CFA Values and behaviours: what do they mean to South West Region Acting Assistant Chief Officer Gregg Paterson
CFA Values and Behaviours
“Following on from all the wonderful work undertaken during consultation with our members, I am pleased to announce our agreed organisational values – safety, respect, integrity, together and adaptive. Based on members’ feedback, these values represent behaviours which will help guide us in how we approach our roles and each other at CFA.
Reviewing our values has been a key priority for us as CFA leaders. Last year, the results from our culture surveys with members showed us that we needed to do more to improve our culture. We knew a big part of organisational culture is influenced by values, and so we began asking members for ideas and suggestions about the values which they felt truly represented us as an organisation.”
CFA CEO Michael Wootten, 6 May 2015
As a result of these extensive consultations the CFA Board has endorsed a new set of organizational values. Our new values are as follows, and are not necessarily in priority order.
- We put safety first
What does this mean to me:
The nature of our organisation and the myriad of services we deliver to the community has meant historically that we think of safety in an operational sense. In terms of this organisational value I will actively promote a safe working environment across our entire organisation and our activities. A safe, healthy and happy workforce is an effective workforce. CFA dot points (Intranet) say:
- We actively pursue zero harm
- We want everyone to get home safe and well
- We have a harmonious workplace
- We encourage discussions on safety matters
- We work together as one
What does this mean to me:
To be effective and successful in our service delivery to the front line requires us to rethink some of the ways in which we interact (or not) with each other. The old adage, there is no I in team” is really important here. I will actively promote effective engagement strategies and ensure that all people that my projects impact on are engaged and able to value add. I will also continue to foster a “joined up and integrated” approach with our partner agencies. CFA dot points (Intranet) say:
- We unite to deliver on our mission
- We work in and promote inclusive teams
- We work collaboratively with the community and the sector
- We are adaptive and agile
What does this mean to me:
This value is challenging for me. In terms of the work we do I find myself sometimes being drawn from pillar to post and reacting to the ever changing scene. I have always considered myself adaptive and agile but maybe not to the levels required of an effective leader. I will now challenge the norm more readily and recognise and reward innovation in our people. “Better practice and innovation” are now my catch phrases. CFA dot points (Intranet) say:
- We are open to the challenge of change
- We are proactive and make it happen
- We challenge the status quo and recognise innovators
- We act with integrity
What does this mean to me:
As a government agency we need to look our stakeholders and partners in the eye and be able to put our hands on our heart and say we have given it our best shot, and be able to demonstrate honesty and integrity in the delivery of our services. As an individual I will ensure that any activity I undertake on behalf of the organisation or myself will be conducted in accordance with our policies and in a truthful and respectful manner. I will never offer up something that I cannot achieve and I will ensure I provide ethical evidence to demonstrate my achievements, successful or otherwise. CFA dot points (Intranet) say:
- We do what we say we will do
- We are honest, open and act fairly
- We make transparent and timely decisions
- We are accountable
- We respect each other
What does this mean to me:
Respect is a value that should apply to our daily lives, not just while we are at work. For me, respect is paramount in promoting a positive culture and in achieving our service delivery successes, so I will continue to embed the philosophies of “think win-win” and “seek first to understand, then to be understood” into my daily life. (Stephen Covey: 7 Habits of Highly Effective People). CFA dot points (Intranet) say:
- We acknowledge each other's ideas, opinions and contributions
- We welcome diversity
- We show empathy and understanding
- We respect the time of our people
Embedding of our new values into our daily life as CFA members is everyone’s responsibility. I would ask that all of our people have a think about how these values impact on their behaviours and encourage a widespread distribution, implementation and promotion of our new values across your work locations. To assist in the promotion and embedding of our values South West region have appointed 2 values ambassadors in Glenda Walter and Emma Cort. Please feel free to contact Glenda or Emma if you have any queries or feedback.
“These values complement our Fire Service Star virtues rather than replace them. The star is an important part of our history and will continue to be part of CFA tradition.
As CFA leaders we know we play a key role in living our values. However, to be truly successful, we know our values must be built from the ground up.”
Michael Wootten, 6 May 2015
Author: Sharon Mifsud