Performance Review Season: How to Write a Self-Assessment and Set Better Goals for the Year

Performance Review Season: How to Write a Self-Assessment and Set Better Goals for the Year Performance review season can feel stressful — but it’s also one of the best opportunities all year to reflect on your work, demonstrate your impact, and design better goals for the future. In this episode of Get Organized at Work, Kayla shares how to approach your self-assessment and annual goal setting in a thoughtful, strategic way. Instead of treating goals as rigid checkboxes, Kayla introduces the idea that great goals act like vectors — providing direction and momentum while still allowing leaders to adapt as priorities evolve. You’ll learn how to conduct a meaningful self-assessment, identify what worked throughout the year, and design goals that support growth, leadership impact, and continuous improvement. Kayla also shares the annual self-assessment framework and goal-setting template she uses inside her Ultimate OneNote Hub, including how to review goals, track progress, and adjust throughout the year. If you're preparing for a performance review or planning goals for the upcoming year, this episode will help you approach the process with clarity and confidence. In this episode you'll learn: • Why self-assessments are essential for leadership growth • The key questions to ask during performance review season • How to evaluate your goals and demonstrate impact • Why effective goals behave like vectors instead of fixed targets • How to design SMART goals that can adapt throughout the year • How to use reflection to improve your leadership systems If you’d like to see how Kayla organizes her annual goals and performance reviews inside the Ultimate OneNote Hub, check out the YouTube tutorial linked here: 🎥Goal Setting for Professionals in OneNote | Annual Goals + Self-Assessment Template: https://youtu.be/wf7qvyBNK5o Resources and next steps: 📓Get the OneNote Hub template I use to organize my work and leadership systems: https://kayla-fahey-ahrndt.myflodesk.com/ultimateonenotetemplate 🎥If you want to watch my OneNote Hub tutorial, it's here on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Co83sC_qovw?si=nQtnaV3EQiqaQKas 🎥Watch the Active Projects List walkthrough in my OneNote Hub: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEDJl9M7178 🎥Watch the Daily & Weekly Dashboard tutorial in my OneNote Hub: https://youtu.be/nWgmoIJBCPc 🎥 Watch the Leader Standard Work and Weekly Reflections Questions tutorial in my OneNote Hub: https://youtu.be/JQ4IFTDQV9Y 🎥Watch the Goal Setting for Professionals in OneNote | Annual Goals + Self-Assessment tutorial in my OneNote Hub: https://youtu.be/wf7qvyBNK5o 📱Join the Get Organized at Work community for deeper system training and support (plus my OneNote Hub and my 6 module Get Organized at Work Blueprint Course is included with your membership): https://leadership-unveiled-podcast-community.mn.co/landing?space_id=2638359 HOW TO SUPPORT KAYLA & GET ORGANIZED AT WORK PODCAST Leave me a rating or review wherever you listen to podcasts! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐: Apple Podcasts Show Link🛒Shop My Amazon Storefront CONNECT WITH KAYLA: 📱Join My Podcast Community and App for Professionals 🗞Get My Newsletter Follow me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaylafaheyahrndt/ Follow the podcast on Instagram: Get Organized At Work Podcast (@getorganizedatwork) • Instagram photos and videos Keywords performance review tips, self assessment for work, leadership self evaluation, SMART goals for professionals, performance review preparation, leadership goal setting, annual self assessment, goal tracking system, OneNote productivity system, professional development goals, leadership reflection