On Nov. 2, United PF held UPF Values Day to celebrate their four-year anniversary. This was the first annual UPF Values Day celebration, and it featured fun giveaways for team members like Values Day T-shirts and challenge coins to mark the occasion.

Though the official Values Day celebrations only began this year, the creation and implementation of these values goes back to 2017. UPF Vice President of Training and Culture Gale Sloan started coaching the group on John Maxwell’s leadership ideas. There is an exercise as part of the workshops about learning the importance of understanding values, both those held by the individual and by others. “It is crucial to identify these values because it helps leaders relate to their team and build strong working relationships,” said Sloan.

UPF’s teammates came up with the values that were most important to their culture, and these are the values that guide them to this day. The five core ideals are: Do the Right Thing, Be Better Every Day, We Win Together, Everyone Matters, and Be Kind and Respectful. The first annual Values Day celebration evolved from a desire to recognize and spotlight the values that the team helped create.

For Values Day, teams were tasked with a simple task: create a “pfamily tree” that includes your individual values. “The exercise did not disappoint! The creativity and thought that went into the trees was amazing,” Sloan said. Besides being a fun and creative exercise, the “pfamily trees” allowed team members to grow closer to one another. “Our teammates learned so much about each other,” Sloan explained. “They also gained a new respect and understanding of each other.”

There was also a virtual event as a part of the celebration – the Regional and District Managers played the parts of “on-the-ground correspondents” as they showcased the “pfamily trees” that different locations had created. This gave team members the opportunity to share the stories of their trees and their values.

Values Day 2020 was only the beginning. “We all look forward to seeing how our annual celebrations will evolve,” Sloan said. “This one was a show-stopper!”