Beyond Motivation: Why Smart Leaders Track Their ‘Energy Deposits’
Build Momentum After a Work Break With This One-Win-per-Week System: Part 5 of 5 in Our Smart Restart Challenge for Leaders
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As you return to work after your holiday break, you might notice your energy and motivation aren’t quite where you’d like them to be. This is completely normal – and there’s a simple way to think about rebuilding your leadership momentum:
Treat your motivation like an energy bank account.
Each success deposits more energy into your reserves, while setbacks and delays make withdrawals.
The good news? Even small wins can make significant deposits into your motivation bank account, creating the energy you need to tackle bigger challenges ahead.
Welcome to the fifth and final day of our Smart Restart Challenge. Before we dive into today’s strategy, let’s quickly recap our journey:
Day 5: Building Momentum with Early Wins (You Are Here)
Today’s focus is on how you, as a leader, can make strategic “deposits” into your motivation account through intentional early wins. We’ll explore three practical approaches: starting with small wins that build momentum, aligning quick victories with your 2025 goals, and implementing a sustainable one-win-per-week system.
By the end of this article, you’ll have a clear plan for building (and maintaining!) your leadership energy throughout the year. Let’s begin!
Start Small, Build Momentum
Here’s the thing about motivation that most leaders miss: tiny wins pack just as much punch as big ones. Your brain doesn’t actually care about the size of the victory – it gets energized by the simple act of completing something. That’s why crossing even a small task off your list feels so good. Each little win is like a shot of espresso for your motivation, making you eager to tackle what’s next.
Want to put this into practice? Here’s how. 👇
Start by identifying one small task you’ve been postponing – perhaps it’s clearing out your inbox, having that conversation you’ve been avoiding, or finally organizing your digital files.
Choose something you can complete in under an hour (and preferably have done today).
When you finish it, take a moment to consciously acknowledge the achievement. You’ll likely notice an immediate lift in your energy, creating a natural desire to tackle the next challenge. This is how small wins become the foundation for bigger achievements.
Win at What Matters
Remember that big 2025 goal you set yesterday? Let’s put some early wins behind it.
Look at your goal and ask yourself: “What’s one small piece of this I could knock out this week?”
Don’t panic; you don’t need to achieve the whole goal right now – you’re just looking for a quick win that will move you in the right direction.
For example:
If your 2025 goal is to develop a stronger leadership team, your quick win might be scheduling individual coffee chats with each team member for January.
If you’re aiming to transform your company’s digital strategy, your quick win might be as simple as setting up a meeting with IT to assess your current tech stack.
If improving cross-departmental collaboration is your goal, your quick win could be creating a shared document where teams can list their current priorities and pain points.
These wins might seem modest, but they create forward momentum on the goals that actually matter to you and your organization.
Take a moment now to open your Lead with Intention workbook to the January section. As you identify these early wins, you may wish to jot them down in the opening reflection.
Don’t have your copy of the Lead with Intention workbook yet? Grab it now – it’s free for all Leadership by 16Personalities subscribers. 👇
One Win a Week
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