“Know thyself, know they enemy. A thousand battles, a thousand victories”

My sons are 8 and 5 years of age. The battlefield, which we call home, is covered in LEGO projects, digging equipment, NERF weapons, and automobiles of every form imaginable. Our dinner table has one reoccurring conversation: “Who is the strongest superhero?” Amongst the misplaced juvenile adrenaline of my children is a profound imaginative interest in superhero performance. My wife made the mistake of sharing the encyclopedic comic book geekery of my youth with our boys, who now pick my brain zealously. I’m peppered with questions like, “Daddy, what happens when Iron Man gets wet? What would happen if the Hulk was thrown into the sun? Would Thor still be strong if he cuts his hair? How does Batman go potty?” My dinner table is a constant superhero performance evaluation.

Over the next few weeks, you will like be undergoing a period of self-evaluation, and perhaps a formal performance evaluation through your employer. I hope no one is evaluated on the grounds of their super powers or their performance in an iron suit, however, I’m pretty sure we are all going to be evaluated from the perspective of how our individual strengths can best be utilized and placed in the puzzle we call employment. When done correctly, both you and your firm! This period of self reflection and external evaluation in is an opportunity to ponder individual interests, strengths are and how we can better ourselves. To take that two steps further it is an opportunity to develop a plan to explore your interests, build upon your strengths, and grow as professionals.

I challenge you to consider the following:

Your year to date performance is a measurement of the the past, how are you going to increase your value to the firm in the future?
What is one project that you are going to make a difference in?
What is one area within the firm that you can improve?
What is an industry that you want to learn more about and who can you go to lunch with to learn more about it?
When client work is slow, what are some noncharge projects that you can work on (examples include newsletters, being a technology champion, refreshing webpages,).
What does your personality profile (DISC, Meyers Briggs, etc) say about your tendencies?
What are some books, magazines, blogs, etc. that you can read this year to grow as a professional?
Would anyone want to read a book with you?
Do you feel connected to the firm? Are you utilizing your coach? Do you need to find a mentor?
What are some community activities that you can get involved in?
Are you satisfied with my health and overall well-being?
What do you want the next 3 years to look like?

Spend some thinking about what you want to do in your career. You may not know for certain for years to come, but make a plan to take some baby steps over the next 12 months. Keep in mind that is it is YOUR career so take advantage of the tools and resources made available to you.