What 2025 Taught Me About Consistency and Growth

Hey,

As we creep up on the end of 2025, I’ve been thinking a lot about the leadership teams I worked with this year— the wins, the sticking points, and the patterns that kept showing up. After a really inspiring Clarity Break, I’ve boiled the year down to four key lessons learned:

1. Everything starts at the top.

When the leadership team is aligned and modeling the behaviors they want reinforced, process work sticks. When they’re not, nothing sticks, no matter how good your systems are. If you want better accountability and more consistency, start with alignment at the top.

2. Document less, clarify more.

Most teams assume the answer is “more documentation.” It isn’t. What actually works is identifying the handful of steps that truly matter. Five to ten. 

Clear, simple, teachable. 

Over-documenting doesn’t solve people issues or skill gaps, clarity does.

3. Use your tools to lean into (not avoid) conflict.

The teams that grew the most this year didn’t sidestep tough conversations, they used their EOS tools to have them. When a seat wasn’t being filled well, they revisited the Accountability Chart together. When a number was off track, they dropped it down and IDS’d it. 

Structure creates safety. Safety creates truth. Truth creates progress.

4. Accountability and compassion are not opposites.

The healthiest teams weren’t perfect; they were consistent. They kept expectations clear, gave grace when needed, and stayed committed to getting a little better each quarter. 

Progress > perfection.

As you think about 2026, start here:

Align your team. Simplify what matters. Use the tools with courage. Stay consistent.

And before you race into January, take a Clarity Break. Step away from the day-to-day, reflect on what 2025 taught you, and set a few intentional guideposts for the year ahead. Those moments of quiet thinking are where the best leadership decisions are born.

Let’s build something that lasts,

Lisa