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Reflect on the Past 12 Months

Cathie Leimbach • December 20, 2022

“Achieving success is a challenge but so is struggling, so you may as well choose success.”

Rob Liano

A valuable use of time during the last week of every year is to reflect on the past year of your life. Where have you been successful and what are your disappointments?  What helped you be successful and what contributed to your disappointments?

Then decide what you need to keep doing and what you need to change to have a better life next year. Remember that the actions you took – the way you lived your life and did your work this past year – contributed to your successes and disappointments. If you do similar things next year, you will get similar results. Decide to keep doing the things that led to your successes, stop doing the things that led to disappointments, and start doing things that will improve your results.

Below is an example of a chart you might create and complete to gain clarity on the helpful versus the limiting aspects of your life. Also, consider which actions or habits to Continue, which to Stop, and what to Start doing to continue to be successful and reduce disappointments.  

After taking time for this reflection, you will be more conscious of your successes and disappointments, your strengths and weaknesses, and different actions that could improve your life. You are now in a position to make an informed plan of action for next year.  Instead of disappointments in your life zapping your energy, you will be rewarded for your hard work with greater success and satisfaction.  

Projects or Aspects of Your Life Continue Stop Start
Success Achieved my 3 growth project goals. On Fridays, plan what I will do the following week towards each goal. Spend at least 20 hours each month on each goal.
Success Sunday night family dinners Home-cooked 6:00 pm dinners
Disappointment Weekly date night happened only 6 times Waiting to the last minute to make plans Reserve Thursday evenings for dates.
Diappointment Spent 25% of my work time on jobs I?m not good at. Volunteering for and agreeing to do these tasks. Discuss better fit work assignments with my supervisor.

The Perils of a Bad Boss

By Cathie Leimbach • April 1, 2025
Bad bosses aren't just a nuisance – they're an epidemic. A staggering 70% of employees report that problematic managers are commonplace in today's workforce. This reality has serious consequences for both workers and companies alike. What drives employees to pack up their desks? Unethical behavior tops the list, with 62% of workers citing it as a reason to quit. Following closely behind are hypercritical managers (54%) and those who burden their teams with unrealistic expectations or excessive workloads (54%). While some managerial shortcomings are merely frustrating rather than deal-breakers, they still damage workplace morale. Disorganized bosses frustrate 33% of employees, micromanagers irritate 29%, and unapproachable or inflexible leadership styles bother 27%. Perhaps most concerning is the communication breakdown: 72% of employees wish they could openly discuss workplace concerns with their managers, but 59% fear retaliation if they speak up. How might these issues be affecting your organization? High turnover rates don't just disrupt workflow – they devastate your bottom line. Between recruitment costs, training expenses, lost productivity, and institutional knowledge walking out the door, each departed employee can cost between 50-200% of their annual salary.  Ready to understand what turnover is truly costing your company? Click Here for access to a free Cost of Turnover Calculator.

Achieving Commitment in Team Decisions

By Cathie Leimbach • March 25, 2025
When leaders make decisions or teams vote on changes, not everyone automatically supports them. However, getting everyone's commitment can be crucial for team or organizational success. Two key factors create real commitment: clarity and emotional buy-in. Clarity means removing all confusion about what's changing and why. Everyone needs to understand exactly what they're being asked to do. Emotional buy-in happens when people want to support the change rather than just following orders. To build both clarity and buy-in, talk openly with your whole team. Encourage questions about how changes will work and when things will happen. Listen to concerns instead of ignoring them. Remember that feelings—whether worry, resistance, or excitement—strongly affect how people respond. Don’t be surprised when change doesn’t happen. Use a team engagement process that helps leaders understand and increase each team member’s readiness.  Good leaders know they can't force real commitment. Instead, they build it by including team members in conversations about why and how to make changes work. This turns "their decision" into "our project," creating the team commitment needed for successful change.
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