Cheshire East Council home page
  • Audio icon Translate icon Listen and translate
  • Account icon My account

Values and behaviours

Values and Behaviours

For everyone

Providing a great public service in a radically changing world is something that we are passionate about at Cheshire East Council. Our promise of 'working for a brighter future-together' is at the centre of this and can only be delivered upon by us all consistently living our five core values which we believe underpin our success.

Flexibility - I will for everyone

I will
  • Actively participate in and contribute to change
  • Seek to understand and speak positively about changes
  • Continue to learn and improve for the benefit of myself, my team and my customer
  • Be flexible at work and willing to try new things
  • Listen to others' opinions without judging
I won't

Flexibility - I won't for everyone

  • Say ‘that won’t work, we’ve tried that before’ and then do what I’ve always done
  • Say ‘it’s not my job’ or just moan
  • Give up when things don’t go as I planned

Innovation - I will for everyone

I will
  • Regularly and positively challenge myself and others about the way we do things
  • Ask curious questions
  • Work collaboratively to solve problems
  • Constantly look for new ways of working
  • Take a risk and make a suggestion
I won't

Innovation - I won't for everyone

  • Ignore something or say nothing when something seems wrong
  • Dismiss or be negative or overly critical of new ideas
  • Just deliver something because that is what we have always done

Responsibility - I will for everyone

I will
  • Be honest and realistic about what is achievable and seek to exceed wherever I can
  • Keep my word and do what I say I am going to do
  • Be responsible for my own behaviours and actions
  • Always strive to be the best I can, asking for help if I need it
  • Own up when things go wrong
I won't

Responsibility - I won't for everyone

  • Make promises I can't keep or just not deliver on them
  • Fob people off
  • Blame others - pass the buck

Service - I will for everyone

I will
  • Deliver the very best service I can to my customers, my colleagues and our partners, constantly, responsibly and reliably
  • Actively listen to people and take their opinions into account before I respond appropriately
  • Seek and value feedback and act on it
  • Constantly look for ways to help and support others
  • Put myself in other people's shoes

Service - I won't for everyone

I won't
  • Assume I know what people want and act on my assumptions
  • Ignore the concerns and needs of others
  • Keep information, advice and ideas to myself

Teamwork - I will for everyone

I will
  • Take time for people, be mindful of them and my impact on others
  • Value individuals' strengths and differences and treat others as equals
  • Actively encourage and support people to get involved and collaborate, both in my team and across others
  • Be open, honest, friendly and respect others
  • Thank and praise people for a good job done

Teamwork - I won't for everyone

I won't
  • Ignore or put down any member of my team or others, especially if they are struggling
  • Turn a blind eye to poor behaviours or unacceptable language
  • Take credit for other people's work
Values and Behaviours

For People Managers

Flexibility - I will for People Managers

I will
  • Give people the space and time to grow, develop and seek promotion
  • Keep my people informed and updated, especially in times of change
  • Seek and learn from feedback about my management style
I won't

Flexibility - I won't for People Managers

  • Exclude staff from meetings or decisions that impact on them
  • let the skills and knowledge of myself and my team slip
  • neglect the wellbeing and work life balance of myself or of my team

Innovation - I will for People Managers

I will
  • Take time to clarify an issue or opportunity and then drive creative changes and solutions
  • Seek and listen to bottom up ideas
  • Check that ideas are realistic and achievable
  • Encourage people to experiment and try new ways of doing things
I won't

Innovation - I won't for People Managers

  • Treat any idea as a silly idea
  • Accept my team "staying the same" because they've always done it that way
  • Hide mistakes under the carpet

Responsibility - I will for People Managers

I will
  • Make timely decisions and be accountable for them
  • Lead by example and role model positive behaviours
  • Make sure that decisions are made by people closest to the customer or problem
  • Always be timely in giving constructive feedback and coaching
I won't

Responsibility - I won't for People Managers

  • Shirk my responsibilities as a leader, manager or supervisor
  • Allow my staff to side step responsibility
  • Ask people to do things I know they are not capable of

Service - I will for People Managers

I will
  • Encourage my staff to share their concerns
  • Seek feedback from my people, and customers and act upon it
  • Be clear in my directions, communicate the priorities and explain the reasons why
  • Identify, coach and build on people’s strengths

Service - I won't for People Managers

I won't
  • Ignore the voices of those who are quieter or more challenging
  • Ignore a request for my help
  • Allow unrealistic expectations or priorities to go unchallenged or unmanaged

Teamwork - I will for People Managers

I will
  • Make time for my team and individuals
  • Ensure that all my team are heard and respected
  • Treat my team and individuals fairly
  • Be my team’s champion
  • Act in the best interests of the whole council - adopting a “one team” approach

Teamwork - I won't for People Managers

I won't
  • Allow bullying or negative behaviour in my team
  • Micro manage people
  • Just work independently as the manager of the team rather than as part of the team
Values and Behaviours

For Members

Flexibility - I will for Members

I will
  • actively participate in and contribute to change
  • listen and engage with others’ opinions
  • be open to new opportunities and personal development
I won't

Flexibility - I won't for Members

  • have a closed mind
  • ignore my own emotions and well-being
  • give up when things don’t go as planned

Innovation - I will for Members

I will
  • regularly and positively challenge myself and others about the way we do things
  • ask searching questions in a polite and respectful manner
  • work collaboratively to solve problems
  • encourage new conversations about what might be possible
I won't

Innovation - I won't for Members

  • ignore wrongdoing
  • dismiss or be negative of new ideas

Responsibility - I will for Members

I will
  • be responsible for my own behaviours and actions
  • keep my word and do what I say I am going to do
  • always strive to be the best I can, asking for help if I need it
I won't

Responsibility - I won't for Members

  • make promises I can't keep
  • blame others or pass the buck
  • expect officers to reply to emails outside of working hours

Service - I will for Members

I will
  • treat others as I would expect to be treated
  • actively listen to people and respond appropriately
  • seek and value feedback and act on it positively
  • deliver the very best service I can to my constituents, my colleagues and our officers
  • be publicly positive about services that are delivering high quality service

Service - I won't for Members

I won't
  • assume I know what people want and act on my assumptions
  • ignore the concerns and needs of others
  • keep information and ideas to myself
  • be critical of officers in the press or social media
  • forget that officers have no right of reply

Teamwork - I will for Members

I will
  • take time for people, be mindful of my impact on others
  • value individuals' strengths and differences and treat others as equals
  • actively encourage and support people to get involved and collaborate, both in my party and across all boundaries
  • be open, honest, courteous and respect others
  • thank and praise people for a job well done

Teamwork - I won't for Members

I won't
  • ignore or be personal about others when putting forward an opinion
  • turn a blind eye to poor behaviours or unacceptable language
  • micro manage officers
  • try to ambush officers with unexpected questions in meetings

Related pages

Page last reviewed: 23 April 2024