In both personal and professional relationships, a cornerstone for me is transparency. Thanks to transparency, true and lasting relationships with friends and colleagues are established. As soon as this fundamental value is missing, relationships become ephemeral and trust is eroded. Without trust, there can be no mutually beneficial relationships. Despite all its advantages, transparency is very rare and undervalued. Many people think there's no need for transparency, but rather that it's better to be surrounded by a veil of light fog called "fluff."