Most of the time when you hear the words “performance evaluation” it is in regards to a manager evaluating the work of an employee. The business world is centered on managing and evaluating people. However, regardless of where you are in your career, in order to be truly successful, you must first know how to evaluate yourself. Here are a few rules to make sure you’re getting the most out of yourself.
Assess your strengths.
Whether you’ve been in the same job for a while or are looking for a new position, it’s important to assess where you’re most likely to be successful and where you’ll likely need help from others. In order to objectively assess your strengths and weaknesses, ask someone that’s close to you and that will be honest what they feel are your strong and weak points. Position your career to where you can use your strengths to you advantage and work around the weaknesses.
Set challenging goals.
Setting goals for yourself can be tricky, because if they’re too easy, you’ll do the minimum. If the goals are too difficult, you can become discouraged. Set goals for yourself that are challenging, but still achievable. Then, define the intermediate steps that need to be taken in order to meet the goals.
Rip up the to-do list.
Nothing drives employees crazier than being micromanaged by an overbearing boss. So stop micromanaging your own activities. Having a to-do list that keeps growing and growing only leads to more stress. Instead, think about the results you want to accomplish rather than the tasks you should complete. If you can’t cut the list out entirely, make a to-accomplish list instead, and address the easiest way to get each item accomplished as you approach it.
Self-evaluate your performance.
Don’t depend on your manager or supervisor to evaluate your performance. The purpose of evaluating your work is to better understand what’s working, what’s not, and how to create future success. You don’t need to wait on someone else to decide these things for you. Regularly take a look at the goals you’ve set, what you’ve accomplished, if those goals are still relevant, and then adjust your goals accordingly. If you don’t do this, you’ll never stay on course with your career path.
Take responsibility.
Most importantly, you have to be prepared to take responsibility for the outcomes of your decisions. When you fail to accomplish something, don’t try to pin the blame on someone else. While things that happen may be out of your control, you do have control over the decisions you make to handle those situations. Instead of focusing on pointing blame, point your way to the future.
Taking a little time to evaluate how you manage yourself, will help you become a better leader, especially when you have to evaluate others. It will also give you clarity in your job and ensure you’re on the path to achieving your career goals.
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