Your Leadership Checklist for 2025: 7 Steps to Start the Year Strong
Jan 06, 2025Your Leadership Checklist for 2025: 7 Steps to Start the Year Strong
The start of a new year is a great opportunity for leaders to reset, refocus, and reignite their leadership approach. It’s a time to clarify your goals, strengthen your relationships, and set the tone for the year ahead. I have compiled this comprehensive checklist to ensure you’re starting 2025 with purpose and momentum. Let’s make this your best year yet!
1. Clarify Your Leadership Purpose
Begin by asking yourself: Why do I lead?
A clear sense of purpose is the compass that guides every decision you make as a leader. It ensures your goals align with your values and gives your team a reason to rally behind you. Take some time to reflect on what drives you as a leader. Is it to inspire innovation? Build a thriving team culture? Drive meaningful impact in your organisation? When I lead a team that supported disadvantaged children the one thing that held us steady was our purpose. Leaning into why we did what we did enabled us to keep going when we wanted to give up
Action Step: Write down a one-sentence leadership purpose statement. Keep it visible—whether on your desk, a vision board, or your phone—so it becomes a daily reminder of what you’re working towards.
2. Set Goals That Matter
It’s easy to get swept up in setting resolutions that feel good on paper but lack substance. This year, focus on meaningful goals that align with your leadership purpose and organisational priorities. Use the F.A.S.T. framework: Frequently discussed, Ambitious, Specific, and Transparent. Unlike traditional SMART goals, F.A.S.T. goals keep you and your team focused on progress and accountability. I used F.A.S.T goals to get my business off the ground and acheiving six figure years in just 3 years.
Action Step: Identify three to five key goals for the year and break them into smaller milestones. Review them monthly to track progress and make adjustments as needed.
3. Choose a Yearly Theme
A yearly theme is like a guiding star—it provides focus and keeps you grounded in what truly matters. Whether it’s “Growth,” “Connection,” or “Impact,” a theme helps simplify decision-making and ensures your actions align with a broader vision. My theme for last year was ‘Thinking Big with Ease and Grace’ and I found myself in New York launching my first book and having my face on a Times Square billboard. I didn’t know that was possible in January when I themed my year. We are all capable of more than we think!n I’m still working on it for this year but promise to share it in my next blog.
Action Step: Reflect on what you want to achieve in 2025 and choose a theme that resonates with your goals. Share it with your team to create alignment and shared purpose.
4. Strengthen Your Relationships
Leadership is built on trust and relationships. Take a proactive approach to strengthening connections with your team, peers, and stakeholders. This might involve regular check-ins, asking for feedback, or simply showing genuine curiosity about their goals and challenges. Every January I review my relationship map and go about intentionally building the right relationships for me. It also helps me to use my time wisely because I invest my energy into the people that matter.
Action Step: Map out your key relationships. Consider who you need to connect with more often and who might benefit from additional support. Schedule regular touchpoints to nurture these relationships throughout the year.
5. Optimise Your Time
Time is a leader’s most valuable resource, yet it’s often wasted on low-value tasks or endless meetings. This year, focus on managing your energy and priorities rather than just your time. The Time Bucket System is a great tool for this: allocate your time into “buckets”. Focus on these 4 buckets, impact (the work that you do that makes a difference and helps achieve your goals, leading (that's your people), growing (this one is often missed, nature tells us that if we are not growing we are shrinking, don’t shrink this year), and finally admin, (this should be one of your smallest buckets not your biggest!).
Action Step: Review your calendar and identify where your time is going. Are there tasks you can delegate or meetings you can streamline? Make intentional choices to focus on what matters most.
6. Embrace Feedback and Growth
There is no such thing as perfect, and the best leaders know that growth comes from learning. Create an environment where feedback—both giving and receiving—is welcomed and acted upon. Start with yourself: invite constructive feedback from your team and peers to identify blind spots and opportunities for improvement. Based on feedback from some female leaders that I admire I have decided to make speaking a focus for 2025. I would not have done that without their feedback!
Action Step: Schedule a feedback session this month with someone you trust. Ask specific questions like, “What’s one thing I could do differently to be a more effective leader?” Use their insights to refine your approach.
7. Build Momentum with Routines
Consistency is the secret ingredient to achieving big goals. A solid leadership routine helps you maintain focus and energy throughout the year. Whether it’s a morning reflection, weekly team check-ins, or a monthly review of your goals, routines ensure you’re always making progress. My 20:20:20 morning routine is 20 minutes of meditation followed by 20 minutes of exercise and 20 minutes of journaling. Doing this before my son gets out of bed always sets me up for a great day.
Action Step: Create a morning routine that sets you up for success. For example, spend 10 minutes reviewing your priorities, setting intentions for the day, and reflecting on your leadership purpose.
Bonus Tip: Reflect and Celebrate
At the end of each month, take time to reflect on what you’ve achieved and celebrate wins—both big and small. This practice not only boosts morale but also helps you course-correct and stay aligned with your goals. I do this with my team, it's a great way to boost engagement and connection.
Action Step: Schedule a monthly reflection session in your calendar. During this time, review your progress, identify lessons learned, and plan for the month ahead.
Making 2025 Your Best Year Yet
Leadership isn’t about perfection—it’s about intention. By following this checklist, you’ll lay the foundation for a year of growth, connection, and impact. Start with clarity, focus on relationships, and commit to routines that support your goals. With these steps in place, you’ll not only lead with purpose but inspire those around you to do the same.
Here’s to making 2025 your best year yet!
With strength and kindness,
Justine
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