The old year 2024 is about to pass. In addition to setting goals for 2025, self-reflection is also important. Reviewing your work can greatly enhance your career performance. Research from Harvard Business School found that “taking the time to review our work improves long-term performance” and “learning from direct experience is more effective when coupled with reviewing”.
Now that we know the power of reflection, what can we do as this year ends and a new one begins? Reflecting on what you’ve learned over the past year can help you see more clearly what you need to focus on in the coming year.
To help you out, we’ve put together 10 questions you should ask yourself before the end of the year. If you’re a mentee, share your answers with your mentee and get started on your goals for next year. Likewise, if you’re a mentor, share these questions with your mentees and help steer them in the right direction for the coming year.
1. What three accomplishments are you most proud of this year? Keeping track of your proudest moments from the past year can help you better understand how you gain a sense of accomplishment and purpose , and how your accomplishments have pushed you forward to reach your desired goals.
Review:
- In-depth exploration: Review not only your accomplishments, but also the path that led to these moments. Consider the skills you used, the challenges you faced, and the efforts that made these accomplishments possible.
- Adding Value: Think about the impact these accomplishments have on your personal growth and career advancement. How do they align with your long-term goals? And what can you learn from them?
activity:
Timeline of Achievements: Create a detailed timeline of your top accomplishments throughout the year, breaking each one down into key components:
- Milestones: Identify key moments in progress.
- Action Steps: Record the actions or strategies you used to overcome the challenge.
- Skills Used: Highlight specific skills (e.g. leadership, communication) used.
- Impact: Review the broader impact of these achievements on your personal and professional goals.
Writing a Feelings Journal: After creating your timeline, extend your review by writing down your feelings about each accomplishment. Focus on:
- Emotional reaction: How did this success make you feel? Were you proud, relieved, or even surprised?
- Lessons Learned: Have you developed any new insights or skills?
- Impact on Growth: How does this achievement align with your long-term vision? Has it changed your perspective or priorities?
2. Which of your strengths benefit you the most? We are all born with certain strengths. Identifying what those strengths are and how they benefit you can help you make better use of them in the https://ufabet999.app future. What are some of your strengths that you admire about yourself? How do they help you move forward?
Review:
- In-depth Analysis: Explore your strengths in detail, identifying not only what they are but also the specific situations in which they shine the most. Consider instances in which these strengths have led to success and satisfaction.
- Application Focus: Consider how you can strategically leverage these strengths in the future. Explore new ways to effectively use your strengths or leverage them in different areas of your life and work.
activity:
- Account strengths:
- Take the Assessment: Use a tool like Gallup’s StrengthsFinder or the VIA Character Strengths Survey to identify your top strengths.
- Review specific events: Once you have identified your strengths, think about a time when these strengths were particularly important to your success.
- Example: If “strategic thinking” is one of your strengths, think of a time when you used this skill to solve a complex problem or achieve a goal.
- Action: Write down how leveraging this strength has promoted your career or personal development.
- Collecting Feedback:
- Ask for insights: Ask a colleague, friend, or mentor to share a time when they saw your strengths positively impact your work or life.
- Ask specific questions: Encourage them to describe a situation where your strengths made a difference.
- Follow up: Review their feedback and compare it to your self-evaluation. Are there any new strengths they notice?
- Implement Feedback: Use this information to improve your self-awareness and plan how to continue using your strengths in future projects.
3. Which of your weaknesses hinder you? Like strengths, we all have natural weaknesses. Being aware of our weaknesses can help us be better prepared to deal with them. Which of your weaknesses hinder you? How can you change to improve them or make them work for you, not against you?
Review:
- Self-Assessment: Delve deeper into your weaknesses and how they manifested in your experiences this year. Consider instances where these weaknesses challenged or hindered your progress.
Action plan:
- Action plan: Develop a strategy to address these weaknesses. This may involve training, partnering with others who share your strengths and weaknesses, or finding other ways to work around these weaknesses.
activity:
- Weakness Reflection Worksheet: Create a table or document that lists your perceived weaknesses and their potential impacts. Develop an action plan next to each weakness, outlining strategies to mitigate or correct them.
- Analyze Feedback: Ask for helpful feedback from colleagues or mentors about areas where you can improve. Consider the feedback and brainstorm ways to address or remedy these weaknesses.
- Gather useful feedback: Reach out to colleagues or mentors for feedback on areas where you can improve.Consider and act: Analyze feedback along with self-evaluation. Create a plan for improvement. For example:
- If communication is identified as a weakness: Plan a practice presentation or join a public speaking group, such as Toastmasters, to improve.
- Analysis of Suggestions: This means carefully considering the suggestions received from others to find areas where we can improve.
- Helpful suggestions: are suggestions that are constructive and focused on self-improvement, not criticism or blame.
- Practice: is an activity or method that we will use to improve ourselves, such as practicing, learning, or asking for advice from others.
4. What have been your most important relationships this year? Most often, they have been. Moving forward is a collaborative effort – it takes a lot more time and effort to get there on your own. Who do you want to thank for your progress this year? Who helped you through a difficult time or gave you the kind words or advice you needed to keep going?
Review:
- Relationship Assessment: Consider not just the number, but also the depth and quality of your significant relationships. Review how these relationships impact your personal and professional development.
- Practicing Gratitude: Express gratitude and appreciation for those who support you. Consider how you will continue to nurture and strengthen these relationships in the coming year.
activity:
- Relationship Map: Create a visual map or diagram that represents your key relationships, including the people who play a key role in your personal or professional life. Review the depth of these connections and how they impact your growth.
- Thank-You Letters: Write a personal letter or email to someone who has had a positive impact on you. Express your gratitude. Mention a specific incident where their support or advice made a difference, and share your appreciation for their presence in your life.
5. How has your career path evolved over the past year? Where do you see your career path going in the coming year? To ultimately get to where you want to be in your career, you need to identify where you need to be at each stage. This can be done by looking at how your peers have progressed, or learning where someone you admire was when they were at the same level of professional experience as you are today.
Review:
- Career Review: Review your career milestones and growth. Evaluate skills gained, experience gained, and how your current position fits into your long-term aspirations.
- Goal Setting: Set clear, achievable goals for the upcoming year based on your reflections. Consider steps to take to close the gap between your current position and your desired career path.
activity:
- Career Reflection Board: Design a vision board or collage that showcases your career milestones, goals achieved, and inspirations. Use images, quotes, or symbols to show where you want to go in the future.
- Goal Setting Workshop: Host a personal goal setting session. Break down your career goals into achievable short-term and long-term goals. Discuss action steps to close the gap between your current job position and future aspirations.
- Break down your career aspirations: During your personal goal-setting session, identify both short-term goals (such as recertifying yourself) and long-term goals (such as transitioning into a leadership role). Prioritize the steps needed to achieve each goal.
- Action steps: For each goal, outline specific actions you need to take. For example, if a long-term goal is a promotion, a short-term action might be to enroll in a leadership course.
- Set a timeframe and checkpoints: Set a deadline for your goals and set regular check-ins to assess your progress.
- SMART Goals: Make sure your goals are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound, so you can hold yourself accountable.
- Review and adjust: Periodically review your career vision board and goal setting worksheet to adjust as new opportunities or challenges arise.