New Year, New Focus: Reflecting, Learning, and Doing the Right Thing
The start of a new year always brings that fresh-start energy that makes you want to reorganise the stationery cupboard, finally tackle your inbox, or pretend you’re drinking less wine and more water.
For us as a team, it’s also the perfect time to pause, reflect, and check in on our purpose and goals for the year ahead.
This isn’t just about saying, “This year, we’ll be better!” and slapping a motivational quote on the wall. No, we rolled up our sleeves, embraced the messy middle, and got honest about where we’ve been, where we are, and where we’re going.
Reflecting on Last Year: The Good, the Bad, and the “WTF”
First, we cast our minds back to 2024 and examined what worked, didn’t, and definitely didn’t.
It wasn’t about beating ourselves up—it was about celebrating the wins, acknowledging the learnings, and recognising that we are human and sometimes make questionable choices.
We celebrated the things we tried, even if they didn’t always go to plan. We reminded ourselves of the questions we still need to answer. And we asked the big one: “What did these experiences teach us?” Because whether we nailed it or faceplanted, there’s always something to learn.
Looking back at last year, we asked ourselves the tough questions:
What went well? (Cue applause for the wins!)
What missed the mark? (Deep sigh, but hey, we’re learning.)
What absolutely flopped and taught us more than we ever wanted to know about failure?
Experiments, Evaluated
Then came the experiments—because, let’s face it, we love a good hypothesis. Were they successful? Well, some were, and others had room for improvement.
But each gave us valuable insight into how we can work better, smarter, and more aligned with our goals.
For instance, our shift to open-door fireside sessions was a win—collaborative and productive.
On the other hand, that one attempt at content for TikTok? Less so.
Bringing It Back to “Why”
We started with our purpose. Why do we do what we do? What’s our driving mission?
Enter Simon Sinek and his trusty Why Model. We dusted it off (again) to check if our purpose was still on point:
Why are we here? To make a difference, learn together, and help others do the same.
How do we do that? By challenging ourselves, creating tools, and sharing insights that spark growth.
What do we actually do? We build strategies, develop resources, and approach challenges with equal enthusiasm and curiosity.
Once we’d clarified our “why,” we set realistic, actionable goals to keep us on track. We also discussed accountability, ensuring we hold ourselves and each other to our standards.
A Sneak Peek at What’s Ahead
So, what does this all look like in practice? Well, here’s a little teaser:
We’re focusing more on collaboration in Learn to Lead.
We’re doubling down on learning from our successes and mistakes.
And we’re committing to doing the right thing—not just the easy thing—because integrity isn’t negotiable.
Want to know more about our plans for the year?
Join us at Learn to Lead.
Or, if you’d prefer to run your reflection sessions, check out our handy guide cards—they’re packed with tips on setting goals, defining your why, and making those KPIs meaningful.
Here’s to a purposeful, focused, and, yes, occasionally messy 2025. Let’s make it count!