6 Questions to Define Your Leadership in 2025
It might seem a little cliche, but as a business and executive coach, I love the fresh start that each new year offers. There’s something so powerful about January—a clean slate and an opportunity to reflect on the kind of leader you want to become.
Too often, our resolutions end up less resolute than we intend. Instead, they become fleeting ambitions before we fall back on old habits. But not in 2025. This year, we’re taking intentional steps to grow into a leader who sticks to their goals and inspires others to do the same.
With that in mind, I want to encourage you to start by asking yourself a few hard questions that will set the tone for a year of purposeful progress. I’ve outlined ten prompts to get you thinking critically about your leadership and the mark you want to leave behind in 2025. Don’t rush through these; don’t think you have to have all the answers today. Let them sit with you as you chart a course for tomorrow and beyond.
What leadership quality do you want to strengthen this year?
Reflect honestly on areas where you can grow—communication, adaptability, delegation, self-awareness, etc. Harvard Business Review has a list of suggestions to get you started, but don’t limit yourself to these suggestions. Leading requires a lot of hard and soft skills, and we all have room to grow.
What’s one specific way you’ll empower your team in 2025?
An empowered team is never an accident. It requires you to develop a sense of intentionality in giving your employees the space to develop new skills and adopt greater responsibilities. Commit to a single, empowering action and track the magnitude of its impact.
Where can you simplify to create greater focus?
One of the most important things you can do for yourself is to clear away the clutter from your mental and physical space to sharpen your attention on the things that actually matter.
Start by identifying the areas of your role that drain your energy without delivering worthwhile outcomes, whether automating routine tasks or turning down an unnecessary project. Whatever lets you invest more in yourself and your team is worth reconsidering.
What’s a habit or belief you’re ready to leave behind?
As much as we tend to emphasize the importance of learning in becoming a great leader, it’s often just as necessary to unlearn the habits or beliefs that have kept you stuck.
Do you still feel the need to handle every detail yourself?
Are you reluctant to take risks?
These habits might have served you well in the past, but it’s time to recognize the patterns you cling to that no longer align with your vision for the future.
What bold risk will you take to push your leadership to the next level?
It’s natural for leaders to hesitate when confronted with a big risk. Uncertainty brings the fear of failure and the question of whether the stakes are too high.
However, avoiding risk altogether can leave you stuck in patterns that no longer compel your vision forward. Boldness, on the other hand, lets you break free from the familiar, prioritize growth over comfort, and show your team what it means to be a courageous leader.
This year, choose a risk that pushes you beyond your comfort zone. No matter the result, you come out stronger, having tested your capacity to cope with ambiguity and make decisions with imperfect information.
How will you stay accountable to the goals you set for yourself?
Leadership can be an isolating experience. You’re making decisions, setting the vision, and driving results, which puts you in a position where no one else holds you accountable. Without that outside perspective, it’s far too easy to let personal goals take a back seat to the constant chaos of competing demands.
A leadership coach provides the kind of partnership that leaders like you often lack.They give you a space to examine your growth without distraction and stay grounded in your priorities.
So, if you’re serious about investing in yourself in 2025, I’d love to help you turn those aspirations into achievements. Let’s chat about what you’re looking for out of the new year ahead.
Warmest Regards,
Lori Moen
