1. A Positive Outlook
We aspire to being an organisation that looks to accomplish our mission in a spirit of optimism, eagerness, and fun – we will celebrate our successes and give credit and praise to all those who have made a contribution. We will approach our work with energy, eagerness and a determination to achieve our shared goals through our hard work and resilience to setbacks. We will not fear trying new approaches, and will learn from our failures rather than seek to apportion blame for them. We will always try our best.
2. Honesty, Transparency and Accountability
We are committed to being an open and honest organisation, sharing information wherever this is not restricted and encouraging inclusive dialogue at all levels, including for the development of our programmes. We avoid “hidden agendas” and demonstrate consistent behaviour in our work. We neither fear making mistakes, nor duck accountability, as both are essential for a professional organisation that seeks to foster rather than quash innovation. We don’t take the easy path when it is not the right path, and are prepared to have difficult conversations with others, and ourselves, in a spirit of positive learning and constructive criticism. We accept a sense of collective accountability for the success of Reach to Teach and ensure that we protect the reputation of the organisation, as this is vital for the positive role it plays.
3. Collaboration
We believe that all those who want to grow and develop in the organisation should be given opportunities to do so, as we want to develop capabilities across the organisation as we grow. We recognise that we can only achieve our aims through strong teamwork that embraces and recognises the benefits of our diversity – whether of culture, background, experience or beliefs. We oppose discrimination on any grounds. We are committed to sharing challenges, avoiding working in silos, building our ideas collaboratively and respecting and supporting each other to make positive contributions to our work. Ours is a learning culture, and one that uses our respective strengths. We seek to empathise with those who have a different perspective from our own and are open to being convinced and changing our own views. When we are not of the same view, we disagree agreeably and respectfully.
4. Kindness and Compassion
We respect and value our colleagues, celebrate their successes, recognise their contribution and are always ready to listen to others who are experiencing difficulties and stand ready to assist and show compassion.