The Mid Year Reminder Leaders Need Right Now
We’re halfway through the calendar year, and for many of us, this moment brings a natural pause. A chance to reflect on what’s been achieved, and what still needs attention.
In leadership, we’re often guided by timelines that follow the structure of the business. Whether your financial year runs January to December, April to March, or somewhere in between, the rhythm tends to follow reporting periods, quarterly reviews, performance dashboards, and budget updates. We measure how we’re doing based on what we can track - revenue, headcount, targets hit or missed.
This way of measuring progress is important….after all, what gets measured tends to get managed.
Yet, while numbers and targets provide a clear picture of business health, they don’t tell the whole story. There is a quieter, less visible part of leadership, the inner work, that rarely shows up in reports, but deeply impacts how teams feel, engage, and perform.
I recently spoke with a leader who told me, “Everything looks great on paper. But it doesn’t feel great.” The team was delivering; the results were solid; the numbers told a good story. And yet, something was off. The energy was low. Conversations felt surface-level. There was no obvious problem, but something vital was missing.
In contrast, another leader I work with chose to introduce a monthly pause - not to check performance, but to check in. She asked her team to bring not just updates, but honesty. Over time, the dynamic shifted. People spoke more openly. Small tensions were addressed before they escalated. The work didn’t just get done. It got lighter.
In business, we’ve trained ourselves to track what we can see - productivity, revenue, milestones.
But great leadership asks us to notice the less visible:
How connected are we, really?
What are we avoiding because it’s easier to stay silent?
Where are people holding back, not just with tasks, but with trust?
What tone am I setting as a leader, and is it the one I intended?
These questions don’t show up in dashboards. But they matter. Often more than the ones that do.
Because leadership isn’t just about performance, it’s about presence.
It’s not only about managing outcomes. It’s about creating the conditions in which people can thrive.
So while you’re planning the next quarter or preparing that mid-year review, it’s worth asking: what else needs your attention that doesn’t come with a report?
Because what gets measured does get managed.
But what gets noticed, nurtured, and spoken about is what transforms teams.
And while we’re here - How are you, really?
Now might be the perfect time to answer those questions on a personal level too.
What goals did you set for yourself this year — not just professionally, but personally?
What have you let slide that still matters to you?
What’s working?
What’s quietly asking for your attention?
You don’t need all the answers. Just the courage to ask.
P.S. - You don’t have to be available 24/7 to be a great leader.
Grab the Boundary Reset Workbook - it’s free, takes 10 minutes, and made for leaders like you.
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