Do Your Own Annual Review

Image by Iris Shreve Garrett via Flickr

Most companies do an annual performance review of every employee. While these reviews may have a significant impact on your income and promotion potential within your company, they are not sufficient to guide your personal development plan.  Long term, it will do you little good to exceed expectations in a function that may be decreasing in relevance in your company or the global economy.

At least once per year, you need to do your own review that looks beyond your current role, your current department or even your current company. It’s your life! You are ultimately responsible for implementing your personal development plan.

Here are some questions that you should ask yourself as part of your own annual review:

Are you enjoying your work?

How has your industry, company and job changed in the last year?

What new skills do you need to excel in your current position?

How are your industry, company and job likely to change in the next year?

How are your industry, company and job likely to change in the next decade?

Will  global and industry trends lead to an increase or decrease in demand for your current skills?

What skills and experience do you need to develop to prepare for the changes coming in your industry and company?

What resources are available to gain the skills and experience that will be required in the next year and the next decade?

These are not easy questions and finding the answers will require careful research and intuition. The future is impossible to predict accurately, so your answers will be based on probabilities. With your answers, you will be in a better position to select the books and blogs you need to read, the conventions and classes to attend and the projects to focus on in the upcoming year.

How often do you update your personal development plan?