Glass Half Full

One Tree is motivated to work from a strength-based rather than a deficit approach. We want to challenge ourselves to see the glass as being half full, rather than half empty. As a group of people, we believe that every individual has skills and talents and communities are environments rich in resources and opportunities.

We actively choose to focus on the strengths of individuals and communities rather than on weaknesses or issues. One Tree believes that cultivating strengths is the only way to ensure we reach excellence.

Any resources expended to address weaknesses are best focused on helping an employee develop sufficient capability, so that weaknesses are not a significant barrier to good performance. One Tree endeavours to determine how the person’s strengths might be engaged in responding to weaknesses, issues or problems.

In relation to working with People and Communities, One Tree will:

1. Not see any person as a ‘victim’ or problem but as someone with interest, capabilities and resources.

2. Foster hope by building on previous successes by identifying and working on the positive building blocks that already exist in a person’s life.

3. Respect that each person is the expert in what has worked, what does not work and what might work now.

4. Partner or guide those people we work with and not present ourselves as an expert in someone else’s life.

5. Allow and encourage the people we work with to become responsible for their own life solutions.

6. Work with people from a place of their interest and success and not in terms of their deficits or problems.