The Power of Reflection – Why Now is the Time

As 2025 edges toward its close, it’s tempting to rush headlong into planning for next year — targets, budgets, and strategy decks, filling every spare calendar slot…  But before we move forward, there’s incredible value in looking back.

Reflection is one of the most underrated leadership disciplines. It is what turns experience into insight and motion into meaning.  It helps us see not just what happened, but why it happened — and how we might approach it differently next time.

When done well, reflection doesn’t slow us down.  It grounds us.  It reconnects us to our purpose, and it allows us to lead with greater clarity and empathy.

Start with honest questions

Set aside an hour for yourself or your team and simply ask:

• What are we proud of achieving in 2025 — both big wins and small moments?

• What made us smile, even briefly?

• What did we learn from the things that didn’t go as planned?

Reflection isn’t about perfection or judgement.  It is about truth-telling — naming what really happened this year.

??? Maybe you hired for a key role later than you’d hoped.

??? Perhaps you skipped celebrating a milestone because the team was “too busy.”

??? Or maybe you didn’t communicate progress because things weren’t where you wanted them to be.

Each of these moments tells a story — not of failure, but of growth.  They reveal patterns, priorities, and assumptions that shape how we lead.

The leader’s mirror

This process isn’t just about what the team did. It’s about how you showed up — as a leader, colleague, and human.

Ask yourself:

• How did I contribute to the best of the year?

• When did I unintentionally get in the way?

• How did I support or stretch my team?

• How did I show up for those who matter most — my peers, my boss, my partner, my family, my friends?

These questions can be confronting, yet they’re where leadership maturity grows.  Reflection helps us see the ripple effect of our actions and choices.  It shines a light on how others experienced our leadership, not just how we intended it to land.

Why now matters

The end of the year is often chaotic — projects to finish, reports to file, deadlines to meet. But this is exactly when reflection matters most.

Taking time now gives you three powerful benefits:

1. A final chance to realign — there’s still time to do some of what you promised.

2. Momentum for 2026 — you’ll start the new year grounded in insight, not guesswork.

3. Clarity and calm — reflection replaces noise with perspective, helping you finish strong and start clear.

Make space to reflect — personally and with your team.  You might be surprised at what you rediscover: pride, learning, and perhaps even gratitude for how far you’ve come.

When we meet again in my next Blog in two weeks, we will explore how to make reflection a rhythm — a part of your leadership practice all year long, not just at the year’s end.