What we believe should be at the heart of everything we do. And when we roll up our sleeves and put our beliefs to work, it’s our values that guide us through every decision and action.
Our values are more than a theory. They are far too important to end up as a tattered, dusty poster tacked in the corner of a bulletin board. Values are definitely more than the flavour-of-the-month.
Our actions make us who we are. We want these actions to be shaped by positive values. Our values shape our character. They craft our reputation. They inform first impressions and the lasting ones. And our values do this on both a personal level and an organizational level.
The Salvation Army’s values – tested over decades – have earned us trust, respect and an envied public reputation. But more importantly, they allow those of us who are a part of this organization to act with integrity and confidence.
Helping us make sure that our values are strengthened and carried into the decades ahead is the work of the Ethics Centre. And this excellent publication gives you tools to live the core values in your ministry setting.
Let me commend this resource to you. It’s a vibrant, informative and refreshing look at the essence of who we are. It’s also practical. I urge you to use it.
Floyd J. Tidd
Colonel
Chief Secretary
Management is not easy. Leadership is not easy. There are legions of how-to books on both. Some of them are good. Many are not. Most books are one-size-fits-all. But people aren’t. We’re unique, each and every one of us – managers, leaders, staff, volunteers and donors. Every ministry setting is different. Still we are all a part of one organization, The Salvation Army. We’re mission driven. We’re values driven. We do what we do because we believe in that mission and those values. And that connects us, from coast to coast to coast, from corps to headquarters to recycling store to emergency shelter. We are all called to live the mission and the values. And that’s not always easy.
This toolkit is a collection of resources to help you live and support the mission and values in your role as manager and leader. It’s not intended to be a one-size-fits-all solution to ensuring our organizational culture is mission and values-driven. It’s not intended to be a Ten Commandments of Core Values. It’s designed to give you tools to build and maintain that culture yourself.
So take some time to sift through these pages, wrestle with the concepts, and start sketching what our values look like in your context. Tell us what works and feel free to ask if you have questions or need help. We want to hear your stories, and look forward to adding some of them to our toolkit resources. We are a mission people, building on our past, guided by our values, shaping the future.
