I am very fortunate to have been a part of some truly first-rate organizations. Some of these institutions have been around for a very long time, and one even predates the founding of the Republic. When you’re lucky enough to be part of a highly functioning team, there are some things that always seem to permeate the spirit of the group: a strong culture rooted in a shared set of values, a clear vision, and a collective commitment to putting the organization’s mission first.

In some instances, I’ve had the privilege of helping to shape an organization’s values, vision, and mission. In others, I’ve stood on the shoulders of giants, doing my best to live up to the standards set by those who came before me. Each experience has reinforced my belief that the foundation of any great organization is built upon these key pillars.

Atomic Insights is almost three years old, but for the first 18 months or so, we were more of an idea than a company— basically, just a few familiar colleagues, able to align our thinking without much need for words. Over the last 12 months, however, Atomic Insights has grown. We’ve been incredibly fortunate to have hired fantastic teammates and attracted first-rate customers who share our excitement and drive.

Recently, however, I’ve started to sense that we’re approaching an inflection point. Soon, we will grow rapidly, expanding beyond our handful of teammates and customers. The prospect of growth is both exciting and daunting, and it has made me ask: are we ready for what’s next? We have the technical and operational talent, but is that enough? The answer that has kept coming back to me has been no.  We have been missing something, and in recent weeks it became clear to me that what we really needed was to come together as a team and intentionally define our values, our vision, and our mission. Every great group I’ve been part of has done this exercise long in advance of achieving any degree of greatness, and the time had come for us to do the same.  

I’m proud to say that last week in San Francisco, at the Marines’ Memorial Club—a place rooted in an organization that is values personified—the Atomic Insights team did just that. We laid out our values, our vision for the future, and the mission that will guide us forward. I’m proud of what we created, but maybe even more so, I’m proud of how we did it. The process gave me a deeper understanding of how each of us thinks as well as what matters to us as a group. I already knew we had a solid technical team, but now I know we’re aligned in purpose as well as principle.

I couldn’t be happier about who we are—and what we’re becoming—as a team. If you’re interested, I invite you to check out what we’ve come up with. Our values, vision, and mission are more than just words on a page; they’re the foundation for everything we hope to achieve together at Atomic Insights.

Thank you for being part of our journey.

Curious about our Atomic values, mission, and vision? Click here to learn more.