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As a project manager, my job is to make things run smoothly. I want our clients to be happy. I want our team members to feel engaged and empowered to do their best work. I want everyone on the same page. That’s why the TEN7 value, Be Honest, is central to what I try to bring to the table every day.

When I first considered applying for a job at TEN7, I read through ten7.com and I was intrigued by their stated values. I had a job at the time where I was really comfortable and confident, so I needed something that was going to be really enticing in order for me to leave. TEN7’s values did that for me, particularly Be Honest.

During the interview process, I immediately noticed how Be Honest played out. There was no game playing. They were up front about what they were looking for and their timeline. They shared their employee handbook openly. It was very empowering. It was clear to me that the values weren't just a marketing tool or weren't just something to put out to check off a box. They really were important to the team and to the way they work.

When I started at TEN7, this feeling was confirmed. It’s a regular occurrence when we are having a team meeting for someone to say, “Well, in order to live out our values…” and for those values to guide the steps we take and the decisions we make to move forward.

For me, Be Honest is the foundation that all our other values are built upon. In order to best support our clients, or to best support each other internally, we have to be honest and speak human to human.

I’ve seen how Be Honest creates a better dynamic with our clients. We speak plainly and avoid jargon that can often confuse people. This is the best way to get everyone on the same page about what we’re going to deliver for them. If something goes off track, or if we make a mistake, our clients know we’ll be up front with them. Our budgets, our timelines, our ability to deliver on what we promise are all based in trust, which comes from honesty. I love the fact that I never have to spend time trying to remember what we told a client or how we positioned something because we always default to the truth.

Be Honest isn’t always the easiest route. We want our clients to always be happy, so, it can be difficult to be transparent in moments where things go wrong. But I find that every time we are honest with our clients, it works out better. We're able to maintain trust and that’s the best way to build a lasting relationship.

Within the TEN7 team, Be Honest is just as important. We can be human with each other. We can ask for help when we’re feeling overwhelmed. As a project manager, I have a tendency to say “yes” to everything, because I genuinely want to help! But thanks to our Be Honest value, I’ve had open conversations with our leadership team where I’ve talked about my workload and we’ve worked together to make sure I’m in a position to do my best work without being overwhelmed.

Be Honest sounds simple, but making it a part of how you work every day requires us to be intentional with our actions and decisions. The best part is that the more you practice it, the more you understand how it makes work, and your life, that much easier.

Other TEN7 Voices on Be Honest

“From my experience, interacting with other developers, we are encouraged to Be Honest about what you know and what you don't know, being free to say, ‘No, I don't know this yet. But I'll figure it out.’ Having that expectation of honesty really helps me not be stressed about my work and it helps us pool our resources to work together. It really makes it easier to work with everyone else and it has made it easier to talk with the people we're working with. So that's cool.”

Madeline Holland, Junior Developer

“I like to think about our clients as partners in the process, and I like to feel a human connection with them. Our value to Be Honest helps with that. Instead of just being a gruff IT person saying. ‘I'll just fix it, don't worry,’ it’s important to connect on a friendly, professional level. It builds bonds. It builds trust. It reminds them that we're also human and we’re partners in this. What they do and what I do are so different, but there's this intersection where we meet. So connecting through honesty helps me connect, to see how they're thinking about things, so I can do a better job.”

— Chris Dart, Drupal Developer