How Macmillan Learning’s Mission, Vision & Values Drive Our Work

[Chuck_Linsmeier]

Macmillan really walks the walk. There are few truly mission-driven companies out there, and Macmillan Learning is one of those companies: Chris Paddock, Senior Director of User Experience

This month, Macmillan Learning launched a new company mission and vision, supported by our core values. The words are new; the actions they embody are not. They codify a mission that we already live, a vision that we believe is within reach, and a set of values that inspire how and why we work the way we do each day. 

Our mission and vision provide us with a critical focus. Each of us has made choices that led us to work at Macmillan Learning and these statements help us recommit to the work we do. It's the choices we make that lead us to embrace a vision for the future that is both astonishing to contemplate and yet within our collective grasp: We envision a world in which every student succeeds. 

Success is often defined first by what’s possible; however, what is possible is no simple measurement, and not conferred by others upon us; rather, it rests with each individual, as part of a family or group, as part of what citizenship means in a world that is so reliant on educational opportunity to shape it. It is why living our mission meaningfully affects our individual and collective futures, and we live our mission by inspiring what’s possible for every learner. 

It’s learning that makes things possible; I’d argue, it has the potential to make all things possible. At work, in the classroom, remotely or via online engagement, learning is a tool with  endless applications; a catalyst for a new, more meaningful set of possibilities for each learner. It is as true for a student at the beginning of their educational journey as it is for the Macmillan Learning team member invested in a career dedicated to helping others. And for each of us, it is through the values that we live that we join every learner on their journey. 

True to ourselves. True to our customers.

To be true requires integrity, empathy, and dedication. It requires that we be mindful of each decision we make and understand its effect on learners around the globe and on each other as colleagues. When we do this right, we positively and sustainably impact the educational lives of people everywhere. 

Inclusion is a choice we make every day.

Diversity is a fact; Inclusion is a choice. It is a choice we consciously choose to make every day; one that enables us to work together honestly and authentically. It is a choice that allows us to broaden our educational reach to increasingly wider and diverse audiences, and it is evidenced through our ability to support the learning of every individual along the way.

Learning is a journey we are on together.

As individuals. As teams. As a company. In concert with authors, content collaborators, outside partners, administrators, educators and, most importantly, students. Now more than ever we have the ability to help any student learn what is important to their success, when and where they are best suited to learn it, and inspire in them the why that will carry them forward on their educational journey. The paths we walk together not only make knowledge more accessible, they enable the development of practical skills and support each student’s well-being, sense of belonging, and intrinsic motivation to succeed. 

Shaping tomorrow with today’s ideas. 

It is a great reward to know our content, courseware, and learning platforms can positively impact educational outcomes as well as the very opportunities students encounter throughout their education. Our partnership with authors brings new perspectives and points-of-view to new and established fields of inquiry. Our collaboration with digital innovators within and outside Macmillan Learning fosters work that reaches students the world over in ways that help to democratize education and change the trajectory of individual lives. 

We are in the business of doing good, and I’m proud of the direction that we’re headed. I hope you join me and your colleagues as we continue to explore how a collective mission set upon a vision of a better world for every student can continue to motivate our work at Macmillan Learning.