The Three Components of a Personal Balanced Scorecard

In the world of employment, the personal balanced scorecard serves as a guide to people who want to achieve more. This is the most basic form of documentation on how a person performs and how he needs to improve on his weaknesses, not just as a person, but as an employee we well. Every person has a need to break down priorities to attain any short term or long term goals. This makes action plans on career movement more organized and systematized.

In the simplest terms, there are only three dimensions for a personal balanced scorecard: Personal Competence, Competence for Adding Value, and Aptitude for Self Actualization. These three are intertwined and one cannot be made complete or fulfilled without focusing on the others.

Personal competence is focused on one’s skill set. This is how one is measured through what is expected of the job. Performance is measured through results and accompanying efforts and core values incorporated in behavior. Although most of the time, efforts do not at all translate to results. And at the end of the day, Personal Competence still boils down to yield of productivity and results—ideally meeting the target set or exceeding expectations.

Competence for Adding Value is more of a self-initiated task. This is measured on additional responsibilities, which an employee does without the intervention of management. In most scenarios, workers or employees will only do what is told. People who have initiative, on the other hand, look further and set their own direction and these career directions are aligned with organizational goals. Competence for adding value is also measured on how sociable a person can be with the people around him. This creates a cultural mindset that people who have the ability to work with others without conflict are people who can also influence others.

Lastly, there is this thing called Aptitude for Self-actualization. This last group of the personal balanced scorecard looks at the balance between a person’s life and work. This has something to do with the person’s feelings towards his work. There is a need to see emotional fulfillment and a vision for growth from that person before it may be even assumed that the person is self-actualized. In reality, self-actualization is difficult to achieve since this is the last thing to be reached in the hierarchy of needs. Without satisfying hunger, emotional needs, physical needs, and other aspects of the human persona, one cannot achieve self-actualization.

Achieving balance within work through measurement of targets in terms of Key Performance Indicators and achieving personal goals is not easy. People need advice from coaches and mentors who will help them sustain their needs at work on a day to day basis.  Someone needs to set proper direction or else they will feel lost and stagnant. Add to this the necessity of motivation and fulfillment of financial needs, environmental conditions, development of skills for succession planning, and other key factors that will help a person achieve his goals. These are all integral in achieving a personal balanced scorecard.