To the Core

Forget goals: For 2025, set – and keep – New Year's intentions

A new approach to New Year's resolutions requires a deeper way of thinking about the leader you are and the leader you want to be.


Photo by Anna Stasiia
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As we usher in a new year, we’re bombarded with familiar resolutions: lose weight, exercise more, eat healthier, read more books, spend more time with family. The list goes on. 

Yet it’s estimated a staggering 88% of people abandon their New Year’s resolutions within the first two weeks of January. The reason? Experts cite a number of factors, but chief among them are goals that aren’t concrete, are based on negative self-judgment, are too long-term, or lack the agility needed to adapt to unexpected obstacles. In short, resolutions tend to be unrealistic, rigid and disconnected from the nuances of everyday life.

This year, instead of succumbing to the tradition of setting lofty resolutions you may not keep, we propose something different: set intentions. The real power of intention-setting lies in its adaptability. It’s not about achieving a specific goal by a fixed date but about aligning your actions and mindset with a larger vision and with your values. By focusing on the process and celebrating small wins, you can maintain momentum and make necessary adjustments along the way.

So, how might you apply this principle to your leadership approach in 2025? We recommend scheduling one hour to work through the following three steps.


Step 1: Reflect on the past year

Reflecting on the past helps you understand what has worked, where there is room for growth and what qualities you value in leadership. Ask yourself the following questions:

  • Who has been my favorite leader or mentor? What made them so effective in helping me do my best work? How did they make me feel at work? What actions or behaviors made the most impact?
  • Which other leaders, either public figures or personal mentors, do I admire? What practices do they leverage that I can incorporate into my leadership approach?
  • How did I feel coming into work every day this year? What about when I left work? Was I energized or drained?
  • How did my team perform at its best last year? What practices were in place during those high-performance moments?
  • What adjectives would my team use to describe my leadership style? What words would they use to describe me as an individual? How would they describe the environment or culture on our team?

Revisit your answers to these reflections and circle those practices that you want to leverage in 2025, and put a star next to those adjectives that you want to emulate as a leader.

Step 2: Look forward

Now that you’ve reflected on the past to capture lessons learned, it’s time to look ahead. Setting an intention for your leadership approach requires focusing on both your strengths and values, and identifying what you want to achieve in the upcoming year. Reflect on:

  • What are my top 3 innate strengths? How can I leverage those strengths in my leadership approach to better serve my team? Note: if you need help identifying your strengths, consider the VIA Character or Gallup Strengths Assessments.
  • If I were to choose one word or theme to focus on for the year, what would it be? Note: this could be “curiosity,” “growth,” “collaboration,” or “resilience” — whatever resonates most with the direction you want to take as a leader.
  • How do I want to approach leadership differently in 2025? 


Step 3: Build a plan you can hold yourself to

Now that you have a clear intention, it’s time to build a plan that will help you bring it to life. The key to sustaining your leadership intention throughout the year is consistent check-ins and accountability. Ask yourself:

  • How can I consistently check in on my intention? Note: one powerful strategy is to set a calendar entry for regular self-reflections — perhaps at the end of each month or quarter, where you ask yourself, “Am I still on track with my leadership intention? What adjustments do I need to make?”
  • How can I integrate my intention into my daily or weekly routines? Note: consider integrating small practices into your schedule, like a weekly “intention check” during your team meetings or a daily moment of reflection before or after work.
  • What accountability strategies can I implement and how can I celebrate wins? Note: perhaps you could share your intention with a trusted colleague, mentor, or small group of peers who you can check-in with consistently to share wins and troubleshoot challenges.

Kicking-off 2025 with a targeted leadership approach intention can guide you in a purposeful, flexible and sustainable direction. By focusing on your strengths, reflecting on your past leadership experiences and taking actionable steps to move forward, you can create an environment of growth and connection that empowers both you and your team to conquer whatever this year may bring.

 

author

Kristen Lessig-Schenerlein, Hannah McGowan

Kristen Lessig-Schenerlein is an executive coach, wellbeing strategist, keynote speaker and founder of Koi Coaching and Consulting. Hannah McGowan is a professional trainer, coach and founder of Hannah McGowan Coaching. Together they founded CORE Leadership, a transformational leadership development program designed to unlock hidden potential in the next generation of leaders in the Sarasota community.

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