Vibe: Offering social outings, acknowledging life accomplishments, team building retreats, and social media for the staff
In true fashion, President of CCI Greenheart, Emanuel Kuntzelman, ended the meeting with a philosophical viewpoint that we can all connect with each other in various ways, like the birds on a wire and even those connected beyond the wire, in “the field”. Laura Rose stated our values evolve as we do, and in the end we make the culture what it is. So…here’s to values, and spending a 1/3rd of our life working toward the greater good in an office culture that feels good too.
