At Two Marines Moving, we respect boundaries.

The more I think about it, the more I realize that many workplace problems, business problems, client-service problems, and relationship problems can be traced back to a single issue:

People failing to respect boundaries.

In fact, many of the standards we have at Two Marines Moving are simply different ways of expressing the same idea.

Respect boundaries.

Private Property Is A Boundary

Every day, our clients invite us into their homes.

Think about that.

They are trusting us with their furniture.

Their heirlooms.

Their photographs.

Their valuables.

Their memories.

Their property.

That trust matters.

A client's home is not our home.

A client's furniture is not our furniture.

A client's property is not our property.

We are trusted with it.

We protect it.

We respect it.

But we do not own it.

That's a boundary.

We Protect Property We Don't Own

As movers, we spend our days protecting property that belongs to other people.

We use moving pads.

We use shrink wrap.

We carefully load trucks.

We carefully unload trucks.

We carefully place furniture.

Protecting property and owning property are not the same thing.

We may protect a client's couch.

We don't own the couch.

We may protect a client's dining room table.

We don't own the table.

We may protect a client's home.

We don't own the home.

Those are different concepts.

When we arrive at the destination and ask:

"Where would you like this couch?"

We're recognizing a boundary.

It's not our couch.

It's not our house.

It's not our floor plan.

It's not our decision.

We are there to protect the property.

We are not there to assume ownership of the property.

Company Property Is A Boundary

The same principle applies to Two Marines Moving itself.

Two Marines Moving is a privately held company.

It is private property.

The trucks are company property.

The moving pads are company property.

The equipment is company property.

The office is company property.

Working somewhere does not make it yours.

Just because somebody uses something does not mean they own it.

Just because somebody has access to something does not mean it belongs to them.

Access and ownership are two different things.

The Marine Corps reinforced that lesson for me.

I carried an M4 rifle.

I was responsible for it.

I was accountable for it.

I was expected to maintain it.

I was expected to safeguard it.

But it wasn't my rifle.

It belonged to the United States Government and the United States Marine Corps.

Being entrusted with something and owning something are not the same thing.

"Your Office" Isn't Always Your Office

People sometimes refer to:

"My office."

And that's fine in casual conversation.

But let's be precise.

If the office sits on company property and the company pays the lease, that's company property.

An employee may be assigned an office.

An employee may work in that office every day.

An employee may spend thousands of hours in that office.

But assignment is not ownership.

If someone truly wants their own office, there is a simple process:

Call a commercial realtor.

Find an office.

Negotiate a lease.

Sign the lease.

Pay the rent.

Then it is actually your office.

Until then, you're using office space that belongs to somebody else.

There is nothing wrong with that.

Most businesses work exactly that way.

Being Invited Somewhere Does Not Mean Ownership Changed

I've never been a believer in:

"My house is your house."

My home is my home.

Your home is your home.

My office is my office.

Your office is your office.

If I invite somebody into my home or office, that means they have been invited.

It does not mean ownership changed.

It does not mean boundaries disappeared.

Being welcome and being the owner are two very different things.

Common Sense Still Matters

Let's use a funny example.

Suppose somebody walks into the office.

They take off their boots.

They take off their socks.

Then they sit down in the middle of the office and start clipping their toenails.

We now have a problem.

Not because of the toenail clippers.

Because they have confused:

"I am welcome here."

with

"This is my property."

Those are not the same thing.

The issue isn't the toenails.

The issue is boundaries.

Most people understand there are things you do in your own home that you do not do in somebody else's office.

Professional adults understand the difference.

Leadership Is A Boundary

The same concept applies to leadership.

I care about employees.

I want employees to succeed.

I want employees to earn money.

I want employees to grow.

But I am not the Chief Friendship Officer.

Leadership and friendship are not the same thing.

In the Marine Corps, I respected my platoon sergeant.

I respected my platoon commander.

I respected my company commander.

They weren't my friends.

They were my leaders.

There is a difference.

Respecting that difference is respecting a boundary.

Your Coworkers Are Not Your Therapists

The same principle applies to emotional boundaries.

I am not a therapist.

I am not a psychiatrist.

I am not a counselor.

There are none on staff.

Everyone here arrived with a job to do.

Everyone.

People come to work to:

• Serve clients
• Move furniture
• Book reservations
• Dispatch trucks
• Accomplish the mission

Your coworkers are teammates.

Not therapists.

Respecting that distinction is respecting a boundary.

Attention Is A Boundary

Modern phones are no longer just phones.

They are connected to:

• Social media
• Group chats
• Notifications
• Friends
• Family
• News feeds
• Endless distractions

Clients are paying for our attention.

Clients are paying for our focus.

Clients are paying for professional execution.

Attention matters.

That's why personal phones stay in the truck during moves.

That's why office phones go on the designated shelf.

The mission deserves our attention.

Attention is a boundary.

Mind Your Business

One of the simplest forms of respecting boundaries is minding your business.

Not every conversation belongs to you.

Not every decision belongs to you.

Not every problem belongs to you.

Not every situation requires your opinion.

The more I think about it, the more I realize that many conflicts begin when people start inserting themselves into areas where they don't belong.

Healthy people respect boundaries.

Professional people respect boundaries.

Trustworthy people respect boundaries.

Final Thoughts

At Two Marines Moving, respect for boundaries shows up everywhere.

Respect private property.

Respect ownership.

Respect leadership.

Respect privacy.

Respect attention.

Respect professionalism.

Respect responsibilities.

Respect what belongs to other people.

Handle what belongs to you.

It's a simple principle.

But an awful lot of trust, professionalism, responsibility, and success rests on that foundation.

And if more people respected boundaries, a surprising number of problems would solve themselves.

Semper Fidelis,
Nicholas Edmond Baucom
Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Two Marines Moving

Marine Combat Veteran Founded & Owned Since 2008. Industry Leading Pay. Moving Done Right. Join the Mission.