“How good am I?” is a question we all ask ourselves. We want to know how good we are at most things in our lives. We want to know how we’re doing in our relationships. Are you a good friend, spouse, or parent? We want to know how good we are at our hobbies. Are you a good piano player, golfer, or artist? In some cases, we can just ask those around us and they will freely tell us.  In others, there are competitions we can enter and be judged or measured against our peers.

But what about at work? How good are you at your job? It’s not something that we often ask our peers. Our spouse or significant other won’t likely be able to offer much insight. There is no competition to enter to compare yourself to others.

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Last week I spent a few days with members of the Employers Counsel Network, a group of people that our company works with closely on a regular basis. We tend to get together formally as a group once each year to catch up, discuss business, and strengthen our bonds. It’s a great meeting that mixes business and pleasure, and which I look forward to each year.

As I spent time with the individuals who comprise this group, I was reminded once again of how terrific they are individually and collectively. It’s a group filled with bright, energetic, and well-intentioned individuals. And I’m just proud to be associated with them. If, like they say, “A man is known by the company he keeps,” then I raise my stature just by being associated with this group.

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I’ve been thinking a lot about employee communication lately. I’ve been thinking about what makes for good, effective communication and how it can be a powerful force within any organization. I’ve decided that good communication must be H.O.T.

H.O.T. stands for honest, open, and two-way.

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