10 Guiding Principles
Below are 10 Guiding Principles of Oak Valley along with some of examples of application.
1. Seek God First - Lead by example—in character, decision-making, and service—guiding students to be faithful disciples of Christ.
Oak Valley’s purpose is student success. As a Christian institution, success is best defined by each student’s path to Christian faith and becoming a follower of Jesus, the Christ. As it says in Mark 8:36 - “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?.” This verse is easily understood in terms of its business context - What benefit is to become wealthy, to have a life of worldly success, to be a leader, but give up your faith or lose your Christian identity in the pursuit of worldly wealth. Fame, and the glory of personal success, is a fool’s errand, and at Oak Valley, while student success in the world is a goal, it is not the goal., The goal is to lift up students to become the best of themselves in the image of their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
2. Direct Students to Succeed - Empower every student through:
Personalized attention that recognizes their unique journey
Clear, consistent expectations for academic and personal excellence
A loving, Christ-centered community
Practical life skills and career guidance
Grace and accountability—model Christ in meekness through strength
This principle is based on the ideals of servant leadership. - putting students above your work or personal gain. Be purposeful in your work by helping students identify the resources they need to learn, develop, and grow into mature spiritual and professional leaders.
3. Pursue Excellence - Excellence is an act of worship—strive for God-honoring quality in everything you, and others, do.
Far too often, the world puts excellence out as an ideal that is easily achieved. It is not, and do not attempt to water-down the ideals of excellence. Excellence makes the simple look easy and effortless. Your effort, your striving to continuously improve will be reflected in the results of your work. Others will notice when you put God first, the customer’s needs second, and your own benefit third. “Going the extra mile” is a far too tired cliche, but it is a great Biblical principle. In Mathew 5:41, Jesus shares, “And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.” The lesson to his disciples was clear, Roman law allowed soldiers to compel citizens to carry gear for a mile to demonstrate their power over them and to practically support the troops. Jesus instructed his disciples to show the example to the soldiers, and everyone around, that followers of Jesus were called to a higher purpose (excellence). They were different. So to demonstrate their difference (excellence), Jesus asked his followers if soldiers compelled them to carry gear for one mile, the disciples would show their excellence by going an extra mile in worship to God…and service to others. How can you go the extra mile in service to God and to students? How can you demonstrate your eagerness to follow God in the service of others?
4. Follow Training and Policy - Apply policies with integrity, clarity, and trust. Avoid improvising, and grant exceptions when grace is required.
While Oak Valley is small, there is a policy for everything you encounter on a daily basis. In order to address issues in a consistent and clear way, refer back to whatever policy applies to the situation. When you are unsure what to do, refer to your training, ask someone else for support, or refer to the Catalog. Most often, policies offer a clean, efficient, and equitable way to address a student, faculty, or staff concern. On rare occasions, a policy does not fit the situation well, or a deviation in the policy is warranted. For instance, a student on the way to his midterm, gets in a car accident, The syllabus, or policy, states that the student is required to complete the midterm on such-a-such date, the student clearly had an emergency preventing him from completing the midterm on time, the professor rightly provides a make-up date for the student to complete the midterm (grace was required to support the student’s emergency).
5. Focus on Results - Use data, evidence, and prayer to make strategic decisions. Celebrate and invest in what works. Stop doing what does not.
A majority of everyone’s work is built on regular and repeatable patterns and work. When you see something work well, be excited that it works well, be eager to do it again. Show the results to your supervisor and go back and do it again. On the other hand, everyone comes across something in their day, week, or year that does not work. As an independent and empowered worker, be sure to bring your best to work everyday by asking the simple question, “Did I do something today to add value to my work, and the work of others?” One of the best ways you can value is identifying, and improving what you see and learn. Oftentimes, it may go unnoticed, but you know. Whether you are recognized or not, bring an investment of your time and talent to the work you do and celebrate every new thing you bring to your job.
6. Continually Improve - God is perfect—we are being perfected. Grow through reflection, wisdom, and Spirit-led innovation.
Continuing on the previous principle, the most valuable effort you bring to work everyday is the ability to improve what and how you approach your job. A lot of work may seem repetitive and mundane, but that does not mean you have to approach it that way. If you find your work is uninspiring, chances are you are in a rut. Ask yourself, “Can I improve how I do what I do?” At the very least, you can probably always improve your attitude and your eagerness to the work, and instill in others a sense of pride in what you do and how you do it. Rejoice in your service, it is service to God and to others…even if it is mundane and repetitive. Be an example, a light that shines God’s power and love, by doing your best and continuously improving.
7. Pray and Act - “Pray as though everything depends on God. Act as though everything depends on you.” — St. Ignatius. Let prayer direct your work and action reflect your faith. Persevere—your job is not done until the job is done.
Start your day, week, month, with a renewed pray to serve. Work, your “labor,” is an act of service. Christ, and nearly all the authors of the Scriptures point out that your work is an act of service to God and others. Many first generation Christian’s worked as slaves, literally, so it is a blessing to be rewarded physically, emotionally, and spiritually, to be able to do work that is truly inspiring. Serving students by training them how to be better followers of Christ is a great calling, start off your daily work by praying for great results. Pray for a professor and a student (or prospective student) each day. Prayer works. It is your appeal to God to act on your behalf. Then, go about your daily work, doing your best, and leaving the results up to God.
8. Steward Resources - Time, talent, and finances are a trust from God. Honor students’ investment in the College. Spend wisely.
Every day, you have access to resources in time you spend working, in the talent you have applied to your work, and in the use of resources supplied to support your work. Honor God, by using those resources for their highest and best use (or highest value). In the money category, pretend as if every dollar you spend is coming out of your own pocket…or an even more valuable example…pretend as if it is your parents’ money. If you think about having to ask your parents for money, would you have spent that dollar today? Of course, you would if you knew it was benefitting your family or it was a wise investment in your future. Would you ask your parents for money to go out gambling or to throw away on something trivial…hopefully not!
9. Engage in Mentoring - Grow through intentional relationships that challenge and sharpen your thinking, calling, and discernment.
We are all blind, and it is important to seek wisdom from others we trust to reassure or restore who we are. Seek out the wisdom of those you trust to help you navigate life, your career at Oak Valley, and what to do when facing a challenge or important decision you are unsure about. If you do not have a strong mentor in your life…you need one. If you need help identifying who that can be, ask your supervisor for help. Meet or speak with your mentor(s) at least once a month. Even if you do not have a specific question in mind, wisdom is always available to you, and being a good God-led person is seeking wise advice to help you navigate important life decisions. We were not meant to do life alone. If you are not looking for wisdom, regularly, you are bound to be leading an unfulfilling life.
10. Be Resourceful - Leverage your knowledge, creativity, experience, and passion—God will supply the results.
Oak Valley is a lean institution, meaning resources are limited. However, that does not mean that excellent work is unachievable. Your resourcefulness, or your ability to get the best out of your day, week, and year, is often based on what you bring to the job. That is primarily your time and talent, but more importantly, it is your trust in God to lead to the results that matter most. Those results are the transformation of student’s lives, and secondarily, the lives of the staff and faculty that surround the work at the College. Always, look for the God-provided results, and always, put forth your best effort in working to achieve those results. Just like God loves the cheerful giver, God loves the cheerful worker. Put God first and everything else should follow.