Many of us dread quarterly and yearly performance reviews. That said, they’re often necessary to identify areas of growth and strength as well as what we need to work on. We’re all made up of strengths and flaws, and identifying and dealing with these personal characteristics transforms us into better leaders and more productive, effective employees and entrepreneurs.
For us, we can’t wait for someone else to assess our work and performance a handful of times each year. Self-assessment is a powerful tool that allows us to not only celebrate success and confront failure, but it keeps our eyes on the prize, our attention fixed on what really matters.
That said, a self-assessment isn’t identical to a company's performance review, despite similarities. For us, self-assessment is much more personal. Here are a few questions to ask yourself when doing a little looking inward.
5 Key Questions to Ask in a Routine Self-Assessment
1) How does my performance impact my long-term career plans?
Of note is how our current position and performance impact our long-term career plans. You may be excelling in certain areas, but they may not translate into areas that would be most beneficial in the career that you truly desire. What this unveils is your focus. When you put today’s work in tomorrow’s context, you can see how your efforts are leading you there. You may also notice that you are getting off track and growing in an unexpected direction.
This either calls for course-correction or recognition of a new calling. It is okay to change your long-term plans if you recognize what you really want and where your strengths lie. Your needs shift over time and an attentive, regular self-assessment can help you see those needs and act accordingly.
2) Am I focusing on anyone else’s performance?
Our work rarely happens in a bubble. We have coworkers, colleagues, employees, contractors, and partners. Any number of people in different positions influence our performance. However, your self-assessment is not a peer review. While the actions of others can influence outcomes, they don’t influence the quality of your work. Assess yourself independently of others lest your assessment become less about your own improvement and more about your grievances with those around you.
3) Where is the growth from failure?
Acknowledging mistakes, failures, and issues is critical in any assessment. However, we can’t fixate on them and expect positive results. Rather than seeing problems as simply that, frame them in a different context: namely, how they have facilitated professional growth. Whether you learned new skills or strategies, focus on how you overcame, what you learned, and how it will impact future work.
4) What is my attitude bringing to the workplace?
Your workplace environment is important. People don’t want to work in places that are full of stress, micromanagement, toxicity, and burnout. While we can’t always control these things, we can control our own attitudes and reactions. Part of your self-assessment should cover this. Be critical of your own behavior.
Were there instances where how you delivered information was ill-received? Have you struggled to clearly convey expectations? Evaluate your attitude (including your tone of voice, word choice, and body language) in addition to your communication skills.
5) How can I keep better track of future progress?
Lastly, we need to ask ourselves how we can improve in the future. Most of us are prone to falling into work-place ruts. We switch on autopilot and go through the motions just to get through the day, the week, even the year. Don’t allow your professional life to be left marching in place. While it’s difficult to honestly assess ourselves, we must learn to do it for the good of ourselves and our careers.
Start a performance journal or Google Doc that marks accomplishments, challenges, and your process until your next check-in. This will help you see with more clarity what happened in the moment rather than relying on faded memories. When you record outcomes and strategies, you will be better able to adjust and implement new tactics in the future.
Don’t underestimate the power in solid recordkeeping!
For the professional and especially for leaders, self-assessment is the key to your next level-jump. Only when we are honest and objective with ourselves can we see all of our strengths and weaknesses laid out in the open...and then, learn where to go based on them.
What’s the most surprising thing you learned about yourself in a routine professional assessment? Share your story in the comments.