As an HR pro and president, I’ve facilitated dozens of discussions where the goal was to help the team function better.

In all those years, I’ve never had a group tell me that “communication here is perfect.” It’s helped me develop a leadership truth: Never assume your communication is as good as it can be. Always work on it. Never stop. It’s a constant activity. Period.

I’ve learned that communication is just one of the things we should always work on.

I heard Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, the first black man to serve in that role, speak about making sure all people had fair opportunities to advance in the military. While he acknowledged significant improvement in that regard, he noted, “When you quit working on improving opportunity for everyone, you begin to lose ground.”

It’s a life truth. If you aren’t getting better, you’re getting worse.

• You can love more.
• You can listen more.
• You can continue learning.
• You can be leaner in your organization.
• You can improve the quality of your contributions.

You get the point.

We should be continually working to improve. We should focus on a few things to help us on that journey.

What are the things you focus on?