Things Leaders Do

Starting 2026 Strong - The First Week Reset (Year-End Leadership Series)

• Colby Morris

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What should leaders do in the first week of January to set their team up for success in 2026? How can middle managers use the first week back to re-engage their teams and set the tone for the entire year?

Most leaders waste the first week of January drowning in email and attending pointless meetings. But the first week of January isn't about catching up—it's about resetting. In this episode, Colby breaks down the specific conversations leaders need to have, why one-on-ones are non-negotiable, and how to build leadership habits that actually stick.

If you've been struggling with team engagement or haven't been doing one-on-ones consistently, this episode will give you the framework to start 2026 strong.


Key Takeaways

  • Why the first week of January is the most important week of the year for leaders
  • The three critical conversations every leader needs to have with their team in the first week back
  • What the data says about one-on-one meetings and employee engagement (the numbers might surprise you)
  • A vulnerable framework for admitting you haven't been doing one-on-ones—and how to start
  • The Start/Stop/Continue framework for resetting your leadership in 2026
  • How to set a leadership rhythm that prevents you from falling back into old habits by March


Featured Statistics

  • Only 23% of employees globally are engaged at work (Gallup, 2024)
  • Employee disengagement costs $8.9 trillion globally
  • Employees who meet one-on-one with leaders weekly are 1.5x more likely to be highly engaged (Work Human, 2024)
  • 70% of variance in team engagement is attributable to the manager (Gallup)


Who This Episode Is For

Middle managers and team leaders who want to start 2026 strong, re-engage their teams after the holidays, and build sustainable leadership habits that actually stick.


Connect with Colby


SPEAKER_00:

People first leadership. Actionable strategies, real results. This is Things Leaders Do with Colby Morris.

SPEAKER_01:

Here's a question for you. What's the most important week of the year for leaders? If you said the first week of December when everyone's doing year interviews, you're close. If you said the first week of the fiscal year when budget resets, well, also close. But the answer is actually the first week of January. Because the first week of January isn't just about surviving that post-holiday inbox avalanche and then catching up on what you missed. It's about setting the tone for the next 51 weeks. And here's the problem. Most leaders waste it. They dive straight into email. They say yes to every meeting and request. They try to catch up on everything that happened while they were gone. And by Friday, they're burned out. Their team is confused about priorities, and nothing meaningful has changed at all. So today we're talking about how to actually start 2026 strong, what to do in that first week back to set yourself up for success all year long. Hey leaders, this is Colby Morris, and this is the Things Leaders Do podcast. This is week three of our year-in leadership survival guide series. We've got one more episode coming next week for the first full week of January, but today we're talking about how to actually start 2026 strong. As always, hoping this is going to be about 15 to 23 minutes of practical actionable tools that you can use immediately. Again, no theory, no fluff, just real guidance to help you be a better leader faster. So here's what typically happens in that first week of January. And if this sounds familiar, you're not alone. Let's set the scene. It's Monday morning, first week of January. You just spent the holidays disconnecting or at least attempting to disconnect. You walk into the office or log in from home, and what's the first thing you do? Well, if you're like most leaders, you open your email. And immediately you're drowning. 300 unread messages, Slack is blowing up like your phone during a family group text, your calendar is already filling with meeting requests from people who apparently didn't get the memo that you were on vacation. And someone, there's always someone, who's asking if you saw that urgent email from December 23rd. Spoiler alert. If it was urgent, they would have called. Here's what happens next. You spend the entire first week just reacting, responding to emails, attending meetings, putting out fires, trying to get caught up, and by Friday, you're exhausted. Your team still doesn't know what's actually important this quarter, and you haven't done a single thing that moves the needle. Does that sound familiar? Well, here's the thing. The first week of January isn't the time to catch up. It's the time to reset. And if you use it right, that first week sets the tone for how you and your team show up for the entire year. So let's break down what to do in that first week back. Not the stuff everyone tells you to do, but the stuff that actually matters. Fair warning: if you haven't been doing regular one-on-ones with your team, parts of this might sting a little. But it might also be the wake-up call you need. Because if there's one thing that will change everything for your team in 2026, it's this. But first, let's talk about what not to do on Monday morning. First thing first, Monday, don't open your email. I can already hear something. But Kobe, I have to check my email. What if something important happened? Here's the thing. If something truly important happened over the break, you'd already know about it, right? Your phone would have rung. Your boss would have text. The building would be on fire. But it's not. Email isn't an emergency system. Okay? It's a guilt delivery mechanism disguised as productivity. Look, I get it. You've got 300 unread messages. Your inbox looks like a landfill. Someone probably needs something from you. But if you start Monday morning by diving into email, you're letting everyone else set your priorities for the week. You're reacting instead of leading. And once you start reacting, you never stop. So here's what I'd suggest instead. I want you to block the first one to two hours of Monday morning for planning. No meetings, not email, just you, your calendar, and a notebook. And ask yourself three questions. Question one: What are my top three priorities for Q1? Not your top 10, okay? Not everything on my to-do list. Not the 47 things you promised yourself you'd finally get to this year. Three things. What are the three things that if you and your team execute on them this quarter, will actually move the business forward? Write them down. Bonus points if you can actually remember them next week without looking. Question two. What meetings do I need to have this week to set my team up for set success? Notice I didn't say what meetings am I already booked for? I said, what meetings do I need to have? Here's the thing. Your calendar's already filling up with status updates, recurring meetings that started in 2019, and nobody remembers why, and random check-ins that could have been emails. Honestly, most of them should have been emails. But the meeting you actually need, the ones that will make a real difference, those are probably not on there yet. So before you say yes to everyone else's agenda, block time for the conversations that actually matter. Which brings me to the most important question. If you're squirming right now, good. That means this is for you. Question three. When am I meeting one-on-one with each person on my team this week? If the answer is I'm not, we need to talk. Actually, your team needs to talk to you. That's kind of the whole point. Okay, so let's talk about why 101s matter so much. And I'm going to share some statistics that might make you uncomfortable. And that's good. Sometimes we need to be uncomfortable to actually change. So here are the numbers. According to Gallup, only 23% of employees globally are engaged at work right now. That means 77% of employees are either not engaged or actively disengaged. And employee disengagement, that's costing the global economy$8.9 trillion. That's trillion with a T. For context, that's enough money to buy every person on earth about three cups of Airport coffee. Or fund approximately$4 billion leadership retreats where everyone complains about lack of engagement while doing trust falls. So what does this have to do with one-on-ones? Well, everything. Because here's another stat. Only 15% of employees who work for a manager who doesn't meet with them regularly are engaged. Yikes. I'm going to say that one again because it's hard to kind of wrap your head around. Only 15% of employees who work for a manager who does not meet with them regularly are engaged. But managers who regularly meet with their employees, they almost triple that engagement. Think about that. If you're not meeting with their team regularly, only 15% of them are engaged. If you're meeting with them regularly, that number jumps to around 45%. That is not a small difference. That's a difference between a team that shows up and a team that checks out. And here's the kicker: 70% of the variance in team engagement is attributable to the manager, not the company, not the CEO, not the benefits package. You. You. So if your team is disengaged, burned out, or quietly quitting, the first place to look is in the mirror. And the first thing to do, start having regular one-on-ones. Now, I know some of you just had a visceral reaction to that. You're thinking, Colby, I barely have time to eat lunch at my desk while answering emails. You want me to add more meetings? Here's the thing these these aren't meetings, these are investments. Big difference. But but let's be real for a second. And this is where it might sting a little. If you haven't been doing one-on-ones, you need to admit it. Look, I I get it. You've been busy. Things have been chaotic. You you had good intentions, but you know, life happened. The days got away from you. You told yourself you'd start next week for about 47 weeks in a row. Here's the thing: your team knows you haven't been meeting with them. They know you've been too busy. They know you've been in back-to-back meetings. They know you've been putting out fires. And they've been drawing their own conclusions. Some of them think they're just not a priority. Some of them think you just don't care. And some of them have mentally checked out because they don't feel supported. So if you're going to start doing 101s in 2026, and I think you should, you can't just quietly add them to the calendar and pretend like everything's fine. You need to own it. And here's what that sounds like. This is, you know, the I haven't been doing this and I should have conversation. It should sound something like this. Hey, team, I want to talk to you about something. I've been thinking a lot about how I've been showing up as your manager. And I need to be honest with you, I haven't been doing one-on-ones consistently or at all, really. And I want to own that because the truth is you deserve a manager who shows up for you regularly, not just when there's a problem or when it's performance review time. I've been telling myself I'm too busy, or that we talk enough in team meetings, or that I'll get to it when things calm down, but that's not good enough. Here's what I realized: one-on-ones aren't just a nice to have. They're how I actually support you. They're how you get to tell me what's working, what's not, and what you need from me and where you want to grow. And if I'm not creating that space for you, I'm not doing my job. So starting next week, we're changing that. We're doing weekly 101s every, say, Thursday, 10 o'clock. This is your time. And I'm committed to showing up consistently. I know. I know actions speak louder than words. So I'm not asking you to believe me. I'm actually asking you to hold me accountable. If I try to cancel or reschedule without a real emergency, please call me out. Yikes. How many of you just like head stop or just you feel the chills running down your spine? Look, this is why this works. Number one, you're taking ownership. You're not blaming your schedule, your boss, or how busy things have been. You're just saying, this is on me. And two, you're explaining what you've learned. Not just I should do these, but why shows you've actually thought about it. Three, you're making a commitment. Not just I'll try to do better, but here's exactly what's changing. And then four, you're you're inviting accountability. You're giving them permission to call you out if you slip. And that builds trust. Okay. Here's what you should not say. I've been so busy. Translation, you weren't a priority. Also, everyone's busy. That's not a personality trait. Leadership hasn't been giving us time for this. Translation, you're blaming someone else. Classic move. Doesn't work. Or we talk all the time anyway. Translation, you don't think these matter. Passing each other in the hallway doesn't count as a 101. And then let's try doing these and see how it goes. Translation, you're not actually committed. This is like saying, I'll try to show up to work this year. Here's the thing: vulnerability doesn't undermine your credibility as a leader. It actually builds it. See, when you admit you haven't been doing something well and commit to changing it, you're modeling the exact behavior you want from your team. You're showing them that it's okay to admit when you've dropped the ball, that that growth comes from acknowledging gaps and not hiding them, that leadership is about continuous improvement and not perfection. And when you, you know, when they see you own it and then actually follow through, that's when they'll trust you. Now, some of you are thinking, this doesn't apply to me. I've been doing one-on-ones. Cool. Good for you. Gold star. But hold on. I've got a follow-up question. So maybe you've been doing one-on-ones. You've got them on the calendar. They happen most weeks. That's great. But here's the question: have they been meaningful? Or have they turned into those weird speed dating sessions where you both show up, checks the box, you know, and leave having accomplished nothing? Because here's a stat worth noting: 80% of employees who report receiving meaningful feedback in the past week are fully engaged. Not just feedback, meaningful feedback. So if your one-on-ones have turned into how's that project going? Any blockers I should know about? Cool, sounds good. See you next week. Then you're having check-ins, not one-on-ones. And your team knows the difference. Trust me, they know. They're just too polite to say it. So here's the challenge for the first week of 2026. Don't just schedule one-on-ones. Make them meaningful. And speaking of meaningful conversations, let's talk about the three specific conversations you need to have in that first week back. Because if you nail these three, you'll set the tone for the entire year. So you've blocked Monday morning for planning, you've committed to 101s or recommitted, depending on how honest you were with yourself in that last section. Now let's talk about what you're actually going to discuss in those 101s during the first week back. Because the first week of January isn't the time for status updates. You don't need to know if the TPS reports are done or whether someone responded to that email from Q4. It's time for three specific conversations that set the tone for the year. Think of these as the foundation. You get these right, and everything else gets easier. You skip them, and you'll spend the rest of Q1 wondering why your team seems checked out. Conversation one, the check-in. How are you really doing? This is not how is your vacation, small talk. You know the conversation. How is your break? Good. Cool. Awkward silence. Someone checks their phone. This is the difference. This is how are you actually doing? What are you excited about for 2026? What are you worried about? See why this matters is your team is either energized or dreading coming back. If they're dreading it, you need to know why. This is when you re-engage people emotionally and not just tactically. And it sets the tone that you care about them as people, not just as you know, task completers. How to have this conversation is you keep it informal, not a formal sit-down meeting. You know, ask open-ended questions, actually listen to the answers, and don't immediately jump to problem solving. Some example questions you want to ask. What's one thing you're looking forward to this year? What's one thing you're nervous about? How did you actually disconnect over the break? Did you struggle with it? What would make this year feel like a win for you? And then, and this is important, I want you to get this. Actually listen. Don't just nod and move on. Don't dismiss our concerns with, yeah, I get it, but we all just need to power through. Yeah, don't immediately try to fix everything like you're a corporate superhero. Just listen. Acknowledge what they're feeling and let them know you're, you know, you're in this with them. Because if they tell you they're nervous about Q1 and you immediately launch into, well, here's the 47-point plan I created over the break, you've missed the point. They weren't asking for a solution. They were asking if you care. And once you've connected on the human level, it's time for conversation too. The one where you actually get tactical. So you set goals in December, hopefully. If not, we need to have a different conversation, maybe several conversations, and possibly an intervention. But assuming you did set goals, here's the problem goals set in December and goals that actually work in January are often two completely different things. But now you need to clarify. What are we actually focusing on in Q1? Not what would be nice to accomplish if we had unlimited time and resources and nobody got sick and the internet worked perfectly. What are we actually focusing on? Because here's what happens people come back from break with inbox overloaded and 47 competing priorities screaming for attention. And without clarity from you, everyone just goes back to doing what's urgent instead of what's important. You know what they do? They answer emails, they attend meetings, they respond to Slack messages, they look busy, they are busy, but they're not making progress on what actually matters. So this is your chance to cut through the noise and say, these three things matter most right now. Everything else is secondary. Here's why this matters. People come back with inbox overload and completing competing priorities. And without clarity, everyone goes back to doing what's urgent versus important. This is your chance to say these three things matter most right now. And it gives people permission to say no or not right now to those other things. So if you're wondering how to have this conversation, you can say, here's what we're focusing on in Q1. Everything else is secondary. You have to be specific about what gets priority. And you're going to give people permission to say no or not right now to other things. And then make sure everyone leaves knowing what success looks like this quarter. This is especially critical if, one, you have big company goals or trickle-down priorities from leadership. If your CEO just announced aggressive growth targets for Q1, you know, the kind of targets that make you wonder if they accidentally added an extra zero, your team needs to know exactly how that impacts their work. Not in a vague, you know, we all need to do more kind of way. That's not helpful. That just makes people panic. In a, here are three specific things for focusing on to contribute to that goal kind of way. Here's what happens when you don't translate company goals into team priorities. People either panic and try to do everything, which means nothing gets done well, or they shrug and just keep doing what they've always done, which means the goal definitely doesn't get hit. Neither one gets you closer to the goal, but both end with you in an awkward conversation with your boss in March. So in your 101s this week, you're going to say, here's what leadership is focusing on this year. Here's how that translates to our team. And here's specifically what I need from you in Q1 to make that happen. All right, number two, you're facing big changes in the company. Maybe there's a restructure coming. Maybe there's a new system rollout. Maybe leadership just announced a strategic pivot in which a corporate, you know, it's just corporate speak for we're changing everything and hoping it works. Whatever it is, the big change is coming and your team needs to hear about it from you first. Not from the company-wide email that they'll read at 6 p.m. and immediately text or work friends about. Not from the rumor mill. And there's always a rumor mill, someone heard something from someone who overheard something in the elevator. They need to hear it from you in a one-on-one, where they can ask questions, where they can tell you how they're actually feeling about it, where they can panic a little bit in a safe space. Here's the truth: change is scary. And when people are scared, they disengage. They update their LinkedIn profiles, they start looking at job postings just to see what's out there. But when they have a manager who's honest with them, who gives them context, who listens to their concerns, they stay engaged. They trust you. And they're way less likely to piece out to the competitor down the street. So if there's big change coming, use this first week to have that conversation. Say something like, here's what's happening. Here's what I know. Here's what I don't know yet. And here's what I need from you as we navigate this. Okay. All right. Two conversations down, one to go. And this last one is the reset button your team didn't know they needed. So conversation three is the fresh start talk. Okay. This is where you acknowledge we're starting fresh. Whatever happened in 2025, good or bad, it's done. It's over. It's it's in the past. We're not carrying it into 2026 like emotional luggage. Why does this matter? Well, some people had a rough 2025 and need permission to move on. They're still thinking about that presentation that went sideways in March. Some people crushed it and they need to know you noticed because if you don't tell them, they'll assume you didn't. And everyone needs a clean slate. January is psychologically a reset button. Use it before someone else waste it on a juice cleanse. So, how are you going to have this conversation? Well, you need to acknowledge what went well in 2025, acknowledge what didn't without dwelling on it or making it weird, and frame 2026 as an opportunity to build on wins and learn from losses, and then give people permission to start fresh. So here's an example. Look, 2025 was a mixed bag for all of us. You did some really great work on the Johnson account. That didn't go unnoticed. But I also know there are some challenges, and you can name that specific challenge. And that was hard. Here's what I want you to know. We're starting fresh in 2026. Whatever happened last year, good or bad, we're not carrying it into this year. We're building on what worked. We're learning from what didn't, and we're moving forward. So if you've been worried that I'm still thinking about that thing from last year, I'm not. We're good. Clean slate. Let's focus on what's ahead. See, this conversation does three things. One, it acknowledges reality. You're not pretending 2025 was perfect if it wasn't. Nobody believes that anyway. Two, it gives people permission to move on. If someone's been beating themselves up about a mistake from last year, this releases them from that. Free therapy, courtesy of their manager. And three, it re resets the relationship. You're both starting the year on the same page. You're focused instead of backwards. All right. Time for some self-reflection. Don't worry, it's not gonna hurt. Well, it might sting a little, but that's how you know it's working. So you've had three conversations with your team. You've checked in emotionally, you've clarified priorities, you've hit the reset button. Now comes the hard part. Looking in the mirror. Because if your team is going to change how they show up in 2026, you need to change how you show up. Let's look at three questions. What do I need to start, stop, and continue as a leader in 2026? This isn't just a cute framework. It's not a fun exercise from a leadership book you skimmed on the plane. It's how you actually get better. Here's the thing: if you keep doing the exact same things you did in 2025, you're going to get the exact same results. And if 2025 was perfect for you, congratulations. You can skip this section and go get yourself a trophy. But if you're like the rest of us, there's room for improvement. So let's break this down. What to start in 2026? I want you to pick one to two things you're going to start doing as a leader. Not 10 things, not a laundry list of New Year's resolutions that you'll abandon by February 3rd when you realize you're so human and change is hard. One to two things. That's it. Things that will make the biggest difference. So, for examples, start doing one-on-ones if you haven't been. We've already covered this extensively. Like I really drove this point home. But if you're still not doing them after everything we just talked about, this is your number one priority. Actually, it might be your only priority until you get this right. We talked about the numbers earlier. Employees who meet weekly with their manager are one and a half times more likely to be highly engaged. That's not a small bump. That's the difference between a team that actually wants to show up and a team that's quietly updating the resumes. So if you're wondering, does this actually matter? Yes. Yes, it does. And then start protecting your calendar better. If your calendar is a free-for-all where anyone can book you anytime for any reason, you're not leading, you're reacting. You're a human vending machine for everyone else's priorities. So start blocking time for strategic thinking, you know, the things that you're supposed to do as a leader, for one-on-ones, for deep work on your top three priorities. The ones you wrote down Monday morning, you did write them down, right? And when someone tries to book over that time, say no. I know. Saying no feels uncomfortable. But you know what's more uncomfortable? Burning out in Q2 because you said yes to everything. And then start delegating authority, not just tasks. Here's a difference, and it matters. Delegating tasks is can you handle this for me? Translation. Do this exactly how I would do it, but I don't have time. Delegating authority. Hey, you own this. Make the call. I trust you. Translation, I trust you to figure this out. Call me if the building's on fire. If you're still the bottleneck on every decision, you're not scaling your team. You're limiting them. You're like a traffic cop in the middle of a highway, making everyone wait for your approval before they can move. Stop being the traffic cop. And start giving real-time feedback instead of saving it for reviews. If the only time your team hears feedback is during annual reviews, you're doing it wrong. You're basically collecting receipts all year and dumping them on people in December. And that's not helpful. That's ambush management. Start giving feedback in the moment. When something goes well, tell them right then. Not three weeks later when you finally get around to it. When something needs to improve, tell them in the moment. Not in six months during a performance review when they're blindsided. Don't save it. Don't wait. Don't let it marinate. Do it now. Here's the key. Don't pick 10 things. Pick one to two that will make the biggest difference. All right. Now comes the hard part. The stuff you need to let go of. And yes, this is harder than starting new things, but we're weirdly attached to our dysfunctional habits. What to stop in 2026? This is the hard one. The one that makes you squirm. The one where you realize you've been doing things that don't serve you, but you've been doing them for so long that they feel normal. What are you going to stop doing that isn't serving you or your team? Every time you say yes to something, you're saying no to something else. Every meeting you attend is time you're not spending on strategic work. Every email you answer at 11 p.m. is a signal to your team that you expect them to do the same. Every decision you refuse to delegate is a message that you don't trust them. So what are you going to stop? A few examples. Stop attending meetings where you don't add value. Okay? If you're sitting in a meeting and you're not contributing, not learning, and not making decisions, why are you there? Seriously, why? Are you there because you were invited and you didn't want to seem rude? Are you there because someone from leadership should be there? Are you there because you've been going to this meeting for three years and just nobody's questioned it? None of those are good reasons. Start saying no. Your calendar will thank you. Your sanity will thank you. And then stop being the bottleneck on decisions your team can make. If you're still the final approver on everything, every email, every decision, every tiny choice, you're not managing. You're micromanaging and you're slowing everyone down. Trust them. Let them make the call. And if they mess up, great. That's called learning. Coach them through it. But if they never get to make decisions because you're hovering over everything like a helicopter parent, they'll never grow. And they'll eventually leave for a job where someone actually trusts them. And then stop checking email first thing in the morning. Do your most important work first, not your most urgent work. Your most important work. Email can wait. I promise. The world will not end if you don't respond to that message from 11 p.m. last night until 9.30 a.m. And if someone needs you urgently, they'll call or text or show up at your desk. Email is not an emergency system. It's a to-do list other people write for you. Stop saying yes to every request. You can't be everything to everyone. And when you try, you end up being nothing to anyone. Start protecting your time. Start saying no. Start setting boundaries. If saying no makes you feel guilty, remember every yes to someone else is a no to yourself, your priorities, and your team. The key is stopping something that's creating space for something. Okay, stopping something creates space for starting something. You can't add more to an already full calendar without taking something away. Math, remember? Okay, we talked about what to start and stop. Now let's talk about what's actually working. Because not everything needs to change. What to continue in 2026? What worked in 25 that you want to keep doing? Because here's the thing. January feels like a reset. The calendar flips. Everyone's making resolutions. There's this pressure to reinvent everything. And that's that's good for some things, but it's terrible for the things that are actually working. Don't throw out what's working just because it's a new year. Don't be the person who cancels a team lunch that everyone loves because you decided 2026 is the year we get serious and stop having fun. So, some examples. Keep having those team lunches. If uh team lunches have been building connection and trust, keep doing them. Don't sacrifice relationship building on the altar of productivity. Okay. Turns out people work better together when they actually like each other. Weird, right? Keep recognizing wins publicly. Okay. If public recognition has been motivating your team, don't stop now. Keep it going. Because the minute you stop recognizing good work, people assume you stopped noticing. Then they stop trying. If that thinking time has been helping you stay ahead instead of constantly reacting, protect it. Guard it like it's your last vacation day. Because strategic thinking is how you lead. Email is how you react. And keep investing in your team's development. If coaching and development have been paying off, if you've seen people grow, step up, take on more responsibly, double down, keep doing it. Because developing your team isn't just a nice to have. It's how you scale without burning out. The key here, don't throw out what's working just because it's a new year. All right. We've covered a lot, so let's bring it home. Here's what I'd suggest for the first week of 2026. Monday morning, don't dive into email. Block one to two hours to plan your first week and set your priorities. Resist the urge to just quickly check your inbox. That's a trap. For the first few days, have the three conversations with your team. Check in on how they're really doing. Reset priorities for Q1 and give them a fresh start for the year. This week, if you haven't been doing one-on-ones, own it. Have that vulnerable conversation. Commit to starting. If you have been doing them, make sure they're actually meaningful and not just status updates or speed dates. And by the end of the week, decide what you'll start, stop, and continue in 2026. Set your leadership rhythm for the year. Put it on the calendar. Tell your team and protect it. Look, the first week of January isn't just another week. It's a week that sets the tone for the next 51. So don't waste it drowning in your inbox and attending pointless meetings that could have been emails. Use it to reset, re-engage your team, and set yourself up to actually lead in 2026, not just survive it. And if you haven't been doing one-on-ones, this is your year to start. No more excuses, no more. When things calm down, they're never going to calm down. You have to make this a priority. The stats are clear. Employees who meet one-on-one with their managers weekly are one and a half times more likely to be highly engaged. And 70% of the variance in team engagement is on you. If your organization is struggling with engagement and needs help building a structure where leaders actually show up for their teams, I'd love to help. I work with organizations through keynote speaking, executive coaching, and leadership training to build sustainable, people-first cultures. I'd love for you to connect with me on LinkedIn or visit my website. Both those links are in the show notes. And if this episode hit home for you, would you do me a favor? Subscribe to the show wherever you listen to podcasts and leave a review, please. And share this episode with another leader who needs to hear that the first week of January matters more than they think. And remember, keep planning before you react. Keep showing up for your team in one-on-ones and keep setting the rhythm that will carry you through the year. And you know why? Because those are the things that leaders do.

SPEAKER_00:

Thank you for listening to Things Leaders Do. If you're looking for more tips on how to be a better leader, be sure to subscribe to the podcast and listen to next week's episode. Until next time, keep working on being a better leader. leader by doing the things that leaders do.