What Worked, What Didn’t — and Why It Matters
- Ralph Cochrane
- Jan 19
- 1 min read
Start the year with straight talk about performance, learning, and reality.
The start of a new year always invites reflection — and as leaders, we’re pretty good at pointing out what didn’t work. We conduct root-cause analysis, build corrective plans, and talk about how to avoid repeating mistakes. That part is familiar.
What we often skip is the deliberate celebration of the things that went right. The projects that landed. The teams that adapted. The customers we kept. The talent that grew. The pivots we made in volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) conditions. In 2025, that mattered more than ever.
If we only focus on the shortfalls, we unintentionally create a narrative of missed expectations instead of a balanced narrative of resilience, creativity, and progress. Our teams deserve to hear both. So do we.
Start the year by acknowledging reality on both sides: what worked and what didn’t. There’s no motivation without truth — and no certainty without clarity.
How are you recognizing strengths and celebrating the things that went right this year?
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