CEO's Personal Commitment to Excellence
Excellence is not the same as perfection which, like infinity, is an academic sleight of mind. Excellence is a way of thinking that embodies the relentless pursuit of improvement in the knowledge that, whilst crossing the scree-run of life, if we do not constantly step higher up the mountain’s slope then we will gradually slip lower into its valley.
Like courage, the pursuit of excellence is a private struggle fought in the mind. Only the individual knows whether he has rested for a pace or two and ducked the chance to make an extra stride towards excellence. He may comfort himself with the thought that no one noticed. But in his mind he knows that if they had then he would have shrunk a little in their eyes. So he may perhaps take that stride, propelled by the fear of shame if not by the love of excellence. There is nothing wrong in that; so much of a team player’s motivation is bound up in the need for affirmation. Teamwork depends on it. And it is better than not making the stride at all.
But there are also pathfinders who pick their route inexorably upward towards excellence, but not because they fear the disapproval of their peers. They do so because they are drawn forward by a sense of what might be. They know that it is possible to climb higher, and therefore that they must if they are to avoid a gradual descent into mediocrity. Furthermore, they know by some odd instinct that in any struggle only a few men truly make the running. Most men follow others, although no team race could be won without those followers also. Therefore the pathfinders mark the route, if necessary alone. They know that, whilst not all will share their hunger for excellence, if the path is marked clearly enough then others will follow in their steps. And amongst these followers there will be other pathfinders, other team players; and some who are just along for the ride. That is the nature of any team, and each member who follows has his own strengths that may be bent in due course towards the purpose of excellence.
No path can be cut without mistakes. Mistakes are a fact of life and cannot be wished away. Indeed, they are to be welcomed in so far as they provide pointers towards improvement and therefore towards excellence. However, there is no merit in making a mistake, nor even in merely learning from it per se. The prize is in using that new-found learning to avoid making the mistake again and, better still, to avoid making others like it. Used this way, mistakes may plot a path to excellence, but only for those with an eye for the pointers and the path. The value of mistakes is lost if the pointers they raise are not heeded.
I am committed to excellence. By instinct I am also a pathfinder. I mark a path that leads upwards and I will not be deviated from that, even if I were to walk it alone. The team that I aspire to lead will, if we’re lucky, consist of some more pathfinders, rather more team players and quite a few followers, without all of whom there would be no success. I see nothing wrong with the mix. I believe that everyone in it should be inspired by the idea that we are driving towards excellence. But I accept that in practice this inspiration will act upon different men in different ways. Some will stride out because they too are exhilarated. Others will make the extra stride because they don’t want to let the team down. Still more will do it out of habit or because of the example set for them by us. Each is a perfectly valid reason, and I make no judgment of an individual in this regard, providing that he does actually make the stride. Furthermore, I accept that our trek will be marked by mistakes and even the odd wrong turn. These may help us towards excellence or may lead us away from it. It all depends upon how we deal with each one of them. But if, at each, we take the opportunity to make another step up the mountain then we will, by degrees, be achieving excellence with every pace.
David Wood
October 2007
A founding principle of Blue Sky was, and remains, that all
of its operations and services be provided to the highest
possible standards of professional ethics.
As a tangible guarantee of this, Blue Sky established, from
the very start, an independent Overview Committee.
We are
ISO 9000 accredited, and are accredited members of the Defence
Manufacturers Association (DMA) and the Association of Police
& Public Service Suppliers (APPSS).
We put
our customers first and tailor all of our work to the customer’s
specific requirements. In doing so, we take an independent,
strategic, and holistic approach to our customers’ requirements,
assessing all possible implications of the situations they
face. We then tell the customers what they need to know, not
just what they want to hear.
We value
our reputation as a high quality provider of totally impartial,
strategic–level security advice. We will therefore never
knowingly sacrifice the long term interests of our client
organisations for the sake of short term gain for Blue Sky.
Similarly, in order to preserve our independence, we do not
manufacture or provide security equipment, nor accept commissions
from manufacturers or suppliers of security equipment.
As security
professionals, we fully understand and respect the need for
client confidentiality. We go to great lengths to understand
each client’s particular security requirements and protect
information and documents entrusted to us.
Blue Sky core
staff are all highly trained, qualified and experienced in
their individual fields. With the help of our own in-house
HR company – Incert Recruitment Ltd– we maintain an
impressive database of professional consultants and project
management staff from whom we either commission the relevant
additional expertise or search for the specific skills our
clients require.
We
will not undertake any work which is contrary to international
law (in particular the Geneva Convention and the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights), or the laws of the
country in which we are operating. We do not support any
political or religious movement, either in UK
or the countries in which we may be operating. Particularly
when abroad, we do not pay bribes or financial inducements
for provision of services or information, other than legitimate
professional consultancy or referral fees. Although Blue
Sky will frequently be legitimately involved in training,
conflict prevention and post conflict reconstruction activities,
and the support of humanitarian and other neutral organisations
(e.g. the free press) operating in remote and/or dangerous
regions of the world, it never becomes involved in the prosecution
of active military or quasi-military operations.
In order to provide the full range of in-depth expertise that
our customers expect, we work with a number of carefully selected
partner companies. In addition, we occasionally engage sub-contractors
for specific tasks. In both cases we select associate companies
with the utmost care and due diligence in order to be satisfied
that, wherever appropriate, they operate to the same high
ethical standards as we subject ourselves to.
Our consultants
and field operators are either found from our permanent
staff, our personnel database, or individually recruited
by our own HR company. This allows us to ensure that each
and every employee is selected against, and fully briefed
on, each client’s
particular requirements and our own ethical standards. In
addition, all employees are individually briefed before
a particular assignment on what is expected of them in detail.
In the case of overseas deployments, this will include
briefings on local legal, cultural, and religious sensitivities
as well as those of the clients involved. In every situation,
all Blue Sky employees are expected to:
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Apply, at the individual level, Blue Sky’s
corporate professional and ethical standards; and respect
the laws and customs of the country in which they are
operating. |
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Conduct themselves with honesty, integrity, objectivity
and diligence. In doing so, they will at all times act
in a manner which not only protects, but projects, the
standards and reputation of Blue Sky and the clients they
represent. |
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Avoid any situation which creates a conflict of interest
or threatens the legitimate confidentiality of either
Blue Sky or its clients. In particular when abroad, to
guard against accepting bribes, or anything that could
be used as an inducement or pressure to influence either
the proper delivery of the services they are engaged to
provide, or to breach the confidentiality of information
entrusted to them. |
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Consult their line manager if ever in doubt about the
applicability of these rules e.g. if offered a ‘gift’
or asked for assistance/advice outside the strict terms
of their contract. |
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Report any incidence, or suspected incidence, of a breach
of this Code of Conduct immediately. |
Any deliberate breach of this Code of Conduct will result
in an investigation, discipline and/or dismissal as appropriate.
The new export controls imposed by the UK Government and
the European Community affect a high proportion of the products
we see in our overseas markets. We must therefore understand
the controls and be quite sure that we comply with them.
The purpose of these controls is to limit the supply of technology
or strategic goods to countries proscribed, principally for
reasons of proliferation, security or terrorism. It is in
the interest of us all that the controls are effective if
it makes the world a safer place. For our business it is
essential that we comply with the legislation.
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