3rd Party Evaluation

Courtesy Flickr Creative Commons

Last week I joined a new gym and they offered me a free personal training session. I took them up on the offer and then proceeded to pay for a couple of extra days. As the trainer did his evaluation he asked a series of questions. The first was how long I had been consistently working out. I had to think for a moment, then I realized the answer was over 20 years. I haven’t taken more than 2 weeks off in the past 20 years. His next question: “Why are you here?” My answer: “I want to get a third party evaluation on my workout.” No matter how much experience you have in any area of your life, a 3rd party evaluation can help you get to another level.

Work: I speak in front of large groups on a weekly basis and I pride myself on my ability to communicate effectively. Once a year a try to attend a seminar or work with a speaking coach. It helps to ensure that I don’t fall into any bad habits. I always come away with a new technique or idea that helps to raise my game.

Life Coach: I have worked with a coach for over 20 years. Even though I am a coach myself, I find that working with someone else helps me to improve my own coaching skills. It also serves as a non-judgmental third party way to work through my own personal development. There’s nothing like having someone hold you accountable for mutually agreed upon tasks or goals.

3rd party to evaluate your own people: I am in the final stages of a major renovation for a property I purchased seven months ago. I began to question the work my General Contractor was doing so I brought in another contractor to provide a 3rd party evaluation. It turns out I was being grossly over-charged for the work that was being done. That 3rd party evaluation not only saved me close to six figures, but the final product is much better as a result.

Think about the critical areas of your life. Could you hire an expert to get a second opinion? It could be for your skills, your finances, your business, or even your hobbies. If it’s important for you to consider, get that 3rd party evaluation.