Perform a Self-evaluation of Your Abilities

Admit it, self-evaluation is difficult. And there are proven reasons for this.

Reality #1: Most people typically over-estimate their true abilities and skills. Yes, this is the toughest fact to accept, but think about it for a moment: everyone "spins" their activities to display them in the most positive light.

Reality #2: We tend to believe everything others tell us. Most people, in their efforts to be kind, tell us what they believe we want to hear, but the truth is seldom exactly what we hear. As hard as it is to accept, we would be better served if we heard what these same people said to others about us.

Reality #3: Most people often don't have access to the personal information needed to evaluate themselves. This results in an inability to recognize problem issues or incompetence in ourselves. It also tends to create a more dangerous situation: over-confidence in our abilities.

Accept these realities and implement some or all of the following tips to help you perform a meaningful and useful self-evaluation.

How to Perform a Self-evaluation

• Try to get true feedback and opinions from your peers. Be aware that you may-or may not-embrace the information you learn. But accept that this is reality. Don't worry; it isn't necessary that you formalize this suggestion. You can accomplish this component in an informal way by simply asking some trusted peers to be honest with you. No, you don't need to ask that they be "brutally" honest, just offer some insight into how they perceive and interact with you.
  
  
• Use "benchmarking" to provide some self-evaluation information. Companies around the globe use benchmarking to assess their overall success level. You can use this technique to help you accomplish the same goal. Personal benchmarking involves the measurement of your performance as compared to the performance of others. For example, simply observe how your fellow workers respond to and manage different situations. Then compare the way you handle similar events. It's time for another "be honest" moment. Assess your performance compared to your established benchmark to receive some real feedback about your ability. If the results are positive, take pride and continue to act similarly. Should you believe you had some shortcomings, you still win. You now know some areas of improvement that you can pursue.
  
  
• Self-test yourself constantly. This is easier than it may at first appear. Simply evaluate yourself when and after doing common tasks. Ask yourself, "How did I do?" "Did I perform the task correctly?" Then, ask for some outside input. Do your peers agree with your assessment? Along with the positives, seek out some shortcomings, if any.
  
  
• Evaluate your "subjective" areas. Sometimes the nuances of your persona, performance and behaviour are difficult to identify. However, these difficult-to-rate components are very important on a subconscious or intuitive level. Along with your personal reflections on your subliminal image, try to generate some outside opinions from others (family, friends or peers). Self-evaluating your subjective areas is obviously not an exact science. Just be honest and objective.

A good self-evaluation is an effective tool for you to become aware of your strengths and shortcomings. The positive effect on your career can often be huge. Learning what you do well and improving on your strengths, while creating the ability to understand your weaknesses to take corrective action, can generate significant upgrades in your performance and image.

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