It works wonders.
I began using it in my early days as a producer. I’d benchmark my daily work output as per this yardstick. I rate it as the best work evaluation technique that boosts productivity and sets high standards for performance self-appraisal.
The Vital Question: Adding Value to Your Output
At the end of the workday, while driving home, I’d ask myself, “What’ve I done today that would not have seen the light of day had it not been for me?”
Only if there’s a clear answer, I’d be content. If not, I’d set out the day after to achieve what I couldn’t the previous day.
Needless to say, the contribution must be positive, adding value to the product or service you’re working toward.
We discharge duties at work every week. Nothing special about that. Everyone does that.
Ask yourself, “What’s the value you’ve added to the output that’s entirely your doing?”
If there’s nothing, don’t mistake your contribution as noteworthy.
That’s not to say you did nothing. You may have worked hard but added no significant value to the end product or service.
It helped me in my days as a foot soldier. It continues to do so on my watch as a leader.
How many days of the month you have a clear answer to this vital question determines how much value you add to your job.
Why spend an entire day at work if there’s nothing you can claim that would not have happened had you been absent? In such a case, another can replace you, and it wouldn’t matter. For your work to matter, there’s got to be something that others around you can’t or don’t make happen.
In the absence of any institutional feedback mechanism, adopting this measurement hack will serve you well. We all know that feedback from managers, seniors, and colleagues may not come so quickly. How, then, do you assess your contribution at work? How do you know if your output benefits the product or service?
On some days, you may have nothing. And that’s fine. On others, you may have more than one such thing. As long as there are days every month when you have made a difference, you are doing well.
Don’t obsess about it while discharging your responsibilities. Think of it after the job is done.
Growing Through Self-Evaluation
This is how you can help yourself grow.
The earlier in your professional journey you begin this practice, the more you can grow. If you approach your daily work with this mindset, you set a measurable goal that’s easy to assess at the end of the day.
If you aspire to rise to the next level, you’ve got to have the answer to this question more often than not. Else, there’s nothing special you’re adding to the mix.
This self-evaluation technique has mattered more to me than any performance evaluation in any of the places I’ve worked in. If you practise this, you stand to have an edge during the annual performance ritual at your workplace.
Even if your manager does not see it, you will have enough supporting material to show the value you’ve been able to add throughout the year.
I developed this on my own. No one told me to do this. I did not read, hear or watch it anywhere. I am glad it came early to me in my career. Practising this helped me grow more than anything else.
Try it. You can thank me later.
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