Giving Yourself An Annual Review: Questions That Can Shape Your New Year

By Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter

Employers often give their staff members reviews annually to assess where each employee is now versus where they should be. I’m not a big fan of annual reviews. Too many managers use them in a punitive way rather than put in the effort to correct, encourage and inspire during the course of the year. But why can’t you give yourself an annual review? Why can’t you critique your own performance vis-à-vis your values and ambitions, personally and professionally?

When I work with individuals to help them evaluate themselves, I ask them these questions as part of their self-assessment.

Who are you?

I don’t mean your job title or role that you play. What is your essence? What kind of person are you? How do you define yourself and your character?

Answering this question will ground you and bring you back from the frenzy you may be living and working with or the apathy that you are languishing in. What is the crux of who you are?