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Core Values and
Principles
To accomplish our vision of a healthy,
humane, vibrant world, the Institutes work is all rooted in the values at
the core of The Pollyanna Principles.
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Pollyanna Principle
#1:
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We accomplish what
we hold ourselves accountable for. |
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Pollyanna Principle
#2:
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Each and every one
of us is creating the future, every day, whether we do so consciously or
not. |
At the
Community-Driven Institute, we hold ourselves accountable for creating a
healthy, vibrant, humane future for our childrens grandchildren and
beyond.
Towards that end:
- Our actions and decisions will begin
with the positive desired end results in mind, working backwards to determine
the cause-and-effect conditions that will create those results.
- We will favor decisions that create
long term improvement for our communities over short term expediency for the
Institute or the individuals and organizations we serve.
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Pollyanna Principle
#3:
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Everyone and
everything is interconnected and interdependent, whether we acknowledge that or
not. |
Towards that end:
- Both our internal work and our work
with individuals, organizations and communities will inspire and encourage
cooperation.
- The best decision will be the decision
that provides the best end result for the highest number of our program
participants and the communities they serve. If it is not good for everyone
affected, it is not good for the Institute.
- Any action taken at the Institute will
treat all parties involved with respect, compassion, generosity, humanity,
grace... and fun!
- The Institute will encourage all
strata of the Social Sector to work side by side, to share in each others
wisdom, and effect greater change. The Institute will further encourage
reaching beyond the sector, to ensure the whole community shares ownership of
and responsibility for the future we are creating.
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Pollyanna Principle
#4:
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Being the
change we want to see means walking the talk of our
values. |
Towards that end:
- The Institute will model the behaviors
we want to see in others in the decisions we make and the actions we
take.
- The Institute will be explicit when
doing so, to be clear that it is not only practical but creates stronger
internal AND external results when we are walking the talk of our
values.
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Pollyanna Principle
#5:
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Strength builds upon
our strengths, not our weaknesses. |
Towards that end:
- We will encourage individuals and
groups to draw on their own wisdom and experience, acknowledging that most
often, people have the answers inside them, waiting to be tapped.
- We will encourage individuals and
groups to see the abundance of resources they already have at their fingertips,
helping them identify ways to build upon that asset base.
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Pollyanna Principle
#6:
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Individuals will go
where systems lead them. |
Towards that end:
- The systems we use and teach will aim
individuals and groups at their highest potential.
- The systems we use and teach will
inspire rather than prescribe. They will encourage and engage rather than
tell. They will be rooted in high expectations for extraordinary
results, rather than assumptions about what individuals or groups should
do.
- The systems we use and teach will be
simple enough that they can be maintained without the ongoing need for
consulting or other assistance.
For more detail
about what these principles look like in action,
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