Your self-assessment form just arrived, looking nothing like your colleague's across town. You might face metrics and ratings while they write narrative responses, or receive a vague "reflect on your year" while they work through specific categories. Yet beneath these different formats, everyone's really asking the same thing. What difference did you make?
Last week, we talked about becoming like a Weeble, these round-bottomed toys (some of) you and I remember from the 70s. They wobble but won't fall down, thanks to their weighted base. Knowing and loving yourself works the same: feedback might rock you, but it can't knock you over.
The five questions below help you find that center before you engage with your workplace’s process. They're for you, privately, to ground yourself in what you know to be true about the contributions you’ve made. What you do with those truths in your actual review depends on your context, your culture, and your own judgment. Take what serves you.
I’m not suggesting you reverse-engineer a perfect response, but when you know yourself confidently, whatever system you're navigating can't undermine or disorient you.
📱 Tonight on Instagram Live! Join me @ginny_clarke at 7pm ET, where, among other things, we'll dig deeper into these questions and practice answering them together.
1. What accomplishment am I most proud of, regardless of whether it was formally recognized?
Your most meaningful contributions tend to fly under the radar. Consider problems you solved before they escalated, relationships you built that grew into partnerships, or any moments when the impact of your work became clear.
Recognition follows no reliable pattern. What gets celebrated in one organization goes unnoticed in another, and your prevention work, mentoring, and system improvements might be invisible simply because they kept things running too smoothly to draw attention. You accomplished something, even if credit didn't follow.
📌 You might say: "I know I made a significant impact when I _____, which demonstrated my strength in _____."
2. When did I choose to be courageous instead of comfortable this year?
The easier path was right there. You could have stayed quiet in a meeting, let a flawed plan proceed, or avoided an uncomfortable conversation with your colleague. But, instead, you spoke up, pushed back, and leaned into discomfort. When others would have deferred to precedent or waited for consensus, you trusted your judgment, and it paid off.
Real power comes from recognizing your agency and acting on it. No title required. Only the courage to trust yourself.
💪 You might say: "I demonstrated leadership by choosing to _____ when I could have _____, resulting in _____."
3. What task, skill, problem, or insight do people consistently come to me for that isn’t in my job description?
Pay attention to the pattern of who seeks you out and why. You've probably noticed that certain types of problems find their way to you, regardless of reporting structures or official responsibilities.
The unofficial roles you play—translator, mediator, encyclopedia—tell you how your mind works and where you instinctively create value. This is your professional currency, the competencies that travel with you into any role or industry.
🔑 You might say: "My core competency in _____ was evident when I _____, and also when I _____."
4. When did I help others make sense of what we’re working toward and why it matters?
Purpose is the silent source of true confidence. When your work aligns with your values, you exude steadiness. You inspire people. Otherwise, it’s obvious when you’re going through the motions because your heart isn't actually in it.
Think about a time you helped someone reconnect to the meaning of their work, or when your team drifted and you brought them back to a shared direction. Hope is often the most powerful thing a leader can provide.
🧭 You might say: "I created hope and forward momentum by _____, which enabled my team/colleagues to _____."
5. Where did I deliver value this organization would have missed without me, and can this place recognize it?
Arrogance demands praise. Confidence knows what it brings to the table. This question requires you to step back and see yourself. Take an honest inventory of what someone with your specific capabilities contributes to your company. If you left tomorrow, what would stop working?
Some organizations don't recognize what they have until it's gone. By articulating your value now, while you're still there, you give them intel they might not seek out themselves, generously highlighting their own resources. How they respond shows their capacity to value you, and that's worth noting.
📊 You might say: "I delivered exceptional value to the organization through _____, demonstrating _____ and achieving _____."
Bonus Question (for the brave): What am I damn good at?
Don't deflect credit and don't qualify your success. There's something you do naturally that others genuinely struggle with, something that would create a real gap without you. What is it? Say it plainly, without apology.
🌟 You might say: "I am exceptionally good at [specific capability], which shows up in my work as [concrete examples]."
🎯 Final Thoughts
These questions are yours to answer honestly, without worrying about what anyone else might say. Use them to reconnect with your contributions before you engage with however your organization measures them.
Some answers might find their way into your formal assessment. Others you'll keep for yourself, as reminders of what you know to be true. Either way, you'll enter review season already grounded.
Sending love and light,
Ginny