FPM Values

Posted on: Saturday 20 June 2020
Author: Dr Marcia Philbin, Chief Executive, FPM

Values are important for modern and forward thinking organisations, as they help to support the vision, shape the culture and support decision-making but most importantly, they govern how we all behave towards one another.

In 2019, FPM staff, trustees and members collaborated to develop a core set of values which were launched as part of the FPM 2020-2022 Strategic Plan. The main thread through all FPM values is that of respect – respect for staff, trustees, members, customers and stakeholders. The values that we identified are summarised below:

Professional

We are accountable for our work and actions by:

- Being courteous to others even when you disagree

- Taking ownership and responsibility for our decisions

- Sharing information that will help others

Innovative

We are proactive in seeking solutions by:

- Welcoming and listening to diverse opinions

- Allowing others to share their expertise and creativity

- Enabling a culture where new ideas can be tried and tested without fear of reprimand

Caring

We treat everyone with dignity by:

- Actively listening to others as well as being mindful of their feelings and opinions

- Recognising that we all work differently

- Celebrating others’ successes

Collaborative

We work positively with others by:

- Allowing others to express themselves without fear of ridicule

- Sharing our ideas with others

- Taking collective ownership of achieving a common goal

Credible

We will be honest and ethical in our work by:

- Being open and transparent with others

- Managing expectations through setting realistic and achievable goals

- Committing to high standards that are consistent with our expectations need

Learned

We will invest in developing our knowledge and skills by:

- Recognising when we need to make progress

- Being curious and interested in new ways of doing things

- Learning from our mistakes

How will FPM embrace these values? We have to work with a range of stakeholders both within and without FPM, and in order for FPM to have influence, it is important how others view us, which can be as a result of our behaviour and attitude. Values are active and we live them every day. For example, when the FPM staff transitioned to working from home due to COVID-19, Innovation was in action as we quick developed new webinars for our members. FPM has published a series of blogs on COVID-19 and this required Collaboration with several contributors. The quality of the blogs demonstrated the credibility of the expertise in FPM. All of this is underpinned by the FPM values.

The next stage in the development of the FPM values is to identify and summarise the behaviours that align with each of the values. Once this is complete, an FPM values framework will be developed and implemented.

The tragic events surrounding the death of George Floyd and the resulting outpouring of grief and demonstrations both in the USA and across the world all too clearly highlight the importance of respect for everyone regardless of who they are. Through the development and adoption of FPM’s values, we will embrace diversity, we will behave responsibly, we will use the FPM resources judiciously and we will respect everyone, regardless of who they are. Who would not want to be part of such a forward thinking and welcoming organisation?

Dr Marcia Philbin
Chief Executive, FPM

This article was originally published in the 6th Edition of the Journal of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine (Spring/Summer 2020).