The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Holy cannoli, we’re about to wrap up 2025!

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I'm really excited to jump into planning for 2026 - my new Passion Planner is here and ready to go!

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But as much as I love taking time to dream and think about where we’re going next year, I've come to really appreciate the importance of reflecting on where we’ve been this year.

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2025 brought a lot of uncertainty and change to my business and the consulting world in general. It was also a big year in the Buckley household - including a “kitchen” reno that actually touched most of the house, Sean’s deployment, and shifting schedules as Michael went into middle school.

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There’s a part of me that wants to say, "Phew, glad that's settled!" and move on with it.

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But most of me knows that these experiences are rich opportunities for self-reflection and lessons learned that will help me make intentional decisions moving forward.

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So, let’s get to it!

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Here are a few prompts for personal reflections on 2025:

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1. What created momentum for me, personally and professionally?
2. What were some of the challenges and how did I handle them?
3. What were my top lessons learned?
4. Who do I want to thank before the year is out?
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Number 4 is last on the list only because it's informed by the first three. In order of importance, it's probably number one.

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And here are a few you could use with your team:

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1. What worked well for our team this year?
2. Where do we have room to grow?
3. How did our plan for the year match with what actually happened?
4. What were our top lessons learned?
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Inviting your team into year-end reflections can strengthen relationships, create opportunities for individual growth of team members, and improve buy-in for your plans in the year ahead.

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And if any of your reflections or lessons learned point to an opportunity to sharpen your leadership or strengthen your culture in 2026, I’d love to talk about how I might be able to help! You can schedule some time here.

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