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In today's closing general session, Dan Pink told us to take back the performance review. He says that the once-yearly review with your boss just isn't enough to improve your performance, and I have to agree. Especially when you're new at a job, or new to association work in general, it can be challenging to benchmark your progress and know that you're achieving what you were hired to do.

Pink says to take performance reviews into your own hands and be proactive with your goals. Enter DIY [Do it Yourself] Performance Reviews. Pink says to set your goals independently at the start of the month, don't outsource this exercise to your boss. At the end of the month, assess your progress on the goals you made for yourself. What tools do you need to succeed? What would you do differently? What did you do well?

But maybe the DIY method is intimidating. Instead, Pink says to meet with a small group of colleagues or peers to create goals at the start of the month and evaluate progress together later. Added bonus: group members will hold you accountable for the goals you made.

Either method you choose will increase the level of engagement and ownership you take with your work with just a few simple steps.