Whether you’re a traditional entrepreneur CEO with a team of hundreds or a solopreneur who works only for and with yourself, it’s important to evaluate performance. Evaluate the performance of your employees, contractors, and other partners? Sure- but most importantly, evaluate the performance of yourself. When you report to yourself, it can be hard to keep your learning trajectory on an upward path without the checks and balances of a traditional boss. If you want to level up and take your business into the stratosphere of excellence, you need to find inventive ways to grow your skillset- even when no one is watching! Here are some of the best ways to improve your performance through self-evaluation:

Set goals. This may seem obvious, but setting goals goes beyond the financial goals you set for your business, it also means setting goals for your own growth and development. Find ways to incorporate professional development into your routine and make sure you’re applying that learning to your business practices to fully reap the rewards of the skills you’re perfecting.

Get real about your strengths and weaknesses. The humble and the confident need to shake off their doubts and take off the rose-colored glasses to evaluate their biggest areas of opportunity. If you feel uncomfortable owning your strengths, don’t! In your journey to be humble, you may be under-utilizing the unique magic you have that could make your business a game-changer! And if you’re confident in what you do, you may not have a clear picture of where you can do better. If you don’t know what to work on, how can you get better? Which brings us to…

Seek feedback. If you’re a big boss with lots of employees, give them a safe space to give feedback on how you’re doing anonymously. An employee is only as good as the support they’re given. If you’re a solopreneur, seek feedback from your customers, peers, mentors, and fellow business owners. Listen to the feedback with an open mind and use it as benchmark to improve your skills.

Be on the hunt for learning opportunities. The world (and internet) are full of incredible opportunities for entrepreneurs to hone their skills and elevate their business. Stay up to date on what’s going on in your field and seek out opportunities for webinars, conferences, seminars, and online courses. And don’t fall into the trap of signing up for asynchronous courses and never completing them! Hold yourself accountable. Or better yet, do your research and find select paid opportunities for your professional development with experts you admire. People are often more likely to complete their learning journey when they have some skin in the game.

Delegate or outsource. Entrepreneurs and solopreneurs are both famous for wearing multiple hats at once, but sometimes a girl has got to pick a hat and stick with it, amiright? Saving money is great, but at a certain point, you must identify your core competencies and give yourself space to share your genius as it was intended. Don’t be afraid to outsource the things that aren’t your specialty. Seek out those opportunities so you can shine where you shine best.

Treat your business like your taxes. You wouldn’t go over a year without looking at the numbers, would you? Then why do so many people go that long (or even more) without analyzing whether the processes they have in place are actually working for them? Pick a time of year and prioritize auditing your systems and processes. It can be tempting to say something works simply because rolling out something new would trigger growing pains but keep the bigger picture in mind and look at how the processes you have in place affect everyone. You’ll likely find areas to improve by prioritizing an annual systems audit.

In this competitive business landscape, it is essential to not only look outward, but focus inward as well. Your business (and your profits) will be better for it!

Looking for more ways to improve your performance CHECK OUT The Top 5 Habits of High-Performing CEOs HERE!

We strive to be the #1 resource for women entrepreneurs, what goals have you set for your professional development this year?