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Your End-of-Year Career Audit

December 29, 2020

As 2020 comes to a close, one of the best ways to prepare for the year ahead is to set aside time for intentional end of year career reflection. Taking an honest look at what goals you already met, where you still have room for growth, and where you are in regard to your long-term goals can help you ensure that you’re prioritizing properly come January. Here are four questions to help guide your own annual review.

What Knowledge Did You Gain This Year?

In an industry with continuously evolving technologies and investment strategies, financial advisors are tasked with not just staying up to speed, but actively working to stay ahead of the curve. Did you create a workflow that helps you manage your time better? Were you able to gain a deeper understanding of tax impacts in order to create tax-optimized strategies for your clients? Take stock of what you learned this year — and what you did with that knowledge.

What Are Your Top Three Accomplishments of 2020?

Annual reviews needn’t be all criticism — don’t forget to celebrate your biggest wins, as well. Identify the goals you’re most proud of meeting this year and examine the process. Recall the steps that seemed to come easily to you and any places where you stumbled a bit. This type of end of year career reflection can provide valuable insights into your strengths and weaknesses, allowing you to work more efficiently in the future.

What Is Your Biggest Work-related Regret of the Year?

An honest look back requires examining the low points of the year, too. Identify any losses and home in on what went wrong and how you could do things differently next time. Don’t be afraid to get granular: Laying out the process in a step-by-step formula can help ensure that you avoid the same pitfalls in 2021. And remember, there’s no shame in imperfection — mistakes often turn into our greatest opportunities.

What Progress Did You Make Toward Your Long-term Goals?

Whether you’re looking to have a specific number of clients within a certain timeframe or you have a monetary goal in mind, your end of year career reflection is the perfect time to assess where you are in reaching those goals and what you might need to focus on in the coming year. And don’t forget to plan for challenges that may crop up along the way. Ask yourself what hurdles you could encounter in reaching your goals and make a plan for how you’ll handle them.

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