#87 Am I A Good Employee?

Gone are the days of wondering, “Am I a good employee?” Replace this self-defeating dud with a more useful, flexible question that elevates your future!

You Compare, You Lose

We like to compare ourselves to others. Well… kind of. It can make us feel terrible on one hand, yet we engage in this (mostly) unhelpful activity anyway.

You can see your colleagues climbing the ladder or moving onto bigger and better opportunities. Perhaps your mentee from a few years ago has somehow become your new boss. Comparison games can leave you painfully wondering, “What about my career, am I a good employee?”

We waste much time playing the comparison game. Comparing ourselves and our situations to those we know, to those who admire, to where we “should” be. And we lose most of the time.

If you stop comparing and think about it, certainly there are things you do better or different than others. Thus, you are gifted with a package of superpowers that others cannot acquire, offer or borrow.

Powers That are Super

I like to think of it as a personal characteristic, uniquely inherent to me. A custom strength that provides an advantage in the way I operate my life. My superpowers allow me to thrive, prosper and manage difficulties so I can serve the world better. They comprise my unique secret sauce that nobody else can borrow.

If you had to brainstorm 3-5 superpowers that you know you can confidently offer under the right circumstances, what would they be?

Here are a few brainstorming ideas to help you filter down to your superpowers:

• Is there a specific trait, characteristic or feature that others tend to compliment you on?

• Is there a specific trait, characteristic or feature that others tend to request of you?

• Do you feel like an anomaly, like you’re different from the “average” person, whether in a negative or positive light… what makes you stand out?

• What internal skill has helped you manage difficult situations, a skill you haven’t labeled?-

• Think of previous challenges that required unique or special abilities – how would you label these unique or special abilities?

• Thinking about the times when you have been extremely proud of yourself – do you notice any patterns?

• What do others consistently ask of you, want from you or need from you?

• What kinds of things, situations, or people get you motivated, excited or curious?

• Why do you trust yourself?

On To a Better Question

“Am I a good employee” is completely subjective and open to interpretation; there is no right answer. So, please do yourself a favor and stop trying to answer this awful question!

Instead, I pose a more relevant, flexible question. A question that enables self-reflection in the name of evolving rather than empowering outsiders to make a biased judgment call:

“Am I in pursuit of a self-discovering journey that promotes improvement, learning and application of my superpowers so that I may best serve the world around me?”

• If your answer is (mostly) no, then the time to get motivated is now. To start correcting your course, dedicate time to critically think through the questions listed in Section II, Powers That are Super.

At the end of each day, our human duty is to work towards continuous improvement and defeat any barriers that prevent us from applying our superpowers.

If you enjoy this content, I invite you to follow me on LinkedIn and ask me about free strategy sessions for your career!