I experienced something unusual this afternoon: During the off-site department heads’ shindig, I received heartfelt compliments from a couple of important personages I work with/for. The gist is that my efforts to improve the quality of my communication and interpersonal skills over the last couple of years hasn’t gone unnoticed.

Wow. I didn’t even think I was doing that good of a job at it, really. Apparently a few of my coworkers do. Suddenly I feel a lot better about my job performance; much of the impression I leave on people involves the professional attitude with which I do my job rather than the technical skills I bring to bear, after all. That’s just a fact of human nature. It’s immensely gratifying (and reassuring) to know that I’m making noticeable improvement.

There’s hope for me yet, perhaps.