Understanding who you are and how you work: the role of self-assessment

Routine and meaningful self-assessment is a key step in continuing professional development and can help guide professional decisions and improve effectiveness. Strategies for self-assessment include use of self-assessment tools such as personality or skills inventories, which provide insight into an individual's traits, attitudes, or interests. Strengths-based self-assessments focus on identifying and developing individual talents instead of improving weaknesses. A personal mission statement can be used to establish personal and professional values and goals. Results of such self-assessment activities can be applied to the workplace to enhance performance and better align work activities with individual interests or strengths. In addition to incorporating self-assessment into professional development activities and decision making, it should also be a routine part of day-to-day work activities. Strategies for routine self-assessment of teaching, scholarship, and service are presented.