2012 Governor’s Round Table
5a. Modeling the Way: Organizational Values
President-elect Raquel Arreola Ruiz
(SLIDE 1)
I often think about what makes a happy, healthy sustainable
Soroptimist organization. This is also a topic that I’m asked
frequently about. Members want to know the secrets of successful
programming, how to gain and retain their membership, where to
find more fundraising dollars, and how to gain publicity. What do
you mean by programming? Programs as in mission based stuff
or programming as in presentations at meetings etc?
The answer is simpler than you might think. Because all roads
lead back to the leader!
(SLIDE 2)
As Governors, your role is to translate Soroptimists’ values into a
meaningful context that members can relate to and feel excited
about. By doing so, you will have created a team with a shared
mental model that can bring the Soroptimist experience from
ordinary to extraordinary for the members in your region.
(SLIDE 3)
So … what are values? Values are the beliefs we hold in common
and endeavor to put into practice.
(SLIDE 4)
Values guide performance and the decisions that are made.
(SLIDE 5)
Ideally, a member’s personal values will align with the spoken and
unspoken values of Soroptimist.
(SLIDE 6)
What are Soroptimists’ core values?
Soroptimist International of the Americas is committed to:
 The belief that all women deserve to lead full and productive
lives
 Women working together to help other women
 International diversity and fellowship
To be an effective team, we need to understand these values.
They are the big picture and the framework for your region. By
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embracing these values in your role as Governor, you’ll see how it
impacts the effectiveness of others and the overall team effort.
Too often, we ask members to do things such as work on a
project or donate money without being told how their role, how
these important efforts contribute to Soroptimist’s values, much
less how they affect others around them.
(SLIDE 7)
Understanding and living our values promotes collaboration,
increases commitment, and improves quality.
So let’s deconstruct our values to gain a better understanding of
them.
(SLIDE 8)
1. The belief that all women deserve to lead full and productive
lives
Our name, Soroptimist, means "best for women," and it’s what we
strive to achieve in our 19 countries and territories…for every
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women to be able to take control of her life and to live her dream.
Every time we present a Women’s Opportunity Award we are
assisting a woman who provides the primary source of financial
support for her family. We are giving her the resources she needs
to improve her education, skills, and employment prospects—with
the ultimate goal of achieving a better life for her, her family and
as research points out, her community and country.
(SLIDE 9)
2. Women working together to help other women
Soroptimist was formed because women interested in
volunteering in their communities were not permitted to join male
service organizations. Since 1921 women have been working
together through our membership to help women improve their
standing in the world. Although we have made tremendous
strides, we still do not enjoy equal economic or social status. As
an organization of and for women, Soroptimist endeavors to
tackle the gender equality or women’s rights’ issues. Just a few
weeks ago this value said women helping women but recently this
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value was modified by the SIA board to state women working
together to help other women. Why? Because we want our
organization to value not only helping other women outside
Soroptimist, but inside as well…by Soroptimists working together
with each other ….through teamwork, not ego work. In other
words, Soroptimists are women at their best, working to help
other women to be their best.
(SLIDE 10)
3. International diversity and fellowship
As a global organization, Soroptimist International of the Americas
represents 19 countries and territories. All told, SIA’s 36,000
members speak six different languages and yet are able to come
together in fellowship, at forums just like this, to unite in our
mission of improving the lives of women and girls. We hold our
diversity and our ability to work together in fellowship as a core
value, for it allows us to learn from each other while banding
together, increasing our stature and resources to address
women’s rights issues.
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(SLIDE 11)
To further demonstrate how important this core value is to us, SIA
federates with Soroptimist International of Great Britain and
Ireland, Soroptimist International of Europe, and Soroptimist
International of the South West Pacific through Soroptimist
International the name given to unite the four Soroptimist
federations in their common efforts to advance the status of
women.
Together all four federations represent 90,000 members in in just
a little over one third of the world’s countries When you think
about the thousands of Soroptimist members around the world
you will realize the power of our network for advancing women’s
rights, their personal growth, professional development and
community improvement.
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These are our spoken values. These are our core organizational
values that have been defined as the acceptable standards which
govern the behavior of our members.
(SLIDE 12)
Values Breakout
Now, what about unspoken values – particularly those unspoken
values in our regions and clubs?
Let’s take some time to talk amongst ourselves about these
unspoken values. By defining these values, we will discover
what's truly important to Soroptimist members.
At your tables, I want you take a few minutes to discuss and
brainstorm what values guide region and clubs’ actions and
behaviors, how actions and behaviors set your priorities, how they
allocate your time and energy. Remember, this is brainstorming,
so don’t think too hard, say whatever comes to your mind.
Then I want you to discuss and narrow down the above list to the
top three values in your regions.
Finally, take those top three and write them in the charts provided
on the handout. Answer the yes/no questions for each value.
Any questions? Ok, take a few minutes to start brainstorming
those values!
(After 5 minutes) Now you should have a listing of values. Take
the next few minutes to work on narrowing them down to the top
three.
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(After 5 minutes) Now you should have those top three values.
Go ahead and add them to the charts on the front and back of the
sheets and as a group, answer the yes or no questions.
(After 5 minutes) Ok, is everyone finished with the exercise?
(Allow a minute or two if necessary to let those who are finished
complete the task)
(SLIDE 13)
Report Out
Now we’ll hear from each table. Please have one person from
each table stand and say the table’s top three values and how
many YES answers each had. (Write down each value on the
overhead projector and include the # of yes answers – an
assistant can help with this) (15 minutes)
Summary
Are there similarities among the regions? (note if there are any)
Are there similarities to the written core values of SIA? (note if
there are any)
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Of course there are! These shared values underlie the culture of
Soroptimist and will guide decisions and behavior of our
members. Identifying and understanding our spoken and
unspoken values is challenging, but it’s very important. By
becoming more aware of the core values of Soroptimists, we can
use them to guide our decisions and to be better Governors.
The values of Soroptimist, both spoken or unspoken, form the
Soroptimist culture, within SIA, your region and your club. And
often times, those unspoken values are what lead to a very
different member experience from club to club and region to
region.
I encourage you to use SIA’s core values as a guide for your
Governorship and to be mindful of the unspoken values we’ve
uncovered today, as they are often the behaviors that can derail
new members from staying on.
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(SLIDE 14)
Here are few suggestions to ensure you have living these values
and how you can bring them back to your regions:
1. Constantly communicate the values of Soroptimist.
Values should be part of your communications, both internally and
externally. If we say that we're women working together to help
other women, we need to reflect that and promote civility in our
own clubs. Keep in mind the “Golden Rule” that states: Treat
others as you would like to be treated. Truly promote being
women who work together and not women who tear each other
down.
2. Welcome new members into the fold.
Our spoken and unspoken values should be available
immediately to new members when they join Soroptimist. Ensure
that new members know explicitly what they are getting involved
in. Use orientation sessions and mentors to reiterate SIA’s core
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values and any unspoken values that are assumed and define
your culture just as much as the core values.
3. Confront contradictory behavior.
Provide constructive advice to those who don't live out the core
values of Soroptimist. If members are allowed to live out
contradictory values in the context of the club, then over time
there is a clear danger that these will usurp the core values of the
organization.
4. Periodically check in with feedback.
Ask members what they think are the core values of Soroptimist.
Ask others outside of the organization - not only members, but
others who may be influenced by the stated values - observers,
former members, people in the community, etc. By doing this, we
can make sure our values remain relevant.
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Finally, knowing and living the Soroptimist spoken and unspoken
values defines the culture of our much-loved organization. It’s the
way that things get done.
Now that you have a clearer understanding of our spoken and
unspoken values, you can champion them, spread them, and
consult them whenever you need to make a key decision. The
core values of Soroptimist point us in the right direction as we
pursue our mission of improving the lives of women and girls,
locally and globally.
So please, remember to rely on the core values of Soroptimist to
point you in the right direction during your term as Governors.
(SLIDE 15)
Thank you!
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