Back in the days when we had a boss, the annual review was stress-inducing and sometimes unpleasant.

But, at the same time, it was nice to figure out where we stood. It was particularly nice if we were doing well and getting lots of positive feedback.

Now, working for ourselves, we have no one, other than ourselves, to give us the positive feedback we need.

More importantly, we have no one keeping us on track so we know we’re moving in the right direction.

The burden of moving forward is entirely on us. We’re doing it alone. We’re flying solo.

So today, let’s sit down with ourselves and talk about how things are going. Let’s do our annual review and ask ourselves the following questions.

1. Have I learned more about practicing law this year?

We’re not talking about getting your continuing education credit. We’re talking about actual learning. Truth be told, I’ve sat in the back of a continuing education classroom reading a novel and playing games on my computer while earning credit. Did I learn anything on those occasions? Nope.

I’m asking whether you really learned some things this year.

• Did you do something hard like a trial advocacy program?
• Did you read a book on something difficult and boring that you really need to know?
• Did you sit down with another lawyer and work through a complex issue and help one another synthesize the pertinent case law?
• Did you teach another lawyer something, requiring yourself to organize and absorb the information so you could pass it along?

2. Have I built important new relationships this year?

Relationships are the secret sauce of growing your practice.

• Have you connected with new referral sources?
• Are they delivering as expected?
• Are you building your connection with your local judiciary, your collaborative law group, and your peers?
• Are you systematically approaching the enlargement and enhancement of your network?

3. Am I getting more productive?

• Have you identified issues that are limiting your productivity and proactively worked to improve?
• Are you dealing with time management concerns?
• Are you finding ways to eliminate distractions?
• Are you implementing technology that frees up your time?
• Are you measuring your productivity so you’ll know for sure that what you’re doing is working?

4. Am I developing assets in my business?

• Is your business better off today than it was one year ago?
• Have you upgraded your people?
• Do you have better tools and technology in place?
• Have you improved your systems for hiring, firing, and managing?
• Are you creating better marketing materials?
• Are you implementing new programs?
• Is your system better now than it was last year?

5. How well am I managing my team?

People are your most important asset.

• Are you managing them or letting them drift?
• Are you communicating the overall direction of the business?
• Are you meeting regularly to talk?
• Is everyone in alignment and headed in the same direction?
• Are your people happy?
• How’s turnover?
• Do your people love their work or bide their time?

6. Am I gaining new business skills?

• You’re learning about the law, but are you learning about business?
• Are you staying up to date on marketing, management, technology, and finance?
• Have you read any business books this year? Attended any educational events? Joined any discussion groups?
• What are you doing to expand your capacity as a business leader?

7. Have I set goals for the coming year?

It’s tough to make progress if your goal is merely to return the calls and put out the fires.

• Is the next year going to be about survival or growth?
• Do you have a plan, or will you drift along and get another year older?
• Where is it that you’re going?
• How are you going to get there?
• When is it going to happen?

Who Gives the Feedback?

Who’s going to critique your answers to these questions? You are, and you’ll be great at giving yourself feedback. As a group, we are highly critical, largely unwilling to accept excuses, and mostly drive ourselves pretty darn hard. Use your answers to push yourself forward. Your insights into yourself will powerfully inform your plans for the future. Plan now to review yourself next year using the same criteria, and use your assessment of the past year as the foundation for you next annual review.

Get to work. You’ve only got 365 days until your next review.