Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] It's interesting what happens at this time of year. Business owners and leaders either push hard right up until Christmas, or they mentally check out and promise themselves they'll reset in January.
[00:00:11] But here's the truth that most people miss. If you don't pause before the year ends, you don't actually reset. You just carry the same leadership habits into a new calendar. Today's episode is about creating space, not more pressure, and doing one simple leadership reset before the new year arrives. You're listening to why your business isn't growing and how to fix it, the business growth podcast for business owners and leaders who want to scale their business, lift team performance and sharpen leadership without working 60 hour weeks. Hey, I'm Brendan Rogers, founder of Leader by design and host of this business growth podcast, why your business isn't growing and how to fix it.
[00:00:52] I help business owners and leaders to make confident decisions every day on how to lead the business and how to lead the people. And if you're a regular listener, welcome back. And if this is your first time here, welcome. Today's episode is all about being calm. No hype and no big frameworks. Just a simple leadership reset that I encourage every business owner and leader to do before the year wraps up.
[00:01:18] A couple of weeks ago, I was speaking with a business leader that I work with. They're a good operator, they care deeply about their people and they work hard. But they were exhausted. They said something that stuck with me. I feel like I've been busy all year, but I'm not sure what actually worked.
[00:01:35] They weren't failing, the business wasn't broken, but there was no space to reflect, no time to step back and lead rather than just react. And that's incredibly common at this time of the year.
[00:01:48] So here's what I said to them. Before you plan anything for next year, you need to pause. Not for days, not for hours, just for 30 intentional minutes.
[00:01:59] Because when leaders skip reflection, a few things happen.
[00:02:03] You repeat patterns that didn't serve you, you tolerate issues longer than you should, and you confuse movement with progress.
[00:02:13] And then the new year arrives and it feels like nothing really changed.
[00:02:20] So I walk them through a simple reset. 30 minutes, one piece of paper and no distractions. And you split it into two 15 minute parts. The first lens and the first 15 minutes is focused on leading the business.
[00:02:35] Ask yourself three questions.
[00:02:38] What should I stop doing?
[00:02:40] So what drained my time or energy without real return?
[00:02:45] What should I start doing?
[00:02:47] What would actually move the business forward next year?
[00:02:50] And what should I keep doing? What genuinely worked and deserves more focus.
[00:02:56] No overthinking, just honest, clear answers.
[00:03:01] The second 15 minute part is focused on how you led. The people ask the same three questions, but about you as a leader.
[00:03:10] What should I stop tolerating? Where did I let things slide too long?
[00:03:15] What should I start addressing earlier? So which conversations did I delay and what should I keep doing? What built trust, clarity or confidence in my team?
[00:03:25] This is where leadership capability is built.
[00:03:29] Now I need to say this isn't just reflection for reflection's sake. What's actually happening here is the high impact leader ecosystem at work.
[00:03:38] You're stepping back to see clearly. You're leading the business and leading the people and you're building capability, not just chasing outcomes. And that's exactly where the people operating system fits.
[00:03:51] The perceived pillar focuses on awareness of what's really happening.
[00:03:56] The evaluate pillar involves making better decisions earlier.
[00:04:00] And the perform pillar is about changing behaviour, not just intentions. And this is why systems only work when leadership capability is present.
[00:04:11] If you're listening to this a few days after Christmas, I want to say this clearly. You don't need another goal yet and you don't need another plan yet. You need space.
[00:04:23] 30 minutes of honest reflection can reduce pressure, create some clarity and set you up for a stronger year ahead. Remember, small improvements every day. That's how serious growth happens.
[00:04:37] So if you're tired of carrying everything yourself, if you feel like systems aren't delivering the results you expected, and if you want to build leadership capability, not just better plans, then the High Impact Leader club is designed exactly for you.
[00:04:51] Book a call to explore how the High impact leader club helps business owners and leaders build the capability that most systems never teach. You can go to LeaderByDesign au Bookacall or you can also find the link in the show notes you've been listening to. Why your business isn't growing and how to fix it. The business growth podcast for business owners and leaders who want to scale their business, lift team performance and sharpen leadership with without working 60 hour weeks.
[00:05:21] If today's episode resonated with you, follow the show and share it with someone who needs this reset. And remember, success that Scales is built by design.
[00:05:32] Grow yourself, grow your team, grow your business.
[00:05:35] Now go lead with impact.
