Living Atomic’s Values as a New Delivery Lead

Most of my career has been in the health care and pharmaceutical industries.  During that time, I led and collaborated with cross-functional teams to launch products across multiple therapeutic areas. It was a privilege to work with so many great colleagues over those years.  After 25 years in that arena, I decided last year it was time to find a new endeavor in an industry and company that would allow me to demonstrate value by applying my transferable skills while also challenging me.  I wanted to continue my career at a company whose culture is grounded in core values that employees live out every day.

Fortunately, I discovered a perfect fit and role at Atomic Object, a custom software development consultancy.  I serve as a Delivery Lead alongside our team of designers and developers who build the software.  Delivery Leads help create clarity, alignment, and an environment where the team and client can do their best work.  Reflecting on the past year, if I were approached by a new Delivery Lead onboarding into Atomic, here are some key takeaways and learnings that I believe align with Atomic’s values.

Act Transparently – “No surprises, just clarity.”

With Your Team:

• Share what you know about goals, constraints, and priorities so everyone has context.
• Make timelines, budget status, and expectations visible.
• Say “I don’t know yet, but I’ll find out” when needed—honesty builds trust fast.

With the Client:

• Give real status updates: what’s going well, what’s risky, and what decisions are needed.
• Reset expectations early when assumptions change.
• Explain processes (e.g., why we estimate this way, why we need user feedback), not just outcomes.

Early habit:
→ Create a weekly status update routine that includes progress, risks, decisions, and upcoming work.

Teach & Learn – “Stay curious and share learnings.”

With Your Team:

• Ask questions to truly understand the work instead of jumping straight to potential solutions.
• Facilitate learning moments—retros, workshops, requirements discussions.
• Encourage dev–design collaboration by highlighting shared goals.

With the Client:

• Employ agile concepts but in a flexible and adaptive way: iteration, tradeoffs, scope shaping.
• Learn their business —customers, constraints, success metrics.
• Invite them into the process, not just the output.

Early habit:
→ Spend your first weeks asking “Why?” a lot and inviting team members to explain their decisions.

Own It – “The project experience is a shared responsibility, and you have accountability to deliver.”

With Your Team:

• Keep the work flowing: unblock tasks, coordinate communication, and clarify scope.
• Make sure decisions actually get made—don’t let things linger.
• Proactively surface risks before they turn into fires.

With the Client:

• Guide conversations to outcomes, not just status.
• Be accountable for follow-through: if you commit to something, track it to done.
• Step into uncertainty confidently; clients look to you for direction.

Early habit:
→ Keep a keen eye on risks + decisions log and reviewing tradeoffs with the team each week.

Share the Pain – “Carry the weight with your team, not above them.”

With Your Team:

• Take on hard conversations with stakeholders so developers/designers can stay focused.
• Handle nuts-and-bolts churn—meeting notes, scheduling, alignment—to reduce team load.
• Don’t forward pressure directly onto the team; translate it into clear goals instead.

With the Client:

• Empathize with their constraints—budget pressure, internal politics, shifting priorities.
• Navigate conflict calmly; be the steady voice in the storm.

Early habit:
→ Volunteer for low-glamour tasks that help the team move faster. Build trust through service.

Think Long-Term – “Make decisions today that future teams (and clients) will thank you for.”

With Your Team:

• Ensure sustainable pace—don’t allow heroics to become normal.
• Encourage healthy documentation and predictable processes.
• Prioritize high-impact work instead of “just getting tickets done.”

With the Client:

• Help them understand the consequences of shortcuts.
• Frame decisions around long-term value, not just immediate pressure.
• Build trust that leads to future engagements—not just finishing this one.

Early habit:
→ When discussing tradeoffs, always include a line about long-term impact: “Here’s what this means for future maintenance…”

Give a Shit – “Care about the people and the product.”

With Your Team:

• Learn how each person prefers to communicate and receive feedback.
• Celebrate wins often—big and small.
• Address tension early and respectfully.

With the Client:

• Build a relationship beyond transactions: learn their goals, their worries, and their success criteria.
• Be prepared, thoughtful, and present in every interaction.

Early habit:
→ Schedule short 1:1s with each team member and the client partner during your first 2–3 weeks.

🎯 What Good Looks Like for a New Delivery Lead

So, what does “good” look like for a new delivery lead? You’re on the right track if your team feels supported, not micromanaged, and our client feels informed and confident—not surprised. It’s also great if you’re creating clarity out of ambiguity, decisions are happening consistently, and risks are visible, manageable, and addressed early. It’s a good fit if the team feels healthier with you involved, not busier.

Being at Atomic in the Delivery Lead role is simultaneously rewarding, challenging, and stimulating.  You work alongside talented and dedicated colleagues who care about and take pride in the software they’re developing.  Teammates immerse themselves deeply into understanding the needs of our clients to meet their business objectives by forming true partnerships.  Key focal points as a new Delivery Lead are acclimating to the culture, demonstrating Atomic’s values, learning new skills, and helping pave the way to success.  It’s a rewarding step no matter where you’re at in the career journey, and one I’m glad I’ve had the opportunity to take.