Welcome back to the conversation that we started a few weeks ago that has us revisiting Cornerstone’s Mission, Vision, and Values. I know that at face value this type of talk can feel “corporate” or boring or like it doesn’t apply to you, but trust me friend: if you’re here, you’re influenced by all these things. They’re the backbone of who we are. They define us and how we show up. It’s literally all around us – no, it is us. So we want you to not just know about these things, but be excited about them too, because it’s what sets us apart in a crowded world of counseling agencies and solo practitioners that all want to help people.
So let’s get to it.
The first of Cornerstone’s Core Values is:
Second Mile Service: We strive for excellence, going above and beyond what’s expected of us
This heart for excellence that’s backed by a desire to go above and beyond what’s expected of us has literally been with us from day one (more on that in a minute), and finds its roots in both Jesus and Paul’s teachings:
“Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” – Luke 6:38
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another” – John 13:34
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” – Philippians 2:3-4
When Cornerstone first started, it was just Sean, hustling to bring a God-given dream to life. He would work a full day at Jefferson Center for Mental Health, visiting clients in their home as an MST Therapist, eat dinner in the car while driving to our pastor’s office, and then see private clients until 9 p.m. at church. He would respond to inquiry emails or voicemails as he could – usually very late at night, early in the morning, or while he was in the car driving from one JCMH session to the next.
Side note: if there’s anything you should know about Sean, it’s that admin work and details are not his strong suit. So the fact that he was the literal office OG is hilarious. And terrifying.
But I digress.
One night Sean came home at the end of yet another very long day and let me know that he had voicemails and emails in his inbox that were more than a week old. All from potential private clients who wanted to meet with him. And something inside me broke.
“Those are real people, with real hurts and real stories, and they’re brave enough to reach out for help, and you haven’t even responded?!” I was mortified.
That weekend, we changed the phone number on our website to my cell phone instead of Sean’s (yes, our personal cell phones), he gave me the password to his email, and I started calling people back and responding to voicemails while our two (very small) kids napped. And that’s where this value took root.
It didn’t take very many calls for me to learn that a little compassion and oh, just a real life person answering the phone made all the difference in the world to people:
“Wow, you mean you actually answer your phones here? You have no idea how many voicemails I’ve talked to. Seems like no one answers their phones anymore.”
-OR-
“Thank you so much for calling me back! I really didn’t expect to hear from you. I’ve left so many messages and no one calls me back. I had almost given up hope of finding anyone to talk to…”
And so it began. One call after another. One personalized email message in return to an inquiry. Each time taking the time to listen, to call someone by name, to acknowledge that they’re brave for reaching out. It didn’t feel like second mile service at the time. It felt like common courtesy. It felt like kindness. It felt like loving my neighbor. It felt like putting the concerns and interests of others above my own, if even for a few minutes. It felt like giving of myself to help someone else. It felt like just the thing Jesus would do.
Over the years, we’ve expanded upon and re-committed to this premise of second mile service by doing our best to care well for anyone we have the chance to cross paths with – be it for a 5 minute phone call or for 5 years. Here are just a few examples of all the amazing ways I’ve seen this value lived out over the years:
- We frequently get calls and email inquiries from people looking for a counselor in states that we can’t work in. The easy thing to do would be just to tell them that, “We’re sorry, we’re not able to work in your state” and leave it at that. But nope. That’s not what second mile service does. Second mile service asks a few more questions and takes the time to provide a personalized email with links and recommendations for counselors in your area. That’s excellent client care, for someone who will never be our client. So, I guess that’s excellent human care. And we’re all about it.
- Are you looking for a job, but Cornerstone isn’t the place for you, for one reason or another? No problem. We can probably provide you with some recommendations – and maybe even an email of introduction – to a place that might be right for you. That’s unusual, friends, and it sets us apart.
- What about if you work here? Yup, we try to serve one another well on the inside, too. I’ve seen our team make sure you have food to eat if you had a baby, pool our funds to bless you with a monetary gift when you experience a major life event (good or bad), buy you a surprise coffee just because you need a pick-me-up, or do something as simple as clean up the office and take out the trash at the end of the night so it’s ready for the next day’s sessions and whoever walks in the door at 8 a.m. That’s truly seeing one another and caring for another well – and that’s not as common as you might like to believe.
Truly, friends, second mile service – giving ourselves to others in service, loving one another well, considering others as better than ourselves, and doing it all with excellence – it’s the heartbeat of who we are here. And in so doing, we have – and I believe we will continue – to experience a blessing that is pressed down, shaken together and running over.
And I’m so proud to do this with you all. Let’s keep it up.
Amen and amen.
