We are all staring down the calendar at the end of the year. You are likely reading many articles about “the year in review” or “trends in widgets for 2025.” Most of them are utter nonsense. They are a shot in the dark about an uncertain marketplace that will evolve at an exponential pace as we see shifts in the political and economic sandboxes.
So, let’s take a moment to step back and talk about where you are right now – and what you need to do next – to be ready.
The one enduring fact of leadership is that we often get so caught up in our daily tasks and urgent matters that we forget to plan ahead. We end up becoming firefighters rather than strategic leaders – and ultimately our teams and our customers suffer as a result.
This is a classic time of year to think about rebooting, rebuilding, and refocusing our efforts in the spirit of the new year. But this is not about resolutions – resolutions are pointless promises most often forgotten not long after the New Year’s Eve hangover subsides.
This is the time to make commitments. There is change in the air and an appetite for innovative approaches to solving problems. So now is the perfect time to pause, reflect, and intentionally plot a strategic path into the new year.
That is why I am sharing this tool with you. When used properly (and with an open mind and honest mindset), it has the power to help you focus your thinking and plot a course for the year ahead.
The Power of Reflection and Planning in Leadership
As leaders, our role isn’t just about managing the present - it’s about setting the stage for future success. To do this you must combine the power of reflection with a forward-thinking approach based in actionable steps.
This tool is one that I have used for years to kickstart my thinking for a new project, a new quarter, or even a new year. The trick is that you have to be honest with yourself and take a hard look in the mirror. There will be things that you absolutely nailed and other things that didn’t – you can learn from both.
I spent decades leading teams from dozens to thousands – and the principles are the same, it is just a matter of scale. This process is helpful for startups, small businesses, and even large dispersed organizations.
By putting this tool to use you will find ways to become more strategic and plot a roadmap to activate through intentional tactics. The best leaders think with the end in mind and plot a course backward to get there.
When you consider the path to execution through meaningful actions – and consider roadblocks that could derail your progress – it will help you reach your goals more effectively.
That’s why I am sharing this planning tool with you. The tool is divided into two sections: Reflection on the Past Year and Planning for the New Year. Each section is designed to guide you through key questions and prompts that will force you to think deeply about your leadership journey, your team's growth, your personal development, and your roadmap for the future.
Wishing you the best for 2025 and beyond and through reflection and planning make this coming year the best yet for you, your teams, and your customers!
You don't have to go it alone, we can help. Tony is available to help create your personalized executive and leadership coaching plan to hone your leadership success for the future.
Part 1: Reflection on the Past Year
This section encourages you to look back at the year that has passed. For many of us, it’s easy to focus only on what we didn’t accomplish or the challenges we faced. But reflection is about recognizing both the wins and the opportunities.
Top Achievements: What were the key successes you experienced, both as a leader and with your team? Recognize the milestones, no matter how big or small. Take a moment to celebrate your progress.
Key Challenges: Every leader faces obstacles. This section gives you a chance to evaluate the challenges you faced and assess how you responded. What did you learn and what will you do differently in the future?
Team Performance and Culture: Assess how your team performed this year. Where did they excel, and where can they grow? How well did you lead them and what is next as you work to create a great workplace culture and community?
Personal Leadership Growth: As a leader, how have you evolved over the past year? What leadership skills have you developed, and what areas require more focus? Tracking your own growth and owning your personal development will help you continue to evolve as a leader.
Part 2: Planning for the New Year
Once you’ve reflected on the past year, the next step is to plan for the future. This section is about turning those insights into an actionable plan for the new year. Planning is more than just setting goals — it’s about creating strategies and tactics to achieve them. You must inspire your team and anticipate roadblocks to get your vision over the finish line.
Top Goals: What are the most important goals you want to achieve this year? These should be meaningful, measurable, and tied to both personal and professional aspirations. You can’t have dozens of goals – focus on the 3 most important and make sure you are clear about the tactics to activate them and roadblocks that could derail you. If you achieve them, then run this exercise again for your next 3.
Team Development: How will you invest in the growth of your team? This could include training, mentorship, or team-building initiatives. Successful leaders always keep their team experience and development as a top priority and don’t use lack of budget or time as an excuse.
Personal Growth: Identify one leadership skill or area of focus that you want to develop over the next year. How will you achieve this? Be specific about the resources you need so that you can allocate or request resources – that could be anything from books to coaching to workshops or masterclasses.
Key Projects and Quarterly Milestones: Break your annual goals into key projects and create a quarterly roadmap to keep you on track. This helps ensure that you stay focused on your priorities and can adjust as needed.
How to Use the Tool
The end-of-year reflection and new-year planning tool is designed to be simple yet powerful. Here’s how you can use it:
Set Aside Time: Reflection and planning require focus and intention, so block off dedicated time to work through the tool. Consider doing it in a quiet space, free from distractions – and at your most creative time of day (that is different for all of us).
Be Honest and Objective: When reflecting on the past year, be honest with yourself. Acknowledge both your wins and your challenges and do so fearlessly and without judgement. Remember, this is for you and lying to yourself won’t help you win.
Involve Your Team: Some of the prompts focus on your team’s performance. Seek feedback from your team to get their perspective and ideas. This can help you develop a more complete understanding of your team and where you want to focus energy. They will have great ideas about their own development and feedback on your performance as a leader.
Commit to Action: Planning is only effective if it leads to action. This won’t work if it ends up in a desk drawer or saved in a file and never reviewed again. This must be a part of your daily, weekly, and monthly planning – stay focused on items or activities that further your top goals.
The Way Forward
As leaders, it becomes so easy to lead in the moment – to think of the next month or quarter – and to take our eyes off the big picture and strategic vision.
This is a great time to double down on strategic thinking and set the stage for future growth and success. By using this tool you can take a focused approach to understanding and planning into 2025 and beyond.
What worked, what didn’t, and what’s next.
This will be a year of accelerated change, economic evolution, and marketplace disruption. You must be agile and spend less time reacting to what is happening and more time creating the outcomes that will drive success for you and your business.
Key metrics to measure improvements. Customer feedback implementation is a continuous process, so make adjustments as new insights emerge. Over time, this iterative process builds a stronger, more customer-centric approach to business.
Feedback is a gift – but it can also sting.
You aren’t going to love all the feedback you receive but remember that the negative feedback is more useful than the positive stuff in the long run. Certainly, celebrate the wins - and pass along recognition for those who made it happen – but don’t miss an opportunity to grow and strengthen your organization by learning where you are falling short.
Collecting, measuring, and acting on feedback is crucial to any organization that wants to continue to grow in this ever-changing marketplace. Building loyalty and advocacy with your team and your customers will help set you apart and position you for continued growth and success.
Until next time, Tony
(Crafted by a human, not AI.)
Meet Tony Johnson
Tony is the Chief Experience Officer (CXO) for 4xi Global Consulting and leader of the Evolving Experience practice. Tony is an internationally recognized thought leader and influencer in Customer and Employee Experience. He hosts the wildly successful Customer Service Academy podcast and is the author of two books on leadership and CX.
Tony has worked with some of the top organizations across the globe, including 3M, Baylor Scott and White Health, University of Virginia, Siemens, SHRM, and more.
Tony is available to help your organization with:
Employee training and development
Executive and leadership coaching
CX and EX strategy creation
Inspirational keynote talks
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