What Story Does Your Organization Want to Tell on January 1, 2025?

I always look forward to the start of October – the first smell of fall in the air, breaking out the Halloween decorations (and there are SO many), the many Fall holidays where we get to be with family and friends and reconnect after a summer of everyone on their own path.

From an organizational perspective, the start of October offers an inflection point of reflection and projection. With 3/4 of the year complete, any organization should be able to reflect on their strategic priorities for the year and see where they have been able to recognize accomplishments and experienced any setbacks. Perhaps over the first nine months there were significant societal, industry, or organizational disruptors that opened new pathways (whether we wanted them or not) and that is part of the story of the year that has been. Over the first part of the year, it is possible that there have been significant innovations or leadership accomplishments that are worth celebrating in our recap of the year.

Even with so much that has already happened since the start of the year – there are still three months left. While this may not be enough time for radical shifts in direction, there is worth in projecting ahead to the start of 2025 and discussing the story your organization wants to tell of efforts and accomplishments as the year turns. Some questions to bring to staff for internal reflection and to the Board for leadership conversations may include:

·?????? What are the accomplishments you want to celebrate on January 1, 2025? Which are within reach and what needs to change in the next quarter to assure they will happen?

·?????? What setbacks have we experienced in 2024 so far? Is there anything we can do in this last quarter to mitigate their impact? To learn from the experience? How do we tell the story of setback or failures as opportunities to improve in the year ahead?

·?????? Whose voices have we missed this year? Leaders that have disappeared? Populations we intended to include but never made the outreach? What are the invitations for engagement, for perspective sharing, for belonging we can make in a genuine way to broaden our community, to be more inclusive in this last quarter?

·?????? Where do we still have the opportunity to create greater capacity in 2025? Is there anything we can stop? Anything we can pause for the next year and see if we actually miss it?

·?????? Finally – what are intentions of gratitude as the year winds down? Who has helped build strength this year? Who has given? Who has sacrificed? Who has led? How do we meaningfully recognize these efforts so others will follow in their footsteps?

Three more months may not be forever – but it is enough to steer the course in a slightly different direction so that they story your organization tells on January 1 is one of intention, appreciate, and celebration at all the good that was done and all that is yet to come.