Valuing what you do - Jane reflects on 2024, a rewarding and challenging year with a surprise ending.
Think about what you do and who you are.
Do you create value?
Do you feel valued?
One of the things we hear most often from employees is, ‘I want to feel valued’. And from entrepreneurs and self-employed people, ‘I want to make a difference – create value’. At Result we are no different. As a social enterprise our primary purpose is to benefit people who feel excluded. Most of you reading this have been there. You probably know yourself how traumatic isolation and exclusion can be and how surprisingly long its impact can last.
When the going gets tough, a strong sense of giving value and being valued by others can provide a more stable foundation when we hit the inevitable rocky patches. This is important for all of us, but especially so for the people we at Result work with who may, for example have:
- become disabled and experienced major changes such as reduced energy, mobility, sight or hearing
- had a diagnosis of a long-term, life-limiting or degenerative health condition
- lost their job and livelihood
- been waiting too long to receive a decision about the country they can live in
- faced threats or danger
- experienced discrimination of different – or multiple – types, or bullying l
- ost confidence
- lost hope.
Our training and coaching for and by people with such experience offers the people we work with a way back to themselves. Active listening, encouragement, ideas, a safe environment in which to share and meet others with relevant experience can let them pick up the pieces and find a way to keep going, develop and be happier.
Result’s associates are part of this group. Not outside it. 2024 has been an exceptionally hard year for many people. We at Result acknowledge the privileges we hold and try to use them positively. But the year has been one of change, struggle and sometimes vulnerability for us, with leadership transition and some disappointments regarding funding.
External recognition of the value we bring is welcome. It is not why we do what we do, but it helps us spread the word about our services and to reach more people. And it feels good!
That’s why Result was deeply honoured to recently win the new ‘Learning Excellence Award’ from KPMG, for our DELTA (Disability Empowers Leadership Talent) programme with the Leadership College of Government based at Cabinet Office. We were particularly humbled to receive this award when there was a strong field of nominations and a shortlist of powerful organisations including Coventry University. Stepping up, with Bejoseholo Aikhom, from our partner organisation, TERN, to collect the award was a heady moment. It feels good. It helps Result feel genuinely valued. We are extremely grateful to KPMG for this. It has helped us end 2024 on a positive, optimistic note and to look forward with hope.
Thank you to KPMG. Thank you to all our partners who have helped us create value for people who feel excluded and more broadly in your organisations. A big thank you to the whole Result team and associates who give their skills, imagination and time wholeheartedly to make Result effective, successful and sustainable.
We value this award highly, as we value all of the awards we have been lucky enough to win over the years.
However we want to finish by reflecting on the question:
What do we value most? It’s our clients of course …
It’s the spark in someone’s eyes when they gain a new insight for the first time or see a way through an impossible-feeling situation.
It’s a tentative smile where there was none before.
It’s the firmer tone of voice when someone takes a positive decision for themselves.
It’s the change in body language when a person expresses, sometimes for the first time in their life, their experience or their dream for themselves.
It’s a group coming together and realising their collective power.
It’s hearing that a new social entrepreneur got their first contract or funding and is on their way to changing the world.
We are what we do and we love what we do.