One of my favorite social media “twitterati”, Amber Naslund (@ambercadabra), recently posted a blog titled “What would you not compromise on”. I think the answer to this question will provide a lot of insight into a person and the type of company they keep (or work for, in this case).

In an effort to keep your attention, I’ve decided to keep the list to 7. That may seem short, but the truth is the more I think about it, the more things come to mind tangentially. 7 has always been a good number for me and limiting myself to 7 will force me to really consider my own compromises. These are in no particular rank order.

1. Trust

   Without trust there is nothing. Not in business and certainly not in life. This was the easiest of the 7 to come up with.

   I trust those I work with to work to the best of their capabilities, tell the truth and I hope that they expect the same from me. I trust that a client has the resources and desire to conduct a project with my company, and they trust me to deliver our consultation based on their desires and budgets. My clients trust me to tell them what is and is not possible within their budget and timeline and if they sign with us they trust me to deliver. That is the only way our relationship work now and that is the only way I can see them working in the future.

   Violation of this trust means that we are done. It shows me that you do not respect me or our relationship enough to be honest about it and that will never fly.

2. Business Integrity

    

   If the company has done it before I will tell you. If I have done it before somewhere else, I will tell you. If this is a new avenue for me, I will tell you and explain why my past experiences will lead to our success. That’s what you can expect from me.

    

3. Family Time

   My son just turned 1 and learned how to climb up on the couch by himself, and how to slide off the couch (feet first please, safely) on his own. There is no equivalent work task, project or client win that will EVER equal watching him smile when he did that. Work is fun and important but I have to keep it in perspective of the things in my life that I love.

4. Loyalty

   Loyalty from me is built after the trust has been established. If I trust you to deliver quality work on a certain time frame and you come through for me, I promise you that will not be the last time we work together. Far too many people take delivery for granted. I am not among them. Work with me and help me to deliver a quality product and you have will help and a reference for life.

5. Flexibility

   I know how I work best, and it is not plowing through 8 hours and going home. I take breaks during the day to mull things over, collaborate and rearchitect. I respond to emails at night and create presentations early in the morning or late in the evening when the office is quiet. I appreciate the ability to take an afternoon off after we have been cranking on delivery or to take a mental health day as needed. These options and flexibility make me a better, more dedicated employee and allow me work under the most optimal conditions for me.

6. Belief in myself

   Our business is constantly in flux. We are in the arena where if you have done something once you are an expert, if you have done it twice you are the guru. I have seen that his can lead to a thought pattern where you have to follow what those who are boasting themselves the loudest have done.

   What we do is not easy, but that is no reason to think that we cannot do something new and do it better than what is out there now. That is what is exciting about our work and makes me want to come in to the office every day. I believe that we can learn from what is out there and challenge the so called experts, using what I know, have researched and experienced.

7. Enjoyment

   We all know that work is work and that some days are better than others. So when I say enjoyment I don’t literally mean every hour of every day, but as an overall trend. If I am not enjoying my work, the space, the people, the challenge, the camaraderie, it might be time to move on. But I have to think of these as a set that I can choose from at different times. I don’t expect to enjoy all at once, but as long as there is something I can derive enjoyment from and look forward to, then I know I’m going to be all right that day.