Atomic Advice believes in telling the truth and offering opinion, as we see it. Honest behavior is a matter of not intentionally distorting the facts. We also believe that honesty, transparency, and respect are the keys to positive business outcomes. So, our fundamental core values are being trustworthy, candid, and tactful.
Trustful: In business and life, credibility is essential. Credibility is the quality of being trustworthy and believable. It allows clients to believe in us, in our message, and in our advice. Stephen M.R. Covey said, “Trust is equal parts character and competence. To us, this means that both parts are required for our clients to receive optimal results. Quality relationships are built on mutual trust. Clients put their trust in us that we will help them find the best outcome for their situation, but we also want them to feel our advice is credible and useful to them.
“Trust takes years to build, seconds to break, and forever to repair.” – Unknown
Candid: The principle of candidness is simple enough: just be honest. But putting it into practice is a lot more complicated because honesty works two-ways. The misconception is that it’s better to pretend that we agree but what we’re really saying is that we don’t trust the other person to handle honest opinions. Honesty helps us make realistic plans, execute them more effectively, and track our progress to create the best possible outcomes for our clients. Because everyone is being honest and operating with good intentions, there’s room for real compromise, consensus, and understanding. This type of collaboration provides more meaningful and more successful results.
“Be candid with everyone.” – Jack Welch
Tactful: When you are being candid, it’s important to remember the intentions of the people you are working with. Being tactful allows us to give difficult feedback, communicate sensitive information, and say the right thing to our clients. Being tactful can help to avoid conflict and find common ground. Knowing and respecting that each client is unique and that each have individual opinions and ideas is the basis of mutual respect. Mutual respect is one key to developing strong, productive relationships to genuinely help each other succeed rather than focus on raw performance.
“Tact is the art of making a point without making an enemy.” – Sir Isaac Newton