Author Marlo Lyons recommends five steps to highlight your most impactful accomplishments and demonstrate self-awareness with an eye toward developing your skills. 1. Focus on the entire year. Don't rely on recency bias. If you didn't keep good notes throughout the year, go back through your calendar to remind yourself of significant work. 2. Consider company and functional goals. Some of your work is a general job duty that isn't necessarily an accomplishment. Focus on the work you've done that is directly related to achieving the company's goals. 3. Look for alignment with company values and culture. In addition to what you've done, consider how you've done it. Highlight areas that demonstrate living out the values of the organization. 4. Seek feedback from colleagues. Even if your manager gathers 360 feedback at appraisal time, you can be proactive and gather feedback from stakeholders - ask for their perceptions of how well you communicated during a project or delivered under a tight deadline. 5. Draft a concise accomplishment list. The author suggests choosing no more than five of the most impactful accomplishments to showcase. Finally, she recommends including two development areas. End the discussion with ideas about how your manager can support you in your development areas to open up discussion.