Pinnacle’s values and why we embody them
Author: Daryl Stanley
Date: October 10, 2025
Did you know that World Values Day is on October 16th? Invented by the UK Values Alliances, it’s designed to encourage us to reflect on values so that we might create a better world. It’s a move we applaud at Pinnacle because values are important to us - they’re not something tucked away in a handbook, they’re what drives the way we work, how we treat each other and how we design learning spaces for schools and colleges.
“The culture at Pinnacle is critical,” explains Pinnacle managing director Daryl Stanley. “We partner with our clients, so whether it’s a school undergoing a refurbishment or a main contractor on a building, they are on those projects for a significant amount of time. We are partners with our clients, and that means our people have to be the best version of themselves as they represent the Pinnacle brand."
“I love that quote that Jeff Bezos said - your brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room. We need every single person in the company to be aligned with our values, which is why it was so important for us that they are clear."
Pinnacle has four key values, and while they may seem simple, they carry significant weight. They are -
- Work together
- Make every day a school day
- Make creativity count
- Deliver the difference
“I don’t like values that have no real meaning,” says Daryl. “We have chosen a set of values that actually have to work in real life.”
Work together
At Pinnacle, working together isn’t a platitude; it’s a discipline. It means communicating clearly, respecting differences, and being willing to have frank conversations that keep projects moving.
Daryl explains: “We work together effectively, and we have to have clear communication. I appreciate that everybody is different and will have their own personality and skillset. We also need to be able to have frank, honest and open communication, so that if there is any grit in our communication, it gets eliminated.”
“When a school entrusts Pinnacle with a transformation, we’re side by side with them for months and that only works if everyone on the team is pulling in the same direction.“
Pinnacle’s HR Manager, Linda Evans, adds: “Culture is fragile, and if you bring in someone who is the wrong fit, it jars. That’s why we recruit against our values. We’re looking for people who thrive in collaboration, not just individual brilliance.”
Make every day a school day
Make every day a school day is fitting for a company that designs schools, but this value is more than a play on words.
At Pinnacle, it means staying curious, stretching yourself, and saying yes to the unfamiliar. It could be trying a new digital tool, borrowing a smart idea from a colleague in the Philippines, or approaching a challenge from a different angle.
And according to Linda, it’s contagious. She says: “If just one person evolves and everyone else stays still, nothing moves forward, but when we all keep learning, the business evolves collectively.
“Our internal platform, Bob, buzzes with this energy. It’s where colleagues share ideas, thank each other, or post moments that make everyone smile. Sometimes it’s a breakthrough with a tricky design. Sometimes it’s quirky or fun. Either way, it sparks curiosity and growth.”
Make creativity count
People often assume that creativity at Pinnacle is all about design flair - colour palettes, layouts, and furniture choices. That’s part of it, but the value ‘make creativity count’ goes deeper than that.
It’s about problem-solving in inventive ways. Schools don’t always come to us with neat briefs. There are constraints, regulations, and bold ambitions. Our role is to dream up solutions that look great and work brilliantly in practice.
“It’s not about accepting the status quo,” says Daryl. “It’s asking 'why?’ again and again, and finding new ways forward. Sometimes that means rethinking how a space is used, sometimes reconfiguring to stretch a budget further. It’s not creativity for its own sake - it’s creativity that delivers.”
Linda adds, “ Things don’t always have to be done in the same way - there’s always room to be creative in how you deliver to the client.”
Deliver the difference
For Pinnacle, this is doing what we say we will - and then some.
Every month, staff nominate someone for a Pinnacle Persona Award, someone who embodies not just this value, but all our values.
“We celebrate living our values daily, in everything we do.” says Linda. “It could be making a difference to a client or colleague with a seamless handover or making creativity count by finding an out of the box solution to a challenge or adding an innovative design touch that brings joy to a space. The nominations keep everything live and fresh. It’s announced in a company wide meeting and shared on our group channel, so everyone sees it.”
The winner of the Pinnacle Persona, then has a go on a spinner wheel to win a prize - anything from a day off to a £50 shopping voucher.
Keeping values alive
Values mean little if they fade into the background, and that’s why Pinnacle strives to keep them alive in ways that are meaningful and fun.
In addition to spin-the-wheel, there are quarterly launches with food trucks, finish-early Fridays to give staff back an hour of family time or team bonding days, like raft-building with inevitable dunkings. Through these activities, everyone at Pinnacle learns and reflects on what it means to collaborate and have fun together.
Culture you can feel
Plenty of companies publish lists of values. The test is whether people actually feel them.
“Pinnacle values aren’t just words. They’ve been carefully shaped, tested, and embedded until they became habits. They show up in conversations, in how leaders listen to feedback, and in how projects unfold on site,” says Daryl.
Why it matters
World Values Day invites us all to ask: what do we stand for, and how do we show it? For Pinnacle, the answer is visible in classrooms that inspire learning, in teams who feel proud of their work, and in clients who continue to trust the company long after a project is complete.
Values aren’t abstract. They’re what turn work into purpose and projects into something that lasts.