A Better Version of You: 3 Quick Daily Wins for Leaders in the New Year
The week between Christmas and New Year’s has its own rhythm. The holiday rush is over, but the fresh start of January is just around the corner. It’s a time when many people feel both reflective and ready — looking back at what they’ve accomplished, and looking ahead to what they hope to create.
But here’s the thing: I’m not a big fan of New Year’s resolutions. Don’t get me wrong — I love setting goals and building habits. But resolutions can feel like all-or-nothing promises we make under the glow of a fresh calendar, only to feel defeated by February when life inevitably throws us off track.
Instead, I believe in making the decision — the decision to step into the next version of yourself as a leader, teammate, business owner, or simply as a human being who wants to live with more purpose and impact.
The good news? You don’t have to overhaul your entire life to see a transformation. The most meaningful growth often comes from small, consistent actions that build momentum over time.
With that in mind, I want to share 3 quick daily wins that can help you lead with more focus, presence, and intentionality in the year ahead. Each one can be done in just a few minutes, but together, they’ll add up to a noticeable difference in how you lead and live.
1. Start Your Day with a Leadership Check-In (3–5 minutes)
Most leaders roll straight from bed into their inbox, calendar, or morning meeting — and then wonder why their days feel like a reactive blur.
Instead, I challenge you to take a few minutes each morning to center yourself before the world starts making demands.
Ask yourself three simple questions:
Who needs my encouragement today? It could be a team member facing a challenge, a client who’s been quiet, or even a peer who’s been carrying a heavy load.
What’s the most important thing I need to accomplish to move us forward? Not ten things. Not your whole to-do list. One thing.
How do I want to show up in my interactions? Calm? Energizing? Clear? This helps you lead with intention instead of reacting on autopilot.
By starting your day with these questions, you shift from a reactive leader to a proactive one — someone who shapes the day rather than letting it shape them.
2. Give One Genuine Piece of Recognition (Under 2 minutes)
Recognition is one of the most underutilized leadership tools — and yet it’s completely free. The key is to make it genuine and specific.
A vague “good job” is nice, but it doesn’t leave a lasting impression. Instead, call out the specific behavior or action you appreciated:
“I’m grateful for the way you jumped in to help that new team member today — it made them feel welcomed.”
“You handled that tough client call with calm professionalism, which kept the conversation moving in a productive direction.”
Not only does this make the person feel truly seen, but it also reinforces the behavior you want to see more of.
Here’s the other secret: recognition works both ways. When you’re actively looking for reasons to recognize others, you naturally start noticing the good more than the bad. That shift in perspective can lift the mood for your entire team — and for you.
3. End Your Day with a Micro-Debrief (5 minutes)
The way you end your day matters. Without a closing ritual, leaders often carry unfinished thoughts, worries, and to-do lists into their evenings — making it harder to rest and reset.
A micro-debrief is simple but powerful. At the end of the day, take five minutes to reflect:
What went well today? Celebrate it, no matter how small.
Where could I have led better? Be honest, but without beating yourself up. This is about growth, not guilt.
What’s my top priority for tomorrow? This ensures you start the next day with clarity instead of scrambling.
This small ritual helps you close the mental loop on your day, freeing up your evening for family, rest, or personal time. Over time, it also gives you a valuable record of your leadership wins, lessons, and priorities.
Why These Daily Wins Work
These three habits aren’t revolutionary. They don’t require a huge investment of time or energy. But that’s exactly why they work.
Leadership isn’t about occasional big gestures. It’s about the small, repeated actions that compound over time — the way you consistently show up, the tone you set, the attention you give to the people around you.
By starting your day with clarity, infusing it with recognition, and ending it with reflection, you create a rhythm that naturally leads to better decisions, stronger relationships, and greater impact.
Beyond Daily Wins: Protecting Your Time
Here’s the part where I have to be honest with you: these habits only work if you actually have the mental and emotional space to do them.
If your calendar is overloaded, if you’re constantly reacting instead of leading, or if you’re running from one meeting to the next without a breath, it’s hard to be the leader you want to be.
That’s where time management comes in. Not the kind that’s about squeezing more into your day, but the kind that’s about making space for what matters most.
In my work with leaders and teams through Starfish Partnerships, I see it over and over: when leaders take control of their time, they become better versions of themselves. They’re more present. More focused. More capable of doing the work that actually moves their mission forward.
That’s exactly why I created my new program, Mastering the Clock – Time Management to Gain Back Your Time! This 6-module course will help you identify your biggest time drains, set priorities that align with your goals, and put systems in place so you can lead with clarity instead of chaos.
If you’re serious about making 2026 the year you take control of your time — and your leadership — now is the time to jump in.
Registration closes January 2nd so we can hit the ground running together in the first full week of January.
A better version of you isn’t about doing more. It’s about doing what matters, better.