Self-Evaluating -- Honestly and Often

Self-evaluation shouldn’t be happening just once during an annual performance evaluation. It’s important for us as human beings to monitor our performance and progress for efficiency and improvement. Work is no exception. In fact, it’s more important when you consider the competition in the job market. The worst thing an employee can do in a job is to become complacent and stop striving to exceed past performance. Don’t do it in your life or in your marriage if you want a fruitful life and a long lasting relationship.

Self-evaluation should not be pass/fail. There’s too much to consider to have such a limited view, unless of course career stagnation is just your thing, then read no further.

If you are someone that wants to be their best and catapult your work performance, then it’s time to get serious about self-evaluation. When we monitor ourselves carefully, it eliminates the need for constant check-ins by others. Three cheers for eliminating the need for micromanagement! Since we are a diverse world, it’s important to note that people have different ideas about what makes them, or would make them, a valuable employee. Let’s consider the primary factors to be considered in performance evaluation that are more or less applicable to all.

 Honesty

Let’s face it; no one is doing their absolute best at every job task at all times. The issue with honesty is no one wants to admit they’re lacking in one area or another. Here’s the thing -- a desire to improve job performance is not a flaw or an indication of failure. By being honest, you can turn your weaknesses into opportunities for development. Having pride in the work you do is critical for honesty to work. To take pride in something is to nurture it in order to carefully improve its state. In order to improve something, you have to be honest about its condition.  You have to recognize where you are on that ladder in order to take the next step upward. Be honest with yourself and make good work better.

Know Your Worth

We all have the potential to be a valuable member of a company, and not just for your awesome potluck contributions. Some are great writers, some are great speakers, and others have valuable interpersonal skills; all skills have merit which make you valuable. Those skills you have help you to accomplish goals. No one wants an employee who is constantly undermining their own worth. While, yes, self-deprecating humor is great for stand-up comedy, it doesn’t read as well in a performance evaluation. Keep track of your accomplishments. Not only will it benefit you in showing employers your worth, it’ll allow you to see what you’re bringing to the table and why your efforts bring value to the company.

Keep Pushing

There are things we have to admit we don’t do as well as others. It’s okay to recognize those short comings and work to improve them. However, it’s equally important to give attention to things we do well. The fact that there is no such thing as perfect means there is always room for you to improve and hone your skills. At work if the final product is great, how was the process? Was I efficient? What could help me improve my process? Simple questions considered often can help guide your daily work and personal assessment. Keeping track of tasks and accomplishments informally makes eventual professional performance evaluations easier to complete.

A Word of Caution

Being “critical” of one’s performance does not mean being negative. It simply means we should carefully consider the top to bottom process to highlight both areas of needed improvement as well as areas of strength. Don’t be a Debbie Downer every time you start to look at yourself critically. Being honest means that sometimes it’s okay to say, “I did well here.” Wording is important, even when it comes to our inner voice. Additionally, a negative inner voice can start to spill over into work and company environment. No one wants to be the toxic element in the workplace.

For some tips on self-evaluation including wording and areas to consider that can guide your daily, summative, and professional evaluations, consider the links below:

• 10 tips for making self-evaluations meaningful, by Rich Hein and Sharon Florentine
• How to handle the self-evaluation component of your performance assessment, by Malcolm Fleschner