Mission, Vision, and Beliefs

ACHIEVE’s mission is to inspire learning and improve lives. We envision a world where everyone likes where they work.

We aspire to be the most trusted, accessible provider of quality training and resources on the topics of leadership, workplace culture, conflict resolution, and communication skills.

Core Beliefs

These core beliefs guide our approach to the development of our materials and services.

We believe that workplace culture deserves attention.
We believe that workplace culture drives employee and client engagement. Culture refers to how an organization gets things done and the ways in which people relate to each other. Organizational leadership should give workplace culture at least as much attention as operational matters. Healthy workplace cultures lead to thriving organizations, just as unhealthy cultures lead to low morale, employee turnover, and poor operational results. Workplace culture can be improved through intentional practices.

We believe in collaborative leadership.
We believe that people and teams perform best when leaders work with people as opposed to exercising power over them, which is why we value a collaborative approach to leadership. In our view, management and leadership are distinct-yet-related functions. We believe that leadership is about eliciting the best from people and involves providing example and vision. Management is a function within an organization which focuses on directing the activities of the organization in accordance with its objectives. We believe that leadership and management skills are learned through hard work, practice, and self-reflection.

We believe that our responses to conflict matter.
We believe that conflict is natural and inevitable and that our responses and strategies for dealing with conflict matter. In our view, the successful resolution of conflict involves shifting away from a competitive, win/lose mindset to an attitude of cooperation and collaboration. We believe that when people communicate well by listening intently, focusing on each other’s interests, and respecting differences, they can resolve conflict in healthy and productive ways.

We are dedicated to ongoing development.
We recognize that strategies for leadership, conflict resolution, and workplace culture are constantly evolving. We strive to ensure that our training materials integrate current research and best practices with the collective wisdom of our experienced consultants and trainers. We also give special consideration to the specific needs of the communities in which we facilitate training – our materials need to be flexible and applicable to a wide range of potential clients and participants.

We value our relationships with Indigenous communities.
We recognize the privilege that comes with being invited into Indigenous communities to train and work together. We understand that with this privilege comes a responsibility to acknowledge cultural biases, as well as honour the ongoing impact of colonialism and intergenerational trauma. Fundamental to all our work with Indigenous peoples is building relationships and listening humbly with an open heart and mind.

Statement on Reconciliation

As we walk the path of reconciliation, we are mindful of the connections we share with all our relatives. We understand that these connections are impacted by colonization and that there is trauma in our relationships and to the land and Indigenous ways of life. We commit to listening and learning from our relationships, and to be guided by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s 94 Calls to Action and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

We value diverse cultures and identities.

We honour the diversity of identities, beliefs, values, and practices of the people we encounter through our work. Organizations and individuals are healthier and perform better when efforts are made to increase awareness and respect for the uniqueness of each person, including their ethnicity, nationality, spirituality, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ability level, immigration status, and socioeconomic status. We acknowledge that deep prejudices, racism, and violence toward minority groups pervade society and that we have a responsibility to work against structures and attitudes that oppress others.