This is a great time of year to do your own year-end personal review
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EmailA standard practice in the workplace is for supervisors to conduct annual performance reviews, however do you conduct your own personal review annually? Many do not, but the end of the year is a great time to do so.
As year end quickly falls upon us, it’s a great time to take a look back at the year that was and to begin thinking about the year to be. This is a good time to personally reflect on the previous 12 months to gauge if you feel you accomplished all you had hoped to. It is also a great time to set some goals for the next 12 months to reach for.
For many employers, it is a standard practice in the workplace for supervisors to conduct annual performance reviews of employees. Typically progress toward projections, company goals and individual professional growth are reviewed. New goals and plans to meet future expectations are often discussed at this time as well. This annual process is not only a good time for the company to measure your efficacy as an employee, but a great time for you as an employee to be provided with the constructive feedback to continue to thrive, and even grow, within the organization.
However, do you conduct your own personal review annually? Many do not, but the end of the year is a great time to do so. Here are a few suggestions that might be helpful when undertaking your own personal evaluation.
- Capture your plan in writing—though 12 months seems to fly by, it really is a long time. A great tip is to capture your annual personal plan in writing. This will be good to reference back to from time to time throughout the year but also to use next year when taking stock in your personal review.
- Be realistic, honest and fair—it’s easy for us to be too hard on ourselves when thinking about accomplishments. This is a time to think back over the year that was and measure against the intended plan set 12 short months ago. If you don’t have a plan from last year, this is a great time to write this down and start your own personal file.
- Reward yourself—After all, this is the season of giving. If you had a great year, personally, reward yourself for being so successful. Now, it’s not recommended to do anything that might negatively impact your budget, but you did well—reward yourself.
- Think about what you would like to accomplish in the next 12 months—this can be challenging, but be as bold as you would like. This is your plan for yourself. No one else will read this (unless you share it) so don’t feel like you have to hold back. Challenge yourself, but like I pointed out earlier, be realistic, honest and fair to yourself.
- Set a timeline to accomplish certain items—if prudent, set timelines to accomplish certain items in you plan. If it’s to pay off a certain credit card by June 1, then put that in there and work toward it.
- Use your plan as a checklist throughout the year—since this plan is for you, by you, it’s yours to use as you please. Using this as a checklist can also keep you on track and help you realize your personal goals in a more succinct manner.
Remember, this is your plan, so how well you stick to it, hold yourself accountable, or reward yourself for successfully meeting or exceeding your own expectations—It’s 100 percent up to you! Good luck and have a great year!
“Michigan State University Extension has had a unique relationship with the regional economic development organization Northern Lakes Economic Alliance (NLEA) for more than 20 years. Recognizing the strength of combining resources, this partnership focuses on economic development, entrepreneurship growth and community infrastructure throughout a four-county region in the northwest Lower Peninsula, specifically Antrim, Charlevoix, Cheboygan and Emmet counties. As a result, the NLEA utilizes resources offered through MSU Extension as it provides leadership to state-wide programs sponsored by MSU Extension.”
