New Year, New Yawn: Stop Planning the Destination. Start Upgrading the Rider

A reflective pause before continuing with intention.

Have You Made Your Resolutions?

As the year ends and a new one begins, many people are inspired by the sense of renewal to kick start change in themselves. Resolutions and promises abound for improved health, weight goals, and in my case, to keep a plant alive longer than a month.

As in past years, most of those habits barely make it into February. The problem is that most of us aim for large, radical change, that is impractical, unfeasible, and ultimately proves unsustainable. We obsess over the destination: losing 10 kilos, or hitting a massive revenue target rather than the vehicle getting us there - ourselves.

The reality is that lasting change comes from small, daily habits and mindset shifts, not grand promises.

Stop Doing More, Start Becoming More

Whereas the world tends to focus on outward metrics such as revenue or job title, leaders can only drive long-term improvement by developing their own capabilities. Leaders elevate their effectiveness through their inner journey, building the discipline that prepares them to maintain clarity amidst uncertainty and resilience against challenges. The leaders the world needs prove their worth through unwavering integrity, no matter the temptations. 

Critics may claim that this 'Inner Journey' is a waste of time - how does it contribute to Q1 targets? They are wrong. Self-challenge is the hardest, most pragmatic work you will ever do. A leader’s inner journey is the commitment to personal scrutiny and continuous development that sustains authentic leadership and drives effectiveness over years, not just next quarter.

The discipline of 'becoming' is the operational work required to consistently deliver high-quality 'doing'.

Since large radical change is hard to push through, a small but realistic change is more likely to succeed. This success then encourages you to change a second small habit and so on,  leading to incremental improvement. Make yourself your new year's resolution by aiming for small but critical achievable goals.

Three Challenges for the Road Ahead

Here are three challenges for you as we enter the New Year. These are not tactical tasks; they are strategic upgrades.

1: Stop Coasting. Commit to an Uncomfortable New Skill.

We only learn when we're outside our comfort zone. In my upcoming book I invite you to embrace discomfort in the pursuit of constant learning. I challenge you to try something new, whether that is a new technical skill or a soft skill. This isn't about becoming a coding expert; it's about breaking down the executive-level fear of the unknown. 

Have you tried actually learning to use AI by building your own agent with your prompts? Don't know how? - ask your preferred LLM (Chat GPT, Gemini, Mistral, etc). The goal is to build your hunger for learning, and to be more confident in tackling the unknown. By challenging yourself in a safe environment, you prepare yourself and you model the curiosity and adaptability that your teams need to survive disruption.

2: Stop Doing It Alone. Seek Your Mentor/Challenger.

In riding, we watch our blind spots to keep ourselves safe. In leadership it's a lot harder to identify what we may be missing, which makes external perspectives necessary for robust self-examination and growth. Throughout my career, I was fortunate to have leaders who didn’t give me the answers, choosing instead to ask probing questions and push me to think for myself. 

I challenge you to find someone who will ask you those infuriatingly insightful questions that force you to cast light onto your blind spots and to craft your own solutions. This high-level mentorship must be reciprocal, requiring peer-level knowledge to pressure-test your strategic thinking, not just your confidence.

3: Stop Aiming for Busy. Identify Your Purpose.

This year focus on intentional direction. If you don't know your principles, values, and purpose, your decisions become reactive and your priorities get blurred. Your purpose is the compass that guides your decisions.

I challenge you to define the three core values that truly guide your decisions right now: these provide your non-negotiable anchor. When you are clear on these, it becomes easier to identify any conflict when your purpose (let’s say profit) clashes with your value (let’s say integrity). With clarity on the conflict, you are better placed to resolve it, in this example, perhaps through scenario planning or stakeholder communication. 

If your actions and words do not align with your values, you’re going to struggle. Internally, you will compromise maintaining authenticity and a sense of integrity in your own leadership. Externally, as we saw in a recent post, you’ll find it difficult to maintain credibility or to build trust.

“The discipline of 'becoming' is the operational work required to consistently deliver high-quality 'doing'.”

My Next Waypoint

My ethos in this journey is authenticity and introspection, so it's only fair that I share my own next "Waypoint”. My primary goal entering 2026 is to master the mentoring techniques I recently learned as I am putting these into practice with those I am privileged to mentor. This is a constant, and sometimes uncomfortable process, owning when I fall short of my expectations, reflecting deeply on where I missed the line, and constantly refining my technique.

Remember this on the days that you don’t manage your resolution. It was one time, one day, and it does not define your success. Just as a rider doesn't master cornering by reading about it, you build leadership skill through practice. Get back on the bike and keep riding.

Every Goal is but a Waypoint

On this note, remember that in the spirit of the name of this blog, every goal is only a waypoint in your journey. Your leadership ride is not determined by a single destination, but by your consistency and the people you build along the way.

Closing Question: What small, sustainable habit are you going to commit to, for genuine leadership growth in 2026?

Thank you for reading this far. If any of this resonates, I’d love to welcome you as a reader and to stay connected. Please join the mailing list for future posts, share your thoughts in the comments, or find me on LinkedIn.