12 Leadership Decisions That Will Shape Your Year
Strong leaders don’t drift into good years — they decide their way into them. Leadership isn’t shaped by bold resolutions, but by quiet, consistent decisions about what we protect, prioritize, and practice. These twelve leadership decisions will help you step into 2026 with clarity, intention, and purpose.
Strong leaders don’t drift into good years.
They decide — early — how they’ll lead.
Over time, I’ve noticed that leaders who experience clarity, health, and sustained influence don’t rely on motivation or momentum. They make intentional decisions before the year begins to move too fast.
Not resolutions.
Not goals.
Decisions.
John Maxwell puts it simply: “Life is a matter of choices, and every choice you make makes you.” Leadership formation works the same way. Over time, our decisions shape our character, our influence, and the environments we lead.
Scripture reminds us that intentional leadership isn’t about control — it’s about alignment:
“The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.”
— Proverbs 16:9 (ESV)
Here are 12 leadership decisions that quietly shape the year ahead.
1. Decide What You Will Protect
Time, energy, health, and relationships don’t protect themselves. Without clear boundaries, leadership demands will slowly erode what matters most. Deciding what you will protect early in the year creates margin that sustains you when pressure increases.
2. Decide How Your Calendar Will Reflect Your Priorities
Your calendar reveals your real values, not your stated ones. Strong leaders don’t just react to requests — they intentionally schedule what matters most. When your priorities live on your calendar, they stop competing with everything else.
3. Decide How You Will Communicate Expectations
Many leadership frustrations aren’t people problems — they’re clarity problems. Deciding how and when you’ll communicate expectations reduces confusion and builds trust. Clear expectations give people confidence in how to win.
4. Decide How You Will Develop People
Leadership that lasts multiplies. Growth doesn’t happen accidentally — it happens through intentional coaching, feedback, and opportunity. Deciding who you’ll invest in ensures your leadership impact extends beyond your own capacity.
5. Decide What You Will Say “No” To
Focus requires restraint. Every “yes” carries a cost, whether you see it immediately or not. Deciding ahead of time what doesn’t belong in your year helps you preserve energy for what does.
6. Decide How You Will Handle Pressure
Pressure is inevitable in leadership, but panic is optional. Deciding in advance how you’ll respond under stress keeps emotions from driving decisions. Prepared leaders respond thoughtfully instead of reacting impulsively.
7. Decide How You Will Care for Your Health
Leadership is demanding, and neglect eventually shows up somewhere. Physical, emotional, and spiritual health directly affect how you show up for others. Deciding to care for your health isn’t selfish — it’s responsible leadership.
8. Decide How You Will Build Trust
Trust grows through consistency, integrity, and follow-through. Small, repeated actions shape credibility far more than big moments. Deciding to be dependable in both visible and unseen ways builds a foundation others can rely on.
9. Decide How You Will Course-Correct
Strong leaders don’t avoid adjustment — they expect it. Deciding now that feedback and correction are part of growth keeps pride from blocking progress. Course-correction is not failure; it’s leadership maturity.
10. Decide How You Will Finish the Year
Strong finishes don’t happen by accident. Deciding early how you want to close the year influences how you pace yourself throughout it. Leaders who finish well build momentum that carries forward.
11. Decide How You Will Measure Success
Busyness is not success, and visibility isn’t impact. Deciding what “winning” actually means protects you from chasing the wrong metrics. Clear measures of success bring focus and reduce unnecessary pressure.
12. Decide What You Will Carry Forward
Every year leaves something behind — habits, lessons, and patterns. Deciding intentionally what you’ll carry forward helps you build on growth instead of repeating mistakes. Reflection turns experience into wisdom.
Final Thought
You don’t need a perfect plan for the year ahead.
You need clarity.
Strong leadership starts with intentional decisions — and those decisions quietly shape everything that follows.
Start Strong. Lead Well.
The Leader You Become in 2026 Starts Now
Strong years don’t begin in January. They begin in December. In Week 1 of the SSLW December Reset, we explore why intentional reflection today shapes your leadership tomorrow — and we begin the journey toward your 2026 Leadership Guidepost.
Why December Matters More Than January
There’s something unique about December.
On the surface, it looks like a slowdown month — schedules ease up, routines relax, and many leaders shift into “coast mode.” But the more I’ve paid attention to my own leadership rhythms, the more I’ve realized something:
December determines January.
I’ve had years where I entered a new year aligned, focused, and grounded.
And I’ve had years where I entered scattered and exhausted.
And as I look back, the consistent theme is clear:
The decisions I made in December shaped the direction I carried into the new year.
Intentionality Sets the Direction
Proverbs 4:26 encourages us to “ponder the path of your feet,” reminding us that strong leadership begins with intentional steps. It’s rarely the big moments that shape a leader — it’s the small daily choices when no one’s watching.
John Maxwell frames it well:
“You will never change your life until you change something you do daily.”
Three Spheres of Leadership
Whether we realize it or not, every leader carries influence in three arenas:
Lead Myself
Lead My Family
Lead My Team
These three spheres anchor the entire December Reset journey.
The One Word That Shapes a Year
Throughout this month, we’ll also work toward identifying your One Word for 2026 — a simple, powerful word that brings clarity and direction to your leadership.
I’ve used a “one word” focus for several years, and it’s made a significant difference in helping me stay grounded and intentional. Leaders like Craig Groeschel and Jon Gordon teach this approach because it simplifies your focus and strengthens your direction.
Not a resolution.
Not a long list of goals.
Just one clear word that shapes the way you lead yourself, your family, and your team.
Week 1: Where Am I Now?
Before choosing a word or setting any goals for 2026, we begin with honest reflection:
Where am I right now as a leader?
Not where you wish you were.
Not where you “should” be.
Where you truly are.
This week’s worksheet will guide that reflection — and help you start preparing your 2026 Leadership Guidepost.
Because strong years don’t start in January.
They start now.