An employee stopped me in the hallway today and simply said “Thanks for being honest with us.”  This meant so incredibly much to me.  I have worked very hard to be as open as I can with my staff about our company performance.  I have shared when things looked positive and when they did not.  We have discussed our strengths and our weaknesses.  At the end of every meeting with large groups of employees I always ask for questions.  I will answer any and all that they ask.  My intent is to be as transparent as I possibly can be, believing that the best way for everyone to be on the same wavelength is to have a mutual understanding.  Today was no exception as I shared the realities of the challenges that the current economic environment and company performance has placed us in, but then spent 3x as much time discussing the massive potential that lies ahead.

So then when the feedback I received was “Thank you for being honest with us” it was a beautiful moment.  I realized my communication goal in both tone and content.  I wanted them to see my heart and my character.  I think that really happened this afternoon.