I love to succeed. I love to do things that I’m good at for as many people as possible, providing me plenty of examples (or evidence) that I am successful and high levels of esteem are justified and secure. Building this self-efficacy is both important and constructive to motivation. Individual satisfaction and meaning occur when we are contributing Personal Best Performances.
Applying the Hedgehog Concept (Jim Collins, 2001) to our individual careers yields higher performance and more Personal Bests.
A Personal Best has 3 components:
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Talent – what you are good (even great) at.
- Passion – what you like and want to contribute; what you want to be good at.
- Organizational Value – the contribution needed or opportunity to create value.
I have developed a tool for helping clients identify Personal Bests. I have used this approach with a broad group of customers with favorable results. If you’re a consultant, helping a client through this self-discovery process is impacting. In my experience, clients have valued the exercise and some have used the process with those that they lead. If you’re a leader, using this process with your team members is an effective way to support their development and build a stronger relationship, both supporting higher levels of engagement.
Personal Best Interview
Purpose: The purpose of the Personal Best Interview is to guide your thinking about personal development to help you make your greatest contributions through efforts that are personally meaningful and satisfying.
Directions: Answer the questions below to help you identify high-impact development goals for your personal development and to prepare for development discussions with your Manager, mentor or other coaching resource.
Personal Best Examples: Describe 2 – 3 examples of experiences when you felt most enthusiastic and positive about your work.
For each Personal Best Example above, what about that experience made it such a positive and motivating experience for you?
What are your talents (those things you’re good at and can constructively apply at work)?
What are you passionate about (Those things you are motivated and enthused to do at work)?
What contribution can you make to the organization leveraging your talents in an area of passion?
What do you not want to do? (What would you like to avoid doing? (e.g., relocating, shift changes, roles)
What are your career goals and plans? Do they position you to contribute more personal bests?
Short-Term:
Long-Term:
What do you need to learn, become more skilled at, and experience to make your best contribution to the company and achieve your goals?
- Focus on WHAT to develop or change rather than HOW at first.
- Example – “develop the ability to develop and communicate strategic plans to align your team and achieve objectives” rather than “complete strategic thinking training.”
What barriers or development needs could keep you from making your best contribution and achieving your goals?
Work Arts 