Core Values Steering Committee Minutes - November 16, 2021

Timeline review 

The group reviewed the updated version of the timeline, noting that it is specifically designed for use by the Steering Committee.  Plans for the first update meeting with Larry will be made at the 12/1/2021 meeting. 

Several committee members mentioned plans for being on leave between this meeting and the end of the year.  This led to discussion of the need for committee members to have access to one another’s cell phone numbers.  Steering Committee members are to e-mail their cell numbers to Pauline; she will compile the list and post it on the Committee’s SharePoint.  Everyone was reminded that this information is to be shared only with Steering Committee members. 

Expectations of subcommittees 

The group worked to nail down more details about what subcommittee definitions and proposals are expected to be.  Steering prefers for definitions and proposals to happen organically within the subcommittees, without prescribing specific requirements. 

Should definitions be a kind of slogan or tagline, to make them more memorable?  Perhaps the tagline could be followed by bullet points providing more explanation. 

Will Steering tweak definitions received from subcommittees, or will they respect the wording created?  Subcommittees should be aware that definitions can be changed, but that changes will mostly occur in conjunction with subcommittees.  Liaisons will carry questions and suggestions between Steering and subcommittees. 

Several subcommittees had questions about how definitions are to be used.  Are definitions being created for the individual, the organization, or both?  Consensus leaned toward definitions for the individual, but ideally, they would be broad enough to apply to the organization.  It was noted that one core value is People First, not Individual Person First. 

It was pointed out that right now, the goal is just to get ideas out in the open so that they can be explored, both at the subcommittee and Steering levels. 

People First/Customer Service Learning Path 

The “People First” Learning Path proposed for this performance review year focuses heavily on customer service.  The subcommittee for this core value agrees that customer service is part of the value, but not all of it. 

Various Steering members explained that the idea for the learning path was presented to and approved by the Senior Management Group and the Leadership Team.  The intent was to continue requiring staff to participate in training geared to core values during the performance review year, which began on November 1.  Even though the core values have not been defined yet, a learning path needed to be ready. 

It was suggested that the words “People First” be removed from the learning path title to avoid confusion when the core value is actually defined.  Chris agreed to bring the suggestion to the next Leadership Team meeting on December 8. 

There was also discussion about the fact that requiring completion of learning paths for core values as part of performance reviews creates a punitive atmosphere around the values.  This could have a chilling effect on encouraging staff to view core values positively. 

Future meetings 

The group discussed whether to keep meetings virtual for the remainder of 2021, and begin meeting in person in 2022.  The consensus was that in person meetings are preferred when discussing proposals. 

Next meeting will be on Wednesday, December 1, 3:30-5:00 PM, on Zoom. 

Pauline reminded the group that she will be on AVL on the next meeting date, and asked for volunteers to take minutes at that meeting. 

Action items: