Most people measure themselves against performance reviews, KPIs, or whether their boss "seems happy." That's a lousy compass. External metrics are mostly theater — useful for HR paperwork, but terrible for navigating your own career. If you want to operate like a professional, you need a harder, simpler test: the Three Gates. Ask yourself these three questions, and don't lie.

Gate 1: Do I Want to Be Here?

• If you're dragging yourself to work out of obligation, stop pretending. Desire matters. You don't have to "love" every task, but if you can't stomach the company, the team, or the mission, you're already checked out.
• Traditional lens: Passion is optional. Corporate culture will tell you enthusiasm doesn't matter as long as you hit your numbers. But a disengaged operator is a liability — it poisons judgment and consistency.
• Reframed view: Wanting to be here doesn't mean fireworks — it means you can commit without resentment.

Gate 2: Am I Capable of the Work?

• Capability isn't about potential — it's about present competence. Can you actually do the job right now, under real constraints, without hand-waving?
• Traditional lens: KPIs and OKRs reduce performance to fuzzy "stretch goals." Teams end up chasing numbers they can't realistically achieve. That's not capability — it's wishful thinking dressed up in spreadsheets.
• Reframed view: You're either equipped to deliver or you're not. If you lack skills, get them. If you can't, be honest and recalibrate.

Gate 3: Am I Applying the Guidance I've Been Given?

• Feedback is worthless if you treat it like a suggestion box. If you've been told to adjust and you ignore it, you're not "independent," you're insubordinate.
• Traditional lens: Annual reviews recycle the same feedback for years ("needs better communication") while nothing changes. Management tolerates it because process exists. That's lazy.
• Reframed view: Application is about proving you can course-correct. If you can't integrate direction, your autonomy shrinks fast.

Example:

At a midsize SaaS company, an engineer is struggling with delivery deadlines.

• Gate 1: They admit they don't even want to be in the org anymore — the role is misaligned.
• Gate 2: They technically have the skills, but their execution is sloppy under pressure.
• Gate 3: After multiple retros and feedback sessions, they're still repeating the same mistakes.
  The verdict? They don't pass the gates. No amount of OKR hand-waving or "team alignment" rituals fixes that. The problem isn't the system; it's the operator's unwillingness to face the gates.

Takeaway: Passing the Three Gates isn't proof that you're a high performer operating above what the metrics say. It means you're someone worth cultivating — worth the coaching, mentoring, and resources required to grow. Fail a gate, and investment in you naturally declines. Pass them, and leadership knows you're a resource worth betting on.