As the year winds down, the hustle and bustle of deadlines, holiday plans, and end-of-year reviews can easily consume our time and energy. But amidst the flurry, I want to invite you to take a moment—a real pause—to reflect on your leadership journey this year.

The end of the year isn’t just a time to measure results or celebrate milestones. It’s also a chance to evaluate how we’ve shown up as leaders.

Did We Lead the Way We Wanted To?

Here are a few questions I’ve been reflecting on myself, and I encourage you to consider:

• Did I ask enough questions? Leadership isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about asking the right questions to empower your team and uncover new perspectives. Reflect on whether you created space for curiosity and dialogue, or if you unintentionally defaulted to directing instead of discovering.
• Did I support my team in the right ways? Leadership isn’t one-size-fits-all. Each team member has unique strengths, challenges, and needs. Did you adapt your leadership style to meet them where they were? Did you provide the resources and encouragement they needed to thrive?
• Did I make space for growth? Growth doesn’t just happen—it needs to be nurtured. Did you foster an environment where your team felt safe to try, fail, and learn? Did you invest in development as much as you invested in achieving goals?

Leadership Is About Carrying Lessons Forward

Reflection is only valuable if it leads to action. As you prepare for the new year, think about the habits, lessons, or even mistakes you want to carry forward. What leadership practice do you want to double down on? What will you intentionally leave behind?

For me, I’m committing to leading with more intentional curiosity—asking more open-ended questions and creating even more space for dialogue. It’s easy to feel the pull of quick decisions or assumptions, but I’ve seen time and again how powerful it is to slow down and seek to understand.

A Holiday Challenge

Here’s my challenge for you: carve out a quiet moment during this busy season to reflect on how you’ve led, not just what you’ve accomplished. Then, share your insights with your team. Transparency is a gift—one that shows your humanity as a leader and inspires your team to reflect on their own growth too.

➜ As we enter a new year full of fresh opportunities and challenges, I’ll leave you with this question:

What leadership habit will you carry into 2025?

Let’s end this year strong—and step into the next even stronger.

>>Happy holidays, and here’s to another year of growth, curiosity, and intentional leadership.