GUIDING PRINCIPLES

The Decelerator’s Guiding Principles reflect the core values and commitments that shape how we work, both as a team and in service of the organisations and individuals we support. They guide our approach to navigating change and endings with purpose, care, and impact.

↔️ We prioritise relationships in all we do. Trust is crucial, and a key foundation for trust comes from building strong relationships. We invest time in fostering bonds within our team, with partners, and with organisations we serve. Embracing diversity, we communicate and collaborate with people different from ourselves, valuing these opportunities. Honesty, openness, and transparency guide us in resolving issues and strengthening relationships.

🌅 We work with emergence. In a time of rapid, complex change, our approach adapts based on ongoing learning and external feedback. Our offerings evolve creatively and experimentally to meet emerging needs.

🧭 We embrace the unknown. Rather than viewing doubt and uncertainty as barriers, we remain curious and acknowledge that we may not have all the answers. We rely on our instincts to guide us, challenging boundaries and welcoming new ideas and questions.

🏁 We focus on better endings for better beginnings. Our role is to articulate and share practices around better endings, not to judge or dictate when they should happen or if something is or was the right decision. We are passionate about the possibilities that better endings can create.

🪞 We are self-aware and reflective. Constant experimentation requires vulnerability and reflection at both personal and organisational levels. Our growth depends on understanding ourselves and our reactions, fostering critical self-reflection.

🫂 We bring care, compassion, and unconditional positive regard to all we do. Working on the margins of societal norms, we work with shame and other barriers that exist within us all and wider society to enable better endings with empathy. This starts with our interactions with each other.

🎇 We balance light and dark. This work needs to be full of challenge and often loaded with emotions, but also needs to be joyful, delightful, humorous and hopeful. We celebrate successes and learn from failures with a sense of humour, ensuring that delight, fun and laughter are integral to our process.

👪 We are a small, part-time, remote team experimenting with how to be effective and enjoy our work together. We stay effective by being diligent and thoughtful in our communication and collaboration. By building strong relationships and communicating openly and clearly, we hope that everyone can keep informed, understand their role, and feel a sense of belonging.

🛠️ We take responsibility for our work, our space, and our time. We each commit to managing our responsibilities and keeping our shared “house” in order. This includes managing our own time, administration, and commitments effectively. By being accountable and organised, we support a team environment that is sustainable, respectful, and productive for all.