VCU Administration’s Five Guiding Principles

 

1. Service Excellence

Actively identify needs to deliver quality and timely services that add value.  Strive to achieve excellence in all we do. Beyond what is delivered, service excellence includes how we think and act. We must go beyond simply answering questions. Service excellence includes problem-solving and identifying and addressing the root cause of an issue, collaborating in the development of plans and priorities and aligning them with campus goals and objectives, providing prompt and courteous responses, communicating proactively, clearly,  consistently, and aptly, and sharing our plans, priorities, and results widely.

2. Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Continuous Improvement

Actively pursue new ideas and approaches to our everyday work. Cultivate creativity and discovery. Innovation, entrepreneurship and continuous improvement require embracing creative leadership in order to think outside the box and bring new ideas to life. We must continually challenge ourselves to question current assumptions, streamline processes, gather evidence and look for new and bold ways to add value and enable the success of University faculty, students and staff, through effective, efficient, intelligent and innovative operations. We will encourage and reward healthy, smart risk taking as well as create and foster a culture that inspires innovation and creativity.

3. Teamwork and Collaboration

VCU is fortunate to be comprised of individuals with exceptional talent and dedication. Working together we will achieve great outcomes. We will promote a culture that encourages the free exchange of ideas and information and work in collaboration and partnership with colleagues throughout our campus and the local community to embrace and achieve our individual and collective goals. We will do so with kindness, respect, appreciation, and integrity and foster an environment that makes decisions that are in the best interest of the VCU community.

4. Healthy, High-Performance Culture

To support a healthy, high-performing culture, we will:

• Attract, develop and retain exceptional employees by creating a positive, kind, inclusive, psychologically safe work environment in which people from all backgrounds, abilities, perspectives, and experiences contribute, are valued, are engaged and enjoy working
• Invest in training and development
• Share ideas and information broadly
• Provide an egalitarian culture in which formal status distinctions are downplayed and we authentically listen to one another
• Recognize and value contributions
• Delegate decision making responsibility to enable skilled employees to use their abilities to make real decisions
• Measure and communicate results of our efforts
• Celebrate individual and team successes
• Identify and recognize outstanding performance
• Accept and learn from failures
• Grow leaders throughout the organization
• Share a commitment to each other, our purpose, VCU and our community at large

5. Prudent Management and Effective Leadership

We will act with integrity to efficiently, effectively and transparently steward the University’s resources.  We will find solutions while adhering to all applicable laws and regulations and make information, processes, procedures, and policies understandable and accessible. We take this responsibility extremely seriously and are committed to exceptional management and leadership. We will lead by example and remain highly engaged and visible to the VCU community.