I was drinking some excellent Starbucks Guatemala Antigua Coffee this morning with a hint of cocoa and subtle spice, (Thanks, Luke!) and have been thinking about my values and why I started this business in a new direction nearly a year ago. While it may be self-indulgent, I wanted to commit to sharing what I’ve been thinking about this early morning. I hope you find it stimulates YOU to think about what matters most to you in your life and your career. Here goes….

1. We believe in exceeding client expectations, every day, every time. We believe in going the extra mile, so that our clients receive extraordinary value from MBCC. We learned from our friend Sonia that it is best to treat every client like they are your ONLY client. We learned from our friend Lisa that every client should feel like they are our ONLY priority today! If we do this well, our clients will naturally feel enthusiastic in referring additional clients to us, so we can help them also!

2. We believe in the Value of what we do for our clients. When we opened our doors to our business, we decided to share some of the wealth we have enjoyed through business success with Compellent and Dell. Therefore, we provide Pro Bono Coaching & Consulting to hand-selected disadvantaged companies and individuals, for up to 20% of our engagements, and believe it helps to keep us sharp, grounded and humble.

3. We believe in Freedom, Balance, Choice, Value, and Equality. We will treat all clients with respect, recognizing that they are naturally “creative, resourceful, and whole.” ( Kimsey-House, Kimsey-House, Sandahl, and Whitworth) We treat our clients in a manner where they know they are valued. We exercise choices as we encourage our clients to do so. We choose how we invest our time and encourage all clients to do the same. We choose our clients carefully, only seeking to work with those who are value oriented, and who believe, as we do, that it is wise to pay a bit more for the best!

4. We believe that anything worth having is worth working hard for, or sacrificing for. (Thanks Dad, Thanks Harry Haslanger!) We also believe that working hard is best improved upon by working intelligently! Choices about where to invest time and money indicate what we value. All businesses must be sustainable to demonstrate value. We go the extra mile to deliver sustainability.

5. We believe it doesn’t cost any more to be nice, honest, and positive! (Thanks Karll Kruse!) We believe it doesn’t cost any more to be appreciative! (Thanks Bill Turpin!) We choose to be a force for good, period. Negativity is inherently a poor choice, and we choose to associate ourselves with those who want to have a positive impact, those who want to make the world a better place for everyone.

That’s what we value, and what we believe in. Thanks for letting me get that off of my mind and off my chest.

What do YOU believe in? Please, Share your beliefs with us here. We’ll publish all positive and appropriate responses to keep the dialogue running.

I hope you are able to have music in your heart today!