Why did you enter The Investors in People Awards 2020? 

The Chief Executive has a tuxedo in orange corduroy that he has been trying to find a reason to wear. Yes seriously! – no, but seriously…. 

To celebrate; to rub shoulders with the best of the best; and to test whether we could be considered to be amongst the best. We entered to create a platform to shout our achievement from the roof tops. Not particularly as finalists, or potentially winners, but to make others aware of the great culture and people we have at Lincs Rural. 

You’ve been announced as a Finalist – what does that mean to you and your people? 

That a small organisation tucked away in a remote part of Rural Lincolnshire can be recognised as a finalist in the Platinum section. To illustrate to ourselves and others that whilst we are a very small fish in that ocean of great organisations delivering affordable housing, we are a great organisation, with great people, doing a great job. 

What would you say is the stand out point in your entry? 

We are more than a housing association – we are morally aligned experts in our field. We have achieved, and continuously achieve excellent performance; because we have engaged and empowered staff, who have jointly determined, and totally delivered a challenging strategy, to outperform sector KPIs. We lead in 18 out of the 20 national benchmark measures. 

What would it mean to win? 

Winning is not just about beating others. All organisations recognised by Investors in People are winners in their own right. All organisations achieving Investors in People Platinum are winners, by achieving such high levels of excellence. If Lincs Rural won it would be recognition by the Investors in People family, and added assurance to ourselves, that we are performing to our own highest abilities