It's that time of year when the topic of annual reviews and end-of-year reflections comes up in social media posts and conversation.
In this blog, I'm sharing my own process to assess my professional year. This is a process I prioritize simply out of belief that there's always room to grow. I want to identify and act on those growth areas.
My process in 7 steps.
1. Reflect – "la piste de départ"
In the weeks leading up to my review, I start to really pay attention. What doesn’t feel right? What feels clunky? What do I suspect needs optimizing? What’s working really well?
I have a few tools to help guide my thinking including:
Visual representation of my models, namely:
List of core business processes
List of vendors and partners
List of internal infrastructure
If the results of this reflection are less than inspiring, I’ll run a “Start, Stop, Continue” exercise.
Step 1: Throw on the wall everything I’m doing.
Step 2: Review through the lens of each role I play (business owner, consulting/coach, sales lead, marketing lead, etc.)
Step 3: Categorize each activity in task based on what do I stop doing (RoI is weak to non-existent), continue doing, and start doing.
2. Compile data
You can’t improve what you don’t measure, right? I’ve delivered enough data & analytics capability projects to understand the value of data!
I dive into my data sources (qualitative and quantitative) and compile as per the following categories:
Business Development
Marketing
Client Delivery
Research and Development
Finances
Results of my weekly reviews
3. Journey Wall exercise
This is where rubber hits the road. I conduct a mini-Journey Wall exercise.
What's a journey wall? This is a facilitation method typically conducted with teams. I’ve modified it to suit my needs. For information on how this method creates value for teams and organizational leaders, contact Monica Chohan of Wilbrod Consulting.
Here are the steps, as per my variation:
a) Draw a timeline on a white board or a long sheet of paper tapped to the wall. Separate the timeline per month.
b) Drawing from data compiled in step 2 along with my calendar and notebook(s), I add every event/key activity/”thing that happened” per month.
Above the timeline: What gave me energy or was positive.
Below the timeline: What drew from my energy or was negative.
Once I feel confident I’ve covered everything, I take a step back and look for a) patterns and b) outliers.
c) Assess. This is the fun part. What do the patterns tell me about what kind of year I had? What about these outliers? How did they come about and what role did they play in my growth?
This is the step that gives me an appreciation for what my clients must feel like when they’re in a session with me. 😉
4. Draw insights.
Looking at the year as a whole and giving myself visibility into patterns and outliers helps me see the forest for the trees. I’m then better positioned to draw insights from a complete rather than partial picture.
Key to this step is to do a solid gut check:
Of the insights that I’ve drawn, are they based on objectivity and facts? Or on a story I’m telling myself. Where it feels like I’m telling myself a story or I’ve built a narrative I’m trying to prove out, I return to step 3.
This takes a great deal of self-awareness and humility. Not going to lie, like all humans, something I prefer the stories I tell myself.
If you want more on what it means to base an action, decision, reaction on a story you’re telling yourself, see Brene Brown’s work.
5. Discuss with members of my trusted circle.
As blue-collar rural kid who now creates value in the business world, I understand at a visceral level the importance of quality friendship, mentorship, coaching, and championing.
At some point between steps 1 and 6, I will ask for time from those in my trusted circle to discuss what I’ve surfaced and the insights I’m drawing from it.
I enter these discussions with an open mind ready to receive, even when it means hearing something I don’t want to hear. Ego in check, humility turned on.
6. Apply to goal setting, strategy and direction for following year
Back to my statement about not being able to improve what we don’t measure, this is where I take my insights and advice from trusted peers and apply to any elements of my business strategy and models and my direction in the following corporate year.
I capture:
Goals
Action Items
Plans
There is a step missing in my review process. It’s a step I’m including moving forward.
7. Celebrate growth.
Remember Don Draper in Mad Men? Here’s the one quote I remember from the show: “Happiness is the moment before you need more happiness.”
While he spoke of happiness, I’ll speak of success. Success is the moment before I push success just out of reach again.
Anyone who’s interacted with me in a meaningful way knows I’m hard on myself. As soon as I reach the bar, I push the bar higher.
Back to my point about the value of trusted peers, a trusted peer of mine helped me see I need to counter balance this with a bit of celebration. She didn’t even do it intentionally. She simply asked the question: “What do you do to celebrate?”
Not having an answer was in itself my a-ha moment.
Celebrate has been added to my plan and action list.
So there you have it. I’ve cracked open my brain to share how I approach annual reviews. If this has left you thinking, “Wow, Christine is a big nerd.” Hold that thought, I also run a similar exercise for my personal life. If I wasn’t nerdy enough before!
I’ll end this blog sharing advice from my Friday morning yoga teacher. No matter how light or heavy you go into your annual reflection, be kind to yourself. Treat it as an opportunity to learn rather than to beat yourself up.
If ever you want to swap notes or find out a bit more, don’t hesitate to reach out!
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