Our values and behaviours

Our values and behaviours

Four people sitting with large artwork behind them
At The Painted Hall. Credit: Alys Tomlinson
Our values and behaviours are the bedrock on which we build success for our people, communities and heritage.

We have a set of values and behaviours at The National Lottery Heritage Fund created by all of our people during a collaborative and wide-ranging consultation process.

They set a consistent standard for everyone to work to, helping us decide:

  • how we do things
  • how we treat others
  • how we expect to be treated
  • what we say and how we say it

The culture they create helps us be successful, meet our organisational goals, support our customers and make The Heritage Fund a great place to work.

Values and behaviours 

We have four values, each with an associated set of behaviours. The values are what we stand for, the behaviours are how we do things. 

Read about each of the values below.

Respect and celebration: we are inclusive of all aspects of heritage, people and communities.

Appreciating the richness inclusion brings, we champion the interests of all and actively challenge exclusion. We respect each other. Recognising and supporting diverse communities.

Behaviours

We live this when:
  • we champion diversity, equality and inclusion
  • we respect and care about each other, we are supportive
  • we celebrate success wherever it happens
  • we act with fairness
We don’t live this when:
  • we are disrespectful, dismissive or insensitive to others, not considering the impact of our behaviours
  • we make inconsistent or unfair decisions
  • we ignore inappropriate behaviour
  • we don’t consider or support the needs of those who are different to us

Ambition with heart: ambitious for our people, communities and heritage.

We are enterprising, innovative and bold. Looking to the future and open to new ideas. We grow ourselves, our leadership position and sustainability.

Behaviours

We live this when:
  • we challenge the status quo where we can see there’s a better way
  • we aren’t afraid to take a considered risk
  • we encourage and champion new ideas
  • we think long term and embrace sustainability
We don’t live this when:
  • we act within our comfort zones
  • we dismiss alternative ideas and discourage others from suggesting new ways of working
  • we make poorly planned decisions that don’t take the future into account
  • we ignore problems and challenges instead of addressing them

Strength in cooperation: we are collaborative by working and learning together.

Working across boundaries to deliver solutions. Listening and learning from the best mix of skills and expertise. We share knowledge and experience.

Behaviours 

We live this when:
  • we work well in partnerships, harnessing the skills and knowledge of others
  • we listen and learn from each other
  • we actively share our knowledge and expertise
  • we encourage and champion new ideas from all sources
We don’t live this when:
  • we pursue an individual or solo agenda rather than involving others
  • we discourage, avoid or dismiss feedback
  • we make little or no effort to understand the perspective of others

Doing what is right: trusted for our integrity, expertise and judgement.

Choosing what is right over what is easy. Leading by example. We are fair, open and transparent.

Behaviours 

We live this when:
  • we are open and honest in our communication
  • we trust and respect people, irrespective of status and hierarchy
  • if we make a mistake, we admit it and learn from it
  • we act with responsible authority and accountability
We don’t live this when:
  • we micro-manage and don’t delegate
  • we don’t take responsibility for our actions
  • we are disorganised, wasteful and ignore proper processes
  • we put our individual interests above those of The Heritage Fund

Recruiting through our values

Our values and behaviours are central to how we recruit. How job applicants demonstrate them is just as important to us as skills and experience.

We therefore assess job applications against the Behaviours and applicants are asked about times they have demonstrated them during interview.