Regularly asking yourself tough questions is an agile and lightweight way of keeping yourself aligned and progressing your goals. Asking yourself questions is great for self-reflection. Self-reflection is necessary when you are working on improving yourself. As a result of asking questions, answers become action about what is most essential and meaningful for your continuous learning.
Before the new year comes, start asking yourself these questions. Then use the answers to create a self-development plan for the new year. You owe it to yourself, your family and your peers and co-workers.
1. What is going well in your role, what are your big wins this year?
It is important to take a regular inventory of your accomplishments. Doing so helps keep you motivated. Over the course of a year, you lose sight of all the great things you have done. Take some time to celebrate and brag a little. Having a list of wins will also help with your annual review.
2. What challenges are you facing that are holding you back from advancing?
When you can identify where you’re stuck and then bring someone else’s attention to the challenge at hand, you position yourself to receive the coaching and guidance that helps you think about the issue in a fresh new way.
3. What are you doing or not doing that is holding you back?
This is one of the best questions to ask. It is direct, specific and usually gets down to deeper issues. There is something you are doing or not doing that is holding you back.
4. How are you feeling and what is the morale around you?
It is important to assess your mood and the mood of those around you. Answering this question brings self-awareness and also provides valuable qualitative insight into those around you.
5. What feedback have you received that you haven’t implemented yet and why?
There is bound to be feedback that someone gave you that you either ignored or thought you would get to later. Take an inventory of any feedback you haven’t acted on and think more deeply about if you should act on it or not. If enough time has passed you may find some of your challenges are related to that feedback.
6. What are you passionate about and what are you doing to satisfy that passion?
There is something you get excited about. Identify what that is and create a passion project. It is too easy to start blogging, podcasting, create how-to videos, etc. Find the thing you are most passionate about and start working on a passion project. Many people are turning passion projects into income generating side gigs. When you are working toward things that inspire you, it literally makes you feel more alive.
7. What one interaction did you have where you weren’t happy with your behavior?
Maybe it was not admitting when you were wrong. Maybe it was saying or doing something that hurt someone’s feelings. Whatever it was, if you haven’t apologized for it do so. Don’t go into the new year with old baggage.
8. If you were to leave your organization today and the only communication you could have with employees was a single paragraph, what would you write?
This is a great self-reflection question. Who would you call out and have you told them how you feel? What accomplishments would you list? How will you remember your time there? These are all great things to put in a farewell paragraph. Of course, if it wouldn’t be a positive paragraph, what are you doing to change the situation?
9. What is my secret sauce?
Answering this question helps you explain how you do what you do so well. You will be asked what makes you successful or how you accomplished some goal or initiative. Being able to articulate the “how” gives you more credibility.
10. When will you turn your answers to the questions above into action?
Doing nothing with your answers to the above questions will make every day feel like the movie Groundhogs Day. Turning your answers into action gives you the opportunity to change, grow and do better. Write up a professional self-development plan and start acting on your answers.
