Critical self-evaluation of your participation in the Project

 Developed team charter at the beginning of the project where every

team member identified his strengths and weaknesses.
 The characteristics put forward complemented each other.
 The team also developed a structured administrative way to approach
the project.
 During the initial weeks, we did not play it to everyone’s strengths.
We directly dwelled into research, with a particular focus on current
resilience frameworks being used. Had to synthesise the bulk and
identify strengths and weaknesses in these – both in terms of
resilience and sustainability. Everyone was doing the same thing.
Having a good knowledge of the R&D components of big engineering
firms, I mostly dwelled blindly into same while others were mostly into
theoretical books and research papers. This is both good and bad. I
was missing out on the other side of the coin.
 Dwelling blindly into research is a double-edged sword.
 However, this was also the time when we struggled the most.
 We realised that we were running this CCP along other modules and
assignments. We could not spend too much time on this. However, the
weekly rate of progress had to be steady in order to meet the
presentation deadline.
 The meetings were also spread out at a frequency of once per week.
Despite already feeling the urgency as from Week 2, I was reticent to
call out for more regular meetings to discuss internally.
 I felt that the progress was slow. Besides blind research ideas, I felt
that I was not contributing as much as I should have contributed to
the team (despite my proactive participation during the in-person
meetings). The quantity of information and documents submitted was
there but the quality was not.
 Analysed a lot of information, had an extraordinary diligence at causal
loop diagram, scenario planning etc…But same was not to the
satisfaction of the client.
 The rate of progress still seemed to be very slow at Week 4. I felt the
urge to call the shots now.
 It was high time to play to everyone’s strengths to unlock our
potential and be there in time to deliver the final knowledge product.
 Strategic foresight is a process. The client wanted to know what tools
cities can be used to navigate through this process and we were
missing out on this detail since the very beginning.
 As I identified research and development as one of my strengths, I
undertook identification of different strategic foresight tools and the
development of the proposed methodology to develop future policy
solutions. This was the highlight of the participation in the project.
Given the commitment to other academic assignments, I was unable
to attend the 4th meeting with the client. I was later informed that this
was very well received by the Client – Main deliverable.
 Training Guide – Questions
 Thematic reviews
a) Be proud
a. Highlight your accomplishments and recollect milestones.
b. Point to specific tasks that highlight your best work.
c. Emphasize the impact of those achievements on the whole
project.
d. Connect these accomplishments to the project goal.
b) Be honest and critical.
a. Assess the times you came up short.
b. Point out your weaknesses and how the latter taught you
valuable lessons.
c) Continuously strive for growth.
 a. Demonstrate how you committed yourself to progress with the
project.
b. Point out to specific tasks where you wanted to improve and
innovate.
d) Track your accomplishments.
a. Provide hard data to show what you’ve done.
e) Be professional.
a. Do not criticize team members and do not gush in a personal
way.

1 Best practices for writing a self-assessment

2 1. Be proud.

One major goal of the self-evaluation is to highlight your accomplishments and recollect
milestones in your professional development. A good self-assessment should point to
specific tasks and projects that highlight your best work. When describing those
accomplishments, employees should emphasize the impact those achievements had on
the whole business to emphasize their value to the company.

Julie Rieken, CEO of Applied Training Systems Inc., said you should strive to connect
your actions with a manager's goals. This alignment is encouraging to any manager and
conveys that you understand your role within the larger context of the company.

"If your manager needs to hit a certain number, share how you played a role in hitting
the number," Rieken said. "Accomplishments you list should connect with business
objectives."

3 2. Be honest and critical.

Self-assessments aren't just about highlighting triumphs. You should also critically
assess the times you came up short. Being honest means pointing out weaknesses that
could be improved upon or past failures that taught you a valuable lesson. Recognizing
your own flaws is important to demonstrating your ability to learn and grow.

Still, it's important to not be self-deprecating in your assessment. Timothy Butler, a

senior fellow and director of career development programs at Harvard Business School,
advised employees to use developmental language when critiquing the areas in which
they need to improve.
"You don't want to say, 'Here's where I really fall down,'" Butler told the Harvard
Business Review. "Instead, say, 'Here's an area I want to work on. This is what I've
learned. This is what we should do going forward.'"

4 3. Continuously strive for growth.

It's important during self-assessments to never stagnate; humans are constantly

adapting, learning and changing. Whether you've had a great year or fallen short of your
own expectations, it's important to remain committed to improving and educating
yourself. Taking a moment to list your goals and objectives for the coming year during a
self-assessment demonstrates that you are not content to settle.

"The first step is to adopt a growth mindset and understand that adult human potential is
not fixed," Hassell said. "We are always in a state of becoming, and our potential
increases or decreases based on many factors, including the environments where we
live and work. Adopting that framework prevents people from becoming too transfixed
on their perceived failures and from becoming too attached to their triumphs."

Managers will also see a willingness to improve and take on new things as a sort of
coachability. If an employee has been struggling, making room for growth could improve
their performance. On the other hand, an employee thriving in their position requires
growth opportunities to prevent boredom or stagnation.

Tip: Take a moment to list your goals and objectives for the coming year
during a self-assessment to demonstrate that you are not content to settle.

5 4. Track your accomplishments.

When it's time to discuss your accomplishments in your self-assessment, providing hard
data to show what you've done throughout the year is highly beneficial. Employees and
managers generally know how you have performed, but having concrete numbers to
back up any assertion strengthens the validity of your self-assessment.

"If employees ... spend 10 seconds a day writing down their one biggest
accomplishment, success, metric hit, feedback received for that day, they'd have 10
times more data than they'd ever need for self-assessment," said Mike Mannon,
president of WD Communications.

Hank Yuloff, owner of Yuloff Creative Marketing Solutions, agreed. "We teach our
clients to keep a list of daily and weekly accomplishments so that when it is time for the
self-assessment, there is very little guesswork as to how valuable they are to the
company."

6 5. Be professional.
You should always be professional when writing self-assessments. This means not
bashing the boss for poor leadership or criticizing co-workers for making your life more
difficult. It also means not gushing in an overly personal way about a co-worker or
manager you really like. Whether you are providing critical or positive feedback,
professionalism is important.

Being professional means giving the appraisal its due attention, like any other important
project that crosses your desk. Dominique Jones, chief operating officer at the BetterU
Education Corporation, recommends treating your self-evaluation like a work of art that
builds over time. You'll be much happier with the result if you give yourself time to reflect
and carefully support your self-assessment, she said.

"Use examples to support your assertions, and … make sure that you spell- and
grammar-check your documents," Jones wrote in a blog post. "These are all signs of
how seriously you take the process and its importance to you."

7 Sample: How to write a self-assessment

While the tips above can help you write a self-evaluation, few things improve the
process like seeing an example firsthand. To that end, we've created a sample self-
assessment to guide you as you create your own.

8 Strengths

 I am a dedicated employee who understands not only my role and

responsibilities, but the larger mission of our business. I don't strive just to do my
job, but also to help make this company a success.

 I am a good communicator who stays on task and helps rally the team when
cooperation is needed to meet a deadline or solve a problem.

 I am a creative thinker who can come up with novel solutions and improve upon
conventional ways of doing things.

9 Weaknesses

 I am somewhat disorganized, which often impacts my productivity. I have been

learning how to better manage my time and intentionally direct my efforts. While
it remains a challenge, I have seen some progress and look forward to
continually improving.

 Sometimes I do not ask for help when I could benefit from assistance. I am
always willing to help my teammates, and I know they feel the same way, so I will
try to be more vocal about when I need a helping hand moving forward.
10 Core values

 I believe in teamwork and cooperation to overcome any obstacle.

 I value respect and transparency between employees and managers.
 I value friendship and building warm relationships within the workplace.
 I strive to be a welcoming and helpful presence to my co-workers.

11 Accomplishments

 I never missed a deadline in the past year and, in fact, often submitted my work
early.

 I've gone above and beyond my job description to ensure our team operates at
an optimal level, staying late and helping others whenever it could contribute to
our collective goal.

 I created and delivered a presentation, stepping outside my comfort zone to do

so. It was well received and bolstered my confidence regarding public speaking.

12 Goals

 I would like to continue developing my presentation and public speaking skills. As

a weakness that I listed on previous self-assessments, it is gratifying to see that I
have made some progress on this skill set and I would like to double down on the
growth.

 In terms of professional growth, I aspire to enter a managerial role. I enjoy

working closely with my teammates and considering the bigger picture, and I
often help direct resources in an efficient way. I could see myself as a manager
who helps facilitate teamwork and encourages workers to do their best.

13 Feedback

 My manager is pleasant and transparent. I never have to guess where I stand. I

appreciate the openness and direct communication so that I know what is
expected of me and how well I am meeting those expectations.

 I would like to be more involved in decision-making at the team level. I believe

each team member has unique insights that supervisors cannot fully understand
since their perspective is different, and I believe involving staff members in
strategic planning could greatly improve results.

Keeping things simple and using short, declarative bullet points are key to writing an
effective self-assessment. While the exact nature of your self-assessment might depend
on your industry or your job description, this basic model can help guide you in writing a
self-evaluation.
 Did you know? Keep your self-assessment short and simple by using bullet
points.

14 Additional self-evaluation example phrases

Along with the elements in the preceding sample, self-evaluation forms might ask you to
address some more specific areas. Your answers will give your employer deeper
insights on how you view your strengths and weaknesses. Here are some tried-and-true
phrases that managers like to see in a self-assessment.

15 Communication

For communication efforts on the job, here are a few common phrases to include:

 I communicate effectively with project managers and team members.

 I can have difficult conversations with co-workers and managers in a respectful
manner.
 I provide constructive feedback and know how to accept the same from team
members and management.

16 Performance

Performance is normally the most generalized area of self-assessments. These are

some effective phrases to use on the form:

 I worked on X projects and was able to meet timelines and goals for each one.
 I take the initiative on each project and confirm that I understand the parameters
before launch.
 I'm consistently the top performer within my project team.
 I always look for ways to improve on the job.

17 Reliability

The reliability section will discuss how dependable you perceive yourself to be, so you
could include these statements:

 I am well known for my dependability and the way I give it my all on every
project.
 My work is always done in a timely manner with a high level of accuracy.
 I'm always on time at work and arrive to meetings early, being mindful of other
people's time.

18 Leadership
For leadership, you should use phrases that demonstrate how you've taken the initiative
in the workplace. Here are a few examples:

 I always go out of my way to help co-workers.

 I make sure everyone on my team feels comfortable when exchanging ideas.
 I look for ways to keep my team on track and make sure important milestones
are met.
 I brainstorm ways to motivate others and freely give praise when performance
goals are met.
19 Innovation

For innovation, the self-assessment is looking for ways that you solved problems in a
creative manner. Here are a few example statements:
  I always look for better ways to manage projects and make sure the process
goes smoothly.
 I'm not afraid to look for out-of-box solutions.
 I don't let change interrupt workflow, but instead aim to roll with the adjustments
to keep projects on track.

20 Teamwork

For teamwork, you need to demonstrate how well you work with others, using phrases
similar to these:

 I maintain a positive attitude to benefit my co-workers and managers.

 I encourage team members to work together as a way for us all to reach a
common goal.
 I'm always considerate of my co-workers' feelings and show respect for their
opinions.

21 Problem-solving skills

In this section, you're expected to talk about ways you have come up with solutions to
common workplace problems. Here are a couple sample phrases:

 I can look at a problem from every direction to come up with a creative solution.
 I'm willing to ask for help when having a difficult time brainstorming a solution to a
workplace problem.

22 Making performance evaluations a regular occurrence

Performance evaluations help everyone know where they stand and how they're
performing, including in relation to the goals of the organization. Often, workplaces
engage in performance evaluations annually, but they should become an ongoing
process to fairly and accurately evaluate employees and create a culture of constant
communication and feedback.

"[S]elf-assessments cannot merely be an annual event. They are part of an ongoing and
regular practice of reflection," Hassell said. "If you look at a snapshot of performance,
you are never going to see the truth. It's too easy to focus on a particular experience or
event and then create an overarching story around performance."

This will prevent "recency bias," a type of tunnel vision that centers on recent events
rather than the big picture. It also creates an inclusive, give-and-take culture where
employees are invited to participate in offering feedback to their managers as much as
their managers offer them feedback. Overall, an inclusive and communicative workplace
has a greater chance of success.
"Managers who adopt a coaching or mentorship role can provide external reflections
and much-needed perspective so employees can see failures as learning opportunities,"
Hassell said. "They can also enjoy the praise of a job well done but not dwell on past
triumphs, because every company has a continued need for peak employee
performance over time."