Several years ago, as a wide-eyed and eager analyst, I attended one of our company’s “town halls.” The former head of our division was discussing accomplishments and used a word to characterize high-performing employees. This word has stuck with me ever since and is something I strive to be everyday.

The word is: thoughtful.

Why did this have such an impact on me?

It is not a word that I had typically come across to describe one’s strengths. Intelligent, hard-working, ambitious, driven…. these were the common traits that defined leaders. And here was our former leader saying that the common thread among successful emerging leaders is thoughtfulness.

We perform 360 reviews annually and it is has become an adjective that I use more often as I believe it captures conscientiousness, ownership and empathy in one.

Next time someone asks you “How would you describe yourself in 3 words?” perhaps thoughtful is one of the words to reach for.