The Power of a Values-Driven Approach: Impact Beyond Profit | ebbf/Medium

Why every organisation has a choice about what drives it, and what that choice makes possible

On 1 February 2024, ebbf published an article on Medium by Israa Qaddourah, Project Manager at Apax, a supported housing social enterprise in Sydenham, South East London. In it, she shared her thinking on the choices open to Apax and to every organisation, and set out the seven Apax values.

ebbf introduced the piece by noting that Apax was founded by Anousha Vahdaty, an ebbf member. The article's central idea is simple and hopeful: values are something we choose, and that choice shapes everything that follows. It is a message that feels especially relevant to organisations working with people at difficult moments in their lives.

A Choice Every Organisation Faces

The article began from a straightforward observation. Every organisation can be driven by its bottom line or by its values, and the direction it chooses shapes how it treats people both inside and outside its walls.

Financial health matters, of course. Without it, no organisation can keep its promises for long. The real question is whether money is the goal itself or the means of achieving something more meaningful. Both paths are open to every organisation.

For a social enterprise, that question is answered at the very start. Any surplus serves the mission, and the mission is about people and the lives they hope to build.

Beyond Shelter

Israa described Apax as providing supported housing and assisted living for people with mental health issues and those experiencing homelessness. Her focus, though, was on what happens beyond the provision of a room.

The article emphasised fostering independence, so that people move from supported housing towards independent living rather than feeling institutionalised. The aim, she wrote, is to restore dignity, hope and self-reliance.

That aim changes how support is offered. It means encouraging people to make their own decisions, build their own routines and believe in their own ability to manage a home. It also means celebrating progress, however small it may seem.

Seven Values at the Heart of Apax

At the heart of the article were the seven Apax values: United we Shine; Strive for Excellence; Sparks of Kindness; Humility is Power; Continuous Learning; It's Right to be Fair; and Our People, our Partners are our Strength.

Each one describes a way of behaving rather than a slogan to display. Strive for Excellence, for example, was explained as doing ordinary things extraordinarily well, which speaks to the small details of everyday support. They are meant to guide decisions on busy days as well as quiet ones.

Taken together, the values describe an organisation that works as a team, stays humble, keeps learning and treats people fairly. They give everyone a shared language for what good looks like.

Kindness and Humility at Work

Two of the values stand out for their gentleness. Sparks of Kindness is a reminder that small acts can carry great weight, especially for someone who has felt overlooked or alone.

Humility is Power suggests a different kind of strength. It is the willingness to listen, to admit what we do not know and to learn from residents, colleagues and partners alike. That openness can make colleagues and residents alike feel genuinely heard.

Neither value is dramatic, and that is the point. They are practised quietly, in conversations and decisions that rarely make headlines but shape how people feel each day.

Values That Build Community

The article argued that values create community and purpose. When people share a sense of why they do their work, they support one another more naturally and work through difficulties together.

Values also help new colleagues understand quickly what is expected and why it matters. Our article on building values-driven organisations in supported housing looks more closely at how this works across the sector.

For residents, a community built on values can feel very different from a service built on rules alone. It can offer a sense of belonging as well as a roof. People often notice the difference before they can put it into words.

The Ripple Effect

Under the heading The Ripple Effect of Heart and Values, the article described how values-driven actions create ripple effects that reach beyond their immediate communities,.

As the article put it, “Upon values people are built and upon people society is built.” The line captures why small choices made within one organisation can matter far beyond it.

A kind word to a resident, a fair decision for a colleague or an honest conversation with a partner may seem small. Repeated over time, such choices help shape a culture that others notice. Values, in this sense, are never only internal.

Letting Values Lead

The article closed by encouraging readers to let values be their guiding light. It is an invitation open to any organisation, whatever its size or sector, and it begins with a simple decision about what matters most. No organisation needs to be perfect to begin.

Apax is grateful to ebbf for sharing the piece with its community, and to Israa for setting out so clearly why values remain at the heart of the work. Its message is one worth returning to often.

You can read the full article by Israa Qaddourah in ebbf on Medium: The Power of a Values-Driven Approach: Impact Beyond Profit.