I think one of the hardest things to do in the workplace is a self appraisal. Most employers have yearly reviews where the direct supervisor meets with their employees to review the strengths and weaknesses that have been observed over the past year. These appraisals tend to be the basis of raises, promotions, and even firings, and they can be as stressful for the supervisors as it is for the employees.
One of the things that we started doing at work is a self appraisal that happens before the review with our supervisor. It’s a way to back up and look at how we think we’ve done over the past year. It also give us a chance to prepare for what our supervisors might have to say.
For me, this is extremely difficult. I’ve had times in my life when my view of myself has been much more negative than what others saw. At other times I’ve thought the world of myself, but the perception was much different from the other side of the table. As I was finishing up my self appraisal today, I feel like I probably reviewed myself in a more favorable view than my boss will.
To combat the issue of a skewed self view, I plan to do self appraisals more often throughout the coming year. Not only will this help me stay on track and improve in my responsibilities more steadily, but it will also help to keep my perspective in check if I involve my peers.
I’ll learn how my appraisal matches up to my boss’s review some time in coming week. Until then, all I can do is keep working at becoming the best at what I do and improving on the areas where I am not as strong.
