How do you create company values that are more than just words on paper? How do you unlock the power of a values-aligned organization?

LVL-Up was founded by Rona Jobe and Laura Jennings, and they were intentional about the guiding principles they chose for the company: Progress, Collaboration, Autonomy, Integrity, Ingenuity, and Adaptability.

These six principles serve as a filter and a standard for clients and team members alike. Guiding principles help attract folks who live out the values of your company and are intrinsically driven by them.

Recent recognition from the AAFSW through the CCE-EFM award showed us that our guiding principles are driving our team forward for the community, but how do the principles drive individual team members? This month, we asked our team that very question.

Progress

If you’ve been following us for a while, you know that LVL-Up strongly values progress. It is also the guiding principle that our team mentions most often. “I am not perfect, and I am not where I want to be in life yet, but I know that each day I progress towards my goals and a better version of myself,” says client manager Monika Nordlander. “I find joy in helping others make progress in their goals, lives, projects, and businesses.”

Collaboration

When sharing why collaboration resonates with her, client manager Nora Burke says, “I've also always been of the mind that two perspectives on a problem are better than one. Working from home, it is easier to work in a silo than it is to work as a remote team. However, if you are encouraged to meet with coworkers and collaborate on projects, then your company will experience better employee engagement and stronger client deliverables.”

Autonomy

Autonomy is a necessity for high-quality remote work. A team needs to know that teammates are pulling their weight and that they aren’t alone in their work-from-home environment. Autonomy is “activated trust,” and we feel that as a team. “In this foreign service life, I need to be autonomous in order to work from home from every post while maintaining an upwardly mobile career path,” says program manager Morgan Province. “We leverage technology to tackle rewarding, challenging work, but it’s the autonomy that truly allows us to delegate, review, and deliver work no matter where in the world we are located.”

Integrity

Being partners of Foreign Service/military personnel and remote team members means integrity is critical. But integrity is also what internally drives our team to excellence. Chief strategy officer Laura Jennings says, “Your character doesn't let you let your team down. You want to deliver because you care how your work impacts the client, their business, and the rest of your team.”

Integrity is also fundamental to a remote and asynchronous workplace. “Being open and honest about resourcing and capacity, as well as transparent regarding our processes, workflow, and challenges allows us to build excellent relationships with other implementers as well as long-term partnerships with clients,” says director of operations Heather Pelaez.

Ingenuity

Creativity is within each of us, and every department requires ingenuity to reach its next level. “The varying backgrounds of our team means we approach our client’s problems with fresh perspectives,” says Province. “We are good at looking at all sides of an issue to find paths forward, even without all of the data in front of us.”

“As globally-minded professionals, we inherently seek creative solutions that fit our environment,” says associate Ji Yeon Lee. “We live and work around the world, and we draw upon these skills, perspectives, and experiences when working with our clients.”

Adaptability

Adaptability is a competitive advantage for all small businesses. “There’s rapid and sometimes constant change for small businesses that are focused on growth and scale, testing constantly and then implementing and pivoting as needed” says LVL-Up CEO Rona Jobe. “Our team’s foreign service and military background has primed us to be adaptable, thanks to our constant transitions.

This alignment—leveraging the adaptability of LVL-Up’s team with small business consulting—is rewarding for each team member. “Nothing remains the same,” says Nordlander. “It is refreshing to work with a team that sees the value in each individual’s ability to be adaptable and creates opportunities for us to help our clients and our company progress.”

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LVL-Up helps organizations create their strategic roadmap, which includes defining your north star, mission statement, and guiding principles. To learn more, schedule a discovery call with our team.

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