Self-reflection is a crucial step in taking control of your career and accelerating your professional growth. And it looks different for everyone. For some, it could involve identifying areas for development or skill gaps within yourself, for others it could involve delving into challenging work relationships to understand their root causes or assessing your strengths to ensure they are in alignment with your initial career goals. No matter what it is, it’s important to have a tight gauge on your performance (and even more important to determine if you’re an over-performer).
This article is all about reflecting on your performance to gauge if you’re fulfilling your duties and possibly exceeding expectations. Having this awareness of yourself can be incredibly powerful when it comes to career planning.
- Firstly, it’s essential groundwork if you’re considering going after a promotion or applying for a higher-level position.
- Secondly, it’s a strong indication of whether you are ready to ask for a salary increase.
- Lastly, this type of self-awareness helps you to determine whether your current role is challenging enough for you and if you’re growing in the way you want to be growing to meet your ultimate career goals.
Put simply: it’s a good idea to do it, and we are going to teach you how in 3 simple steps!
Also Check Expert Advice on How To Build the Team Culture You Want
3 Steps to Determine If You’re An Over-Performer
1. Compare your performance to the job description of your role
- Ask for an official copy of the job description for your role: The best way to do this is to reach out to your manager or your HR department to get a copy of your official job description. Make sure to get the official JD and now a summary of what your manager sends you. This document will clearly outline the expectations and responsibilities of your role.
- Take note of your role responsibilities, starting first with the primary ones: It is likely that there is a decent amount of content in the job description. To start, try to pinpoint the areas that detail your role’s daily activities and responsibilities, focusing first on primary responsibilities and tasks and then getting into secondary / occasional responsibilities and tasks.
- Align the work you are doing to the responsibilities in the job description: For each responsibility listed, evaluate if you are in fact living up to the expectation. For each responsibility, list out examples of work projects, tasks, or products that demonstrate your competence and performance in that area. If you find that there are more than 3 examples, it’s a good sign that you have mastered that competency and are likely over-performing.
- As a general rule of thumb – while you are going through this exercise, it’s a good habit to index on metrics or specific outcomes to demonstrate competency. For example, if one of your responsibilities is project management, list out a few examples of projects you have led, what their objective was, and what impact they had on the business. This will help you down the road when you are preparing to ask for a promotion or salary increase.
- Take note if there are instances where you have gone above and beyond: While you are going through each responsibility, identify and document areas where you clearly exceeded the expectations or engaged in additional activities not explicitly listed in your job description. Some examples of out of scope work could include leading 1% projects, mentoring colleagues, or contributing to broader strategic planning. If this list is long, it’s another strong indication that you are over-performing.
2. Compare your performance to others on your team that share your same level / role
- Use organization-wide benchmarks to gut check where you stack rank: If you work in an organization that measures performance against specific quotas or publicly announces pace to goal amongst the team, use this data as a benchmark to see where you stack compared to everyone else. If you are consistently ranking in the top 3% or even the top 10%, this is a pretty solid indicator that you are an over-performer.
- Compare your quantitative measures of success to your peers: Take note of metrics like sales numbers, project completion rates, customer satisfaction score, or any other performance indicators relevant to your specific role. Compare your numbers to those of your peers to better understand where you stand in terms of measurable outputs.
- Identify if you’ve been asked to take on more special projects: Take note if you are usually the one chosen to lead special projects or initiatives on your team. Not only does this show that your leadership values your opinion and trusts your judgment, but it also indicates that they place you in higher regard over your peers who are not chosen as frequently.
- Take note of your participation in team meetings: Think about your level of engagement in team meetings or collaborative forums. Are you usually the one contributing ideas, solutions, and feedback compared to others in the room? If you are, there is a good chance you are over-performing.
- Take note of how often you share best practices: Think about how often you share best practices, tips, and knowledge in team forums or one on one meetings. If you are doing this often, you are likely viewed as a thought-leader on the team, which is a sign of over-performance.
- Take note of how often you are formally or informally mentoring peers: Take note if you have more formal (or informal) mentees than others on your team and if you are contributing a larger proportion of your bandwidth to up-leveling the team at large.
- Take note of formal feedback and recognition you have received: If you are consistently getting positive feedback, awards, or commendations from your team, this is a good indication that you are doing a great job and like over-performing in your role.
3. Ask for informal qualitative feedback from peers and superiors
- Ask your peers for their honest feedback! This is not only a great way to show the org you have a growth mindset, but it’s also a great way to get a quick sanity check and honest feedback from the people that interact with you and your work on a daily basis.
Once you finish this exercise, you’ll have a clearer understanding of where you stand and be able to determine if you’re an over-performer.
Now I will say – it’s common for people to believe they’re excelling when they’re actually just focusing too much on one aspect. This is an important distinction. Even if you’re giving 200% to one part of your role, neglecting another means you’re technically underperforming. It’s your duty to prioritize effectively and fulfill all expectations.
If you realize you’ve been overly focused on one area, it might signal a deeper desire to do more of that type of work. Humans naturally lean towards what brings them joy or comfort. You might discover you’ve been drawn to a specific part of your role subconsciously. Having this type of knowledge can be very helpful when it comes to future career planning.
I hope this article provided you with valuable insights and a solid framework to evaluate your performance and determine if you’re an over-performer. Remember, self-reflection is key to effective career planning. The sooner you master it, the better off you will be long term! Good luck!
If you enjoyed this article, be sure to also check out our article on how to negotiate a higher salary. If you determine that you are in fact over-performing in role, it may be time for a compensation conversation with your manager.
