No matter where you are in your career, a self-evaluation can be an important tool. Self-evaluation offers us a chance to “identify the gap between the way things are and the way we think they should be”, with an opportunity to redesign the way we think in order to design our lives for success. But conducting one and making it a habit is no easy task.
Here are a couple tips I’ve given my clients to help them through the process:
1. BE HONEST!
To become a better leader you have to accept that you are not perfect. Being a good leader means you are honest and you will continue to be your toughest critic.
2. Highlight your successes… and failures.
Recognize your key strengths and accomplishments, but also highlight where you may fall short so you can continue to improve. Humble leaders have the confidence to recognize their own weaknesses.
3. Have growth in mind.
Remember that annual reviews and evaluations are meant to provide honest feedback and guide your professional development. Make it a goal to grow each and every day. Leaders are not born- they are made.
4. Conduct your evaluation as if you are being observed.
Acting as if your manager or your employees are over your shoulder will keep you honest and professional. Set high personal standards of integrity for yourself so your self-evaluations will be more meaningful.
5. Be positive.
You can be your toughest critic, but don’t be so self-depreciating that you bash yourself. Make your evaluations a positive experience so you can step away feeling hopeful and excited to the future.
If we cannot accurately assess where we excel and where we need improvement, how can we ever expect to improve or excel? Evaluation, even self-evaluation, is an important process for any of us to learn and to grow, and it become easier with practice.
So I created the Feedback Mindset and Behaviors Self-Evaluation sheet to help my clients with this practice. This nifty Excel sheet even automatically calculates your scores, saving you time and finger-counting.
It can also be shared with employees to help them critically think about their work performance in between one-on-one’s.
The better you become at evaluating your own performance, the greater control you gain over reaching your full potential.