What Can You Do Differently?

     As the end of the year approaches many of us stop and reflect on the year, what did we achieve, what goals were met, where we fell short, and what did we fail to get done. At work this comes in the form of performance reviews, those dreaded annual events where we must tell our boss all our failures, our successes and hope we are seen for the good we did. There is a better way.

     First, it is important to evaluate our performance, it tells us where we need to improve and what gains we’ve made. It can also tell us what changes need to be made to be better in the future. The key is in how you frame this evaluation process. Avoid thinking good/bad, right/wrong, black/white, success/failure and instead look at what went well and what you can do differently to be more successful.

     I believe all of us are more excited to celebrate our successes than we are to dive into what didn’t go well. That’s a normal and natural response, however, we grow when we look for ways to improve the areas we didn’t do well in. Yet by focusing on what went wrong we drag ourselves down and get stuck beating ourselves up for our mistakes.

     A much healthier approach is to look at what could we do differently in the areas that didn’t work as well. What changes could we make in the next time we encounter that situation, or even moving forward on a current project. Instead of focusing on the mistakes only, look for changes that would create a different outcome. Could you have communicated more clearly, sooner or followed up more often? Would it have helped if you had taken charge of that activity or delegated it to someone else? Could I have done X before Y to speed up the process? Look at the point where you go bogged down or where things went wrong and work backwards to see what could have made a difference.

     Keep in mind this isn’t an activity designed to wallow in the mistakes. This is all about finding the point where a different action would have made a difference in the outcome and how you can learn from that change. Ask yourself, what could I do differently to be more successful / more efficient / more effective next time to find a way to be better in the future.

     The great thing about this is that it is future focused, it’s not about living in the past, it’s about moving forward stronger, smarter and better. Apply this to the success as well. I believe there is always room for improvement, and this gives you a framework to find the adjustments that will bring about improvement.

     I’m sure you have done many things well this year, even amidst all the chaos, and there are ways you can make 2021 better. Choose your focus wisely. Will you be looking at all that went wrong, or will you be looking for ways to make the future better? It’s your choice.

 

     To see more leadership wisdom join me in a private FaceBook group: Leadership Wisdom for Women in STEM. https://www.facebook.com/groups/leadershipwisdomforwomeninstem

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