When assessing the critical success factors of superior performers in sales, self- management ranks among the top three attributes. Yet self-management is often difficult to measure, let alone to adequately define. So, during this time of year when it is so helpful to review the past year’s performance, it may be a good idea to review your own self-management ability. After all, a review of the various factors that contributed to this past year’s results will show that while some may have been controllable by you, many are not. Instead, they may consist of mandated policies, quotas or territory changes; even unexpected issues such as economic conditions or unforeseen weather mishaps. While it is not always possible to control outside factors, the one thing everyone does have control of is their own self-management—how you manage yourself and your capacity to develop yourself. There are six significant areas that contribute to your ability to self-manage. As you review your successes and failures of this past year, take time to do a self inventory of the factors that contribute to how well you have managed yourself and to identify areas that you can improve on for next year. On a scale of one to ten, give yourself a candid ranking on the following six factors, with ten being the best. Be as self-critical as possible since improvements only come from the areas you are willing to admit can be strengthened.

• Handling Stress.

   How strong is your ability to balance and defuse inner tensions and stress? These tensions, if allowed to build up, can interfere with your ability to perform up to your potential. If you have a low score, what can you do next year to cope more effectively with these tensions?

• Personal Accountability.

    How likely are you to fully accept responsibility for the consequences of your own decisions and actions and not shift the focus or blame for poor performance to somewhere else or onto others? For example, the excuse for not meeting a quota may easily be shifted to the manager who you believe set an unfair quota. However, despite that, how can you be more accountable for the results of your own response? If you have a low score, what can you do to be more accountable next year?

• Self Assessment

    How proficient and practiced are you at using your abilities to evaluate the skills and techniques of others and turning them inward to evaluate yourself in a similar fashion? For example, if your colleague Joe is highly skilled at influential conversations, do you envy his skill or can you honestly critique your own influencing skills? If you score low here, what can you do next year to enhance your own self assessment?

• Self Confidence

    To what degree do you tend to develop and maintain an inner strength based on your desire to succeed and believe that you possess the capabilities to succeed? Let’s not confuse ego with confidence here. How truly confident are you? If you score low in this area, what training or support do you need to raise your confidence level for next year?

• Internal Self Control

    What is your tendency to remain calm and cool under pressure? Whereas “emotional control” relates to your external actions when stressed, “internal self control” is an assessment of your ability to remain calm inside. If you score low in this area, what would help you to be less nervous or calm when encountering uneasy situations?

• Self Discipline and Sense of Duty

    How strongly do you feel the need to be consistent and true to yourself in your actions? Can you govern your own actions and remain true to your ideals? Wow…this is a critical one. If you score low in this area, what tactics can you put in place to strengthen your discipline and sense of duty. This is a big one when it comes to getting results. The higher the discipline, the greater the results.

    Self-management, while high on the needs list for success, is often the hardest attribute to find in general and in the field of sales in particular. However, those who are able to master this attribute are among the few who are ranked as superior performers, thus reap the benefits of fruitful, productive and successful careers.

Bette Price CMC, is a Certified Management Consultant and author of True Leaders (Dearborn Trade Press). She writes, speaks and consults on marketing, management and leadership issues and may be reached at www.PriceGroupLeadership.com. Sign up for her True Leader Letter.