The final week of the year is more than a calendar milestone — it’s a cockpit check. Before you pull the collective and ask your team to climb in January, leaders must pause long enough to see where they actually are.

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Most people rush into resolutions and goals without understanding what truly moved them — or stalled them — in the past 12 months. 

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Leadership starts with awareness. 

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Momentum starts with clarity.

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Here are 10 end-of-year leadership reflection questions to prepare for a strong, focused, momentum-filled 2025:

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The Core 10

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1. What did I accomplish that actually mattered — and what was just motion, not progress?

2. Where did I lead with clarity — and where did I create confusion or hesitation?

3. What decisions did I avoid that stalled momentum for myself or others?

4. Who on my team (or in my life) did I not appreciate enough this year?

5. What is one moment from 2024 that changed me as a leader — and why?

6. What habits quietly sabotaged my energy, confidence, or follow-through?

7. What systems supported me — and which ones broke under pressure?

8. What conversations did I delay that I now realize should have happened immediately?

9. What did I learn this year that I refuse to forget?

10. If nothing changed in how I lead — would I be proud of that this time next year?

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These questions are simple — but not easy. They create the starting line every leader needs.

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Because leadership is not about big annual goals written once. It’s about small decisions, revisited consistently. 

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The leaders who win in January do the work in December.

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How to Use This

Before January 1st:

• Block 30 minutes alone — no phone
• Print the questions (or write by hand — it matters)
• Answer without editing or self-judgment
• Choose one shift you’ll take into the new year
  
  

Not five.

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Not twenty.

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One.

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Your Shift

Before the new year begins, ask yourself:

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What is the single shift that would create the most momentum in 2025?

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Write it. Commit to it. Tell someone. 

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Send it to me to hold yourself accountable.

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Momentum isn't built on motivation — it’s built on clarity and follow-through.

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See you in January. Let’s lead differently.

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Subscribe Now.

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Chris M Wilson