Transform Rockford Update: Our Shared Values

In its effort to re-envision the Rockford region and create a Top 25 community, Transform Rockford has developed several guiding principles. Learn what these values mean to the movement.

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Tur shared values are the cornerstone of our Transformation movement. One of the first things completed early on in our efforts was the establishment of Our Shared Values.

Everybody has values. Just ask them. They may not be able to tell you what they are, off the top of their heads, but they certainly have values. If you give them a little more time they will probably start to list some of the most common values.

Why establish a set of shared values? Values represent our guiding principles – our broadest motivations, influencing the attitudes we hold and how we act.

Shared values bring us together. As we commit to the values, and follow the values, they define how we treat one another, set the ground rules for discussion and allow everyone to have a voice.

We have embarked on important efforts to create shared values in the transformation effort by establishing and bringing the values to the forefront. Yet our recognition of the transformative power of shared values is still in its genesis. Actually realizing it will require leaders and the entire community to develop a far deeper appreciation of how we may all move forward toward our vision for the future, by embracing a common set of values.

Pledge to uphold these values. We will commit to them, promise to follow them and hold each other accountable to them. It will be our new way of life. Our Shared Values will define how we treat one another as individuals, organizations and industries. They set the ground rules for our discussions and allow everyone to have a voice. The Shared Values will provide our community an opportunity to come together and get to know each other. I believe that we have more in common than we may be aware of. We all want that preferred future; we all want to be part of a Top 25 community where our people are engaged, inspired and able to lead successful and fulfilling lives. Our Shared Values will guide us in our decision making and help us open dialogue on important subjects, which will be critical to the success of the transformation process.

What can you do?

Please study the Shared Values and determine how they can fit into your daily life. Discuss them with your family, friends and coworkers. Several organizations have used the shared values as a focus of discussion within group gatherings. Churches, neighborhood associations and businesses have created roundtable discussions focusing on one or several of the values. They use them as catalysts for discussion on how we relate and interact with each other.

It is common for Transform Rockford meetings to open with an individual sharing a recent example of a shared value they recently experienced or witnessed. This has become a tradition which inspires many as we go about our efforts to plan the transformation of our community.

Which value resonates most with you?

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