As I write this post, we are one week away from concluding 2025 and moving into 2026. And, as I reflect on the year that was, I’m already thinking about the year that can be. Here are four areas I hope to grow towards in the new year.
Strengthen self-awareness
I’ve grown a lot this year in my own knowledge of what works for me as a leader and what doesn’t. And, how some of those leadership quirks factor into my own style, and therefore the value and challenges I provide to those who work with me. Self-awareness is a bit like that magic trick where the magician keeps pulling multi-colored handkerchiefs out of their pocket. The more you uncover, the more there is to still uncover. I’ve had a lot of fun, and quite a bit of surprise, thinking about how my continually growing awareness has influenced my prior work (for both good and bad). And, with that newfound knowledge, I’ve been better able to make decisions that are more focused on widespread needs, rather than simply seeing those needs through my personal lens. What’s really helped here? Giving myself the time to reflect and consider how my words and actions impact others, regardless of whether I intended for that to be the case. Self-awareness is the key to understanding one’s intention and impact, and I’m continually growing in this area.
Embrace joy
I am a joyful person. I love to smile and joke around. I noticed that this year in particular, I have been particularly serious. Certainly more so than I’ve been in the past. That isn’t to say it wasn’t warranted. There have been numerous challenging (and valuable) areas to focus on over the past year. Despite that, though, I ended up joking less and likely smiling less than I have at other times in my life. As we know, sentiment and culture are intricately intertwined. This won’t be a difficult change for me to make, but it will be one that I will need to remind myself to consider as we move into the new year. More jokes and more smiling will, in turn, encourage others to exhibit the same. Leading should be joyful; I want to contribute towards making it that way every day.
Recognize I am only ever one person
One of the key takeaways from my self-awareness work this year is that I have set unnaturally high expectations for what I should be doing, when I should be doing it, and how it should be done. I’m definitely not a perfectionist, but I probably live the life of 1.2 people, rather than just one. There are inherent problems with this, to be sure. And, as I’ve found throughout this year, living that type of life is unsustainable. Work, sleep, and relationships can all suffer as a result. The good news is that it is an easy fix. At this point in life, I have a good sense of what works for me and what doesn’t. I just have to become more willing to let some things go by prioritizing others. As someone who loves everything, that can be hard to do. But the things I love the most have to be prioritized over everything else.
Engage in horizontal thinking
I am good at reflecting on the past, seeing what is in the present, and projecting ahead to the future. What I haven’t done a lot of thinking about is spending significant time thinking five, 10, 20 years beyond the current day. As I move into the final third of my career, I’m finding I really need to focus on this much more. And not just “set it and forget it” thinking. I’m actively planning for my own departure (and that of others) from our current organization and the education space in general. Not that I plan on going anywhere during 2026. However, I do plan on going somewhere eventually. And since I don’t know what I will want to do 10 years from now, I have to be willing to consider options so that I can transition smoothly and leave my employer in a similarly strong position. And that work needs to begin now because it is more than simply replacing me. I call this type of thinking “horizontal thinking” because it really pushes the limits on how far ahead we can dive into what can, and should, happen.
There are many other resolutions I can (and probably should) make this year. And at the same time, my third resolution reminds me that I can only do so much. And, these are pretty big. I’m looking forward to checking in at the conclusion of 2026 to see what I’ve learned and where I plan to go next. While resolutions are never just annual in nature, the best change never happens in an instant. I wish you all the best for a great start to the new year, with lots of learning and leadership wherever 2026 takes you.
As I write this post, we are one week away from concluding 2025 and moving into 2026. And, as I reflect on the year that was, I’m already thinking about the year that can be. Here are four areas I hope to grow towards in the new year.
Strengthen self-awareness
I’ve grown a lot this year in my own knowledge of what works for me as a leader and what doesn’t. And, how some of those leadership quirks factor into my own style, and therefore the value and challenges I provide to those who work with me. Self-awareness is a bit like that magic trick where the magician keeps pulling multi-colored handkerchiefs out of their pocket. The more you uncover, the more there is to still uncover. I’ve had a lot of fun, and quite a bit of surprise, thinking about how my continually growing awareness has influenced my prior work (for both good and bad). And, with that newfound knowledge, I’ve been better able to make decisions that are more focused on widespread needs, rather than simply seeing those needs through my personal lens. What’s really helped here? Giving myself the time to reflect and consider how my words and actions impact others, regardless of whether I intended for that to be the case. Self-awareness is the key to understanding one’s intention and impact, and I’m continually growing in this area.
Embrace joy
I am a joyful person. I love to smile and joke around. I noticed that this year in particular, I have been particularly serious. Certainly more so than I’ve been in the past. That isn’t to say it wasn’t warranted. There have been numerous challenging (and valuable) areas to focus on over the past year. Despite that, though, I ended up joking less and likely smiling less than I have at other times in my life. As we know, sentiment and culture are intricately intertwined. This won’t be a difficult change for me to make, but it will be one that I will need to remind myself to consider as we move into the new year. More jokes and more smiling will, in turn, encourage others to exhibit the same. Leading should be joyful; I want to contribute towards making it that way every day.
Recognize I am only ever one person
One of the key takeaways from my self-awareness work this year is that I have set unnaturally high expectations for what I should be doing, when I should be doing it, and how it should be done. I’m definitely not a perfectionist, but I probably live the life of 1.2 people, rather than just one. There are inherent problems with this, to be sure. And, as I’ve found throughout this year, living that type of life is unsustainable. Work, sleep, and relationships can all suffer as a result. The good news is that it is an easy fix. At this point in life, I have a good sense of what works for me and what doesn’t. I just have to become more willing to let some things go by prioritizing others. As someone who loves everything, that can be hard to do. But the things I love the most have to be prioritized over everything else.
Engage in horizontal thinking
I am good at reflecting on the past, seeing what is in the present, and projecting ahead to the future. What I haven’t done a lot of thinking about is spending significant time thinking five, 10, 20 years beyond the current day. As I move into the final third of my career, I’m finding I really need to focus on this much more. And not just “set it and forget it” thinking. I’m actively planning for my own departure (and that of others) from our current organization and the education space in general. Not that I plan on going anywhere during 2026. However, I do plan on going somewhere eventually. And since I don’t know what I will want to do 10 years from now, I have to be willing to consider options so that I can transition smoothly and leave my employer in a similarly strong position. And that work needs to begin now because it is more than simply replacing me. I call this type of thinking “horizontal thinking” because it really pushes the limits on how far ahead we can dive into what can, and should, happen.
There are many other resolutions I can (and probably should) make this year. And at the same time, my third resolution reminds me that I can only do so much. And, these are pretty big. I’m looking forward to checking in at the conclusion of 2026 to see what I’ve learned and where I plan to go next. While resolutions are never just annual in nature, the best change never happens in an instant. I wish you all the best for a great start to the new year, with lots of learning and leadership wherever 2026 takes you.
Opinions expressed by SmartBrief contributors are their own.
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