Stop, Start, Continue: Your Leadership Retrospective

Discover What to Ditch, What to Do, and What to Double Down On in 2025: Part 2 of 5 in Our Smart Restart Challenge for Leaders

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So you’re back from the holiday break, you’re feeling reconnected to yourself and your team, and you’re chomping at the bit to dive into those new initiatives that lay ahead.

But before rushing forward, there’s immense value in taking a thoughtful look back – and that’s exactly what we’ll be doing today, on day two of our 5-day Smart Restart Challenge.

Here’s a recap of what we’ve covered and what’s yet to come:

• Day 1: Reconnecting with Your Team After the Holidays

• Day 2: Reflecting on What Worked and What Didn’t (You Are Here)

• Day 3: Getting Back on Track After the Break

• Day 4: Setting Goals for the Year Ahead

• Day 5: Building Momentum with Early Wins

Today, we’ll use the proven Stop-Start-Continue framework to guide you through a personal leadership retrospective that builds momentum for the year ahead. By first identifying behaviors that are not serving you, then choosing new practices to implement, and finally reinforcing your proven successes, you’ll gain the clarity needed to make this year your most impactful yet.

So take a deep breath, and let’s get started!

The Retrospective Prime Directive

Before we begin this reflection, let’s acknowledge the retrospective prime directive:

“Regardless of what we discover, we understand and truly believe that everyone did the best job they could, given what they knew at the time, their skills and abilities, the resources available, and the situation at hand.”

This includes you. As you examine your leadership journey through 2024, approach yourself with the same compassion and understanding you’d offer a trusted colleague. This reflection isn’t meant to be critical; it’s meant to inspire growth and intentional improvement.

STOP: Identifying and Eliminating Ineffective Habits

The most powerful way to begin your retrospective is by honestly examining what’s not serving you or your team. Think about the moments in 2024 when you felt misaligned with your leadership values or found yourself stuck in reactive patterns.

• Were there times you caught yourself micromanaging instead of empowering?

• Did you frequently put off difficult conversations, allowing small issues to grow into larger problems?

The goal isn’t self-criticism but rather creating space for more effective practices.

For each behavior you identify, be specific and actionable.

Instead of “stop being reactive,” define the exact behavior: “stop checking email first thing in the morning before reviewing daily priorities.”

Create a clear list of these behaviors, and next to each one, leave space to write its positive replacement. For instance, if you’re stopping micromanagement, you’re making room for delegation. If you’re stopping reactive communication, you’re creating space for strategic planning.

This transformation of “stops” into potential “starts” will naturally guide our next phase of reflection. 👇

START: Building Better Leadership Habits