CORE VALUES
THOSE PRINCIPLES THAT GUIDES OUR INTERNAL CONDUCT AND OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE OUTSIDE WORLD
LEADERSHIP
Not everyone is a prominent leader, but we all have to possess some leadership qualities to be successful in dealing with other people and in our work. Firstly one should recognize that trust and respect has to be mutual in any relationship with someone else, usually first given and then received. When dealing with a situation or a problem, respect the diversity of the situation and its solutions. Do not be reluctant to accept a solution different to your own, no matter from whom this solution might arise. When faced with a situation with multiple solutions, be decisive in making a choice and stick with it. It is also a great quality if one is able to admit when the wrong decision was made and to continue with corrective actions. To avoid too many faults, make well-judged decisions, think things through before speaking or acting. A good leader needs to be committed to develop team members through continued training, education and diverse challenges.
ACCOUNTABILITY
Accountability is to accept responsibility for one’s actions. It is important to recognize that every action has a reaction and in dealing with people or property of the company one will be held responsible for the results of these actions. Failing to accept responsibility for these actions/reactions will damage one’s integrity and only cause the responsibility to shift to someone else, creating more work for other people.
INFLUENCE
Influence is the capacity to have an effect on the character, development or behavior of someone else. Everything we do or say influences the people around us, it is important that one conducts oneself accordingly. Inspire others to conduct themselves in the manner you wish them to, do not just require it from them.
COMPASSION
Compassion is a sympathetic consciousness of others’ distress together with a desire to alleviate it. In simpler terms this means to care for someone else and what they hold dear. When dealing with people consider their needs.
HUMILITY
Humility is the quality of being modest, humble and respectful. It should also be recognized that someone with no humility can be damaging to the scope of the company, in the sense that if said person regards him/her-self more important than the cause or goal of the company, the goals or cause of the company will not be worth taking part in for this person.
COMMUNICATION
Good communication between employees, to and from management, is critical for an organized and informed project group. Conveying results and problems in relative situations through the correct lines of management is imperative to counter the escalating nature of an unaddressed problem.
Taking correct action on this feedback from the groups involved is a key ingredient for effective operations.
TEAMWORK
A tight knit team is a group of competent individuals who care deeply about each other. They are fiercely committed to their mission, and are highly motivated to combining their energy and expertise to achieve a common objective
ACTIVE LISTENING
Effective communication does not merely consist of describing what you think, feel or want by means of talking, writing or body language. To improve communication, recognize the importance of listening and make listening a key part of your group’s culture. Active listening cuts meeting times and helps group members to assess the situation accurately. It also helps speakers clarify what they are saying and makes them feel heard and thus reduces emotions that can block clear thinking.
Everyone can learn the art of active listening. The key to listening effectively is relaxed attention. Listen with your whole body by using verbal and nonverbal skills, like facing the person and maintaining eye contact. Try to be at ease and avoid interrupting the speaker.
DIRECT, ASSERTIVE EXPRESSION
If half of the equation in communicating is active listening, the other half is speaking and expressing what you think, feel or want in a clear, true and non-defensive way. When expressing yourself use “I” statements. Using “I” statements lets you share what you think or feel without sounding like you are blaming or attacking. These statements communicate your preferences and keep you responsible for your part in the exchange.
INTEGRITY
Integrity describes the core of a person that is truthful, respectful, and trustworthy. To achieve this one needs to have self-discipline and self-respect.
RESPECT
Self-respect is the point when one regards oneself highly enough to change one’s appearance and behaviour to a standard more acceptable to others. Respect is earned by the manner one conducts oneself when dealing with others.
TRUST
Being trustworthy is the quality that someone possesses that grants other people the freedom to totally rely on the said person to complete or handle something. Earn the trust of others by honoring your word and being true to yourself and others.
HONESTY
Honesty is a quality of a person that will honour the truth and stick to the facts. It refers to someone that is always true to himself and to others. This person will also confront the false representation of a situation or information.
PRODUCTIVITY
Productivity is a measure of the time spent compared to the results obtained. Therefore one must devote one’s focus on the things you can influence or change. Not doing this will result in a large amount of time spent on a goal that cannot be achieved. Planning what goals to focus on and allocating time and other resources available accordingly to these goals is vital to increase one’s productivity. Preparing these resources for use and the means by which the resource will be made available will ensure that the process or project is executed on time and according to plan.These aspects, planning and preparation, along with a form of rehearsal have a major influence on the success of the project or goal to be achieved.
EFFICIENCY
Efficiency is the measure of the amount of resources spent to achieve a specific goal. Recognizing that optimizing the amount of resources used to perform a task is vital to reduce costs and as a result have the highest efficiency possible. This can and should be done for every resource used to achieve a goal, whether the resource is equipment, manpower or material.
TIME MANAGEMENT
Time management refers to a range of skills, tools and techniques used to prioritize and organize specific tasks or goals. It also entails comparing progress to what was planned and updating the plan if needed. To make sure that all the tasks that make up a specific goal or project are executed in the right order and “flow” together, a detailed plan of when and what should happen has to be drawn up. Usually in a Gantt chart format. This plan or chart can then be used to compare actual and planned progress. In short, the result of proper time management will ensure that the project or goal is achieved within the time frame available or required.
EXCELLENCE
Excellence is achieved by exceeding client or user specifications and expectations. This involves providing a solution that is better than the required standard but not compromising on efficiency and effectiveness.
Striving for excellence in all operations and goals set is a quality that separates us from the average person or company. To obtain excellent quality and performance is the main goal of any operation, to achieve this it is vital that proper control of all aspects contained within the operation is installed. Furthermore adding pride to our work and to our contribution to the cause/goals of the company is a key ingredient of achieving individual excellence.
QUALITY
To meet and exceed all client or user specifications and expectations. Quality is a measure of excellence or a state of being free from defects, deficiencies, and significant variations, brought about by the strict and consistent adherence to measurable and verifiable standards to achieve uniformity of output that satisfies specific customer or user requirements.
PERFORMANCE
The accomplishment of a given task measured against preset known standards of accuracy, completeness, cost, and speed. In a contract, performance is deemed to be the fulfillment of an obligation, in a manner that releases the performer from all liabilities under the contract.
CONTROL
Control of all things within an operation is a major aspect to ensure that excellent quality and performance is achieved during and on completion of a goal. With the human factor always coming in to play, it is important to execute good control by having failsafe checks in place to guarantee that the planned outcome is achieved.
