What you do, has a stronger impact than what you say.
As the old saying goes – “Actions speak louder than words.” Actions demonstrate commitment, intention and show that a person is invested in the outcome of what they are doing. They demonstrate behaviours, qualities, and values that can be watched and learned by other people. Words, on the other hand can often be empty promises or claims with no real meaning. They can be misunderstood or misinterpreted, or simply fall on deaf ears.
The ‘old saying’ above is focused on actions and this was the catalyst for Highview’s Partnership group in 2019 to drive and commit to some meaningful actions themselves. They invited our entire team together to openly collaborate, deeply consider and define our firms set of Highview Guiding Principles (GPs). The Partners felt our GPs must come from the input of our entire team with open collaboration, not just decided upon by the leadership group. Authentic long term buy-in meant our GPs were to be chosen by our people – and agreed upon together.
* We love to share all the details, but our Guiding Principles are classified 😉
THE OUTCOME – a list of 7 Highview Guiding Principles were clearly defined and as a team agreed upon together to commit to and strive to live and breathe by daily – doing so by actions. Our Partners were driven to set a standard of core values that would be embraced and nurtured by all, as well as clearly outline behavioral and attitudinal expectations within the workplace.
A Guiding Principle is an action-oriented expression of a core value. It is a standard for behaviour and mindset in the workplace, and a lens through which the team make decisions and intentionally build a meaningful organisational culture.
Over many years, Highview has embraced and proactively actioned our Guiding Principles to empower staff growth and development, as well as strongly nurture a workplace that is focused on teamwork, positive collaboration, having the best interests of our people at heart, as well as celebrating the wins and uplifting one another.
In February 2023, our entire Highview Crew attended a 2-day Staff Wellness Retreat in Cape Schanck – with a focus on how to evolve and continue to action our Guiding Principles, adding substance to their formation, instead of just reiterating them via a dull old PowerPoint Presentation! With practical inspiration provided by our incredible motivational life coach and guest speaker, Shannah Kennedy, our team didn’t simply leave the retreat and move on…
Many were impacted deeply by the workshops, and we together set some simple goals to implement upon our return. Since last year, we’ve actioned many new initiatives in the workplace that align with our Guiding Principles and are we’ve been thrilled to see they are practiced daily by many and will continue to evolve over the long-term. We have installed simple words and subtle reminders on the walls in our office common areas relating self-care, as well as shared powerful tools, tips, and strategies that can assist us in many areas of our work life and personal life. These simple words on our walls remind us to take the time to give each other a high-five and celebrate the wins, as well as be present and at times just breathe.
Excitingly, two of our valued team members were given the opportunity to attend another Thousand Faces REACH Foundation Camp late last year. Over the last four years we’ve been lucky enough to send a total of 8 team members on these camps – all who have returned with experiences that have been life-changing and incredibly impactful. This camp brings together young people with challenging life experiences and matches them with inspiring adult mentors so they can learn from each other in a supportive and highly engaging environment jam-packed with personal challenges and wellness activities. This March we will have more team members attend the next REACH camp too!
It has been an important part of our team culture to not only discuss positive changes, but to action them… and we are proud of our ongoing efforts…. plus, we have much more planned for the months ahead!
As Benjamin Franklin once said; “Well done is better than well said!” … and we are pretty proud to be getting things done to continually grow as a business and support the personal and professional growth of our Highview Crew!