After a year of wandering, questioning, and yes, stalling — debating whether we should continue our careers in tech or chase this idea that’s been quietly brewing in us — We started the process by asking ourselves the question of what our “company values” would look like should we start this company. At times, it felt like a mandatory ropes course at a corporate retreat: something you’re expected to do, but not necessarily the thing that defines who you are.

Part of our hesitation came from how company values are so often presented. You’ve seen them before: polished mission statements, neatly formatted bullet points, fancy words crafted by expensive consultants in boardrooms filled with nice suits trying to capture day one sensibilities. They often feel detached from the messy, day-to-day reality of actually building something together.

And yet here we are — still a nascent team, determined to protect the essence of what makes us, us.  

It’s not that we don’t believe in principles. We do. We just think ours show up in the trenches, not on a brainstorm list of “core competencies.” They’re in the late nights, the shared laughs, the way we keep showing up for each other, always putting our products, team, partners and their respective customers at the center.

And here’s where we’ve changed our minds: when we look at what’s happening lately at The Atom Group — not just the company, but us, the way we all work together — we realize there’s something worth preserving and building on. Something uniquely ours, a north star meant to guide us into the future. It’s not magic (the 11 p.m. Slack notifications validate that), but there’s a rhythm here. An energy. A sense that what we’re onto something bigger than any one of us. And we don’t want to lose that.

So maybe this isn’t about some grand leadership principles carved in corporate stone, at least not yet. Maybe its’s about starting with our truth, documenting our journey. Honest observations about what's actually working. The stuff that makes Monday mornings feel less like Monday mornings. The practices that turn a group of individuals into a team. The efforts that add up to something that matters.

Instead of a glossy HR booklet, let’s keep it simple. Let’s capture what hits. Call out the stuff that makes us proud to be here. We’ll throw some notes on the wall, keep the ones that stick, and over time some will fall on their own or get replaced.

Because at the end of the day, that’s what we’re all here for: to do meaningful work, with people who bring out the best in us — in service of others.