So, How Am I Doing?

by Lawyer Working Girl

It's that time. I've been with my company long enough to have my first evaluation. I haven't been here a year yet so it wasn't the big yearly evaluation, but it was my initial, post-grace period evaluation. So, how did I do?

When I first got the calendar invitation for my evaluation it wasn't a surprise. I had to fill out a self-evaluation recently so I knew the evaluation was coming. There were several thoughts going through my head. Will my boss's opinion of my performance differ from my own opinion? Will my boss have any negative comments? Will he say I can get a lot more done if I wasn't writing blog posts at work? (Ha, ha. Just kidding, boss.) What questions should I ask?

One thing that I went back and forth on was whether this was the time for me to talk about other opportunities within the company. I have been thinking more about my strengths and weaknesses and what I enjoy doing and how I can incorporate that into my full-time job. I once heard a professional say that you should think of your strengths as the things that make you feel strong and your weaknesses as times when you don't feel so strong. I feel strong when I'm in front of people speaking and when I'm writing. I feel strong when I get to use my leadership skills and interact with other people. I feel weak when...well, you didn't really think I was going to expose my weaknesses to you, did you?

Well, I decided that this probably wasn't the time to talk about other opportunities when I've only been in my position for a few months. I should probably master this position and prove myself before I start throwing out suggestions for new positions.

Back to the actual evaluation. It went very well I'm happy to report! Whew! I ended up only asking one question and that was what can I do to help myself advance? Which areas should I focus on strengthening? And the great thing is that some of the things my boss talked about for my future with the company involve some of my strengths.

That had me thinking about how I'm doing here. Working Girls, I think it's time for my blogging evaluation. Am I writing content that you're enjoying? Is there anything about which you would like to hear more? How can I help you? I believe that blogging should be about an experience for me and for you, so, how can I make your experience more enjoyable?

What Are Your Strengths?

I was helping my best friend earlier this week as she prepared for her bi-yearly review. One of the questions on her questionnaire was, what are your strengths? She was struggling with what to write. I don’t blame her…that is such a tough question to answer without sounding like you are gloating so I shared with her this amazing little book called StrengthsFinder 2.0. Have any of you read this book?

I was lucky enough to stumble across this book about 4 years ago when I was interviewing for a position where it was required of all candidates. Initially I thought it was just another test, but as I read through the first few chapters, I realized how much validity it really had. The book talks about strengthening your strengths rather then trying to strengthen your weaknesses. It makes so much sense. There are 34 unique strengths, all of which are great!

It’s a short read. You take the test (code in the book), it gives you your top five strengths and then you get to read in detail about them. It was scary how spot on the test was for me! So now when I get asked this question, I am able to talk with confidence.

If you have time, I really recommend it!

Here are my top five strengths in no particular order:

Responsibility-People who are especially talented in the Responsibility theme take psychological ownership of what they say they will do. They are committed to stable values such as honesty and loyalty.

Discipline-People who are especially talented in the Discipline theme enjoy routine and structure. Their world is best described by the order they create.

Arranger-People who are especially talented in the Arranger theme can organize, but they also have a flexibility that complements this ability. They like to figure out how all of the pieces and resources can be arranged for maximum productivity.

Achiever-People who are especially talented in the Achiever theme have a great deal of stamina and work hard. They take great satisfaction from being busy and productive.

Futuristic-People who are especially talented in the Futuristic theme are inspired by the future and what could be. They inspire others with their visions of the future.