What I Heard From Leaders This Year
The patterns, fears, and breakthroughs I witnessed from top leaders this year.
Hi there! Welcome to Lead without Limits where I share weekly, actionable mini-guides based on real human experience (not theories and platitudes) to level up your leadership and career and feel more fulfilled in the process.
From tears and frustration to power and optimism.
From fear and trepidation to confidence and clarity.
From false urgency and exhaustion to rest and rejuvenation.
2025 was a year of observation for me.
I bore witness to so many leaders stepping up and stepping in.
These were not easy moments.
In many cases, these were some of the most difficult seasons to navigate in their careers, but they chose to face them with courage and resolve.
Here are the themes that I found myself gravitating towards as I close out this year and prepare for the next. I hope they inspire you as much as they inspired me:
Theme 1: After a Layoff, Speed Isn’t Strategy
After years of climbing up, pacing ahead of others, and reaching pinnacles not out of breath, but ready for more, a layoff doesn’t just feel like a setback. It can feel like a deathblow.
For highly successful leaders, the first time is often the hardest. Coupled with the current business context of tightening belts, AI euphoria/mayhem, and geopolitical unpredictability, it can feel like the cards are stacked high against you.
Money may feel like a legitimate reason to hurry, but your psychological state is far more important. Rush into a search when you aren’t in the right frame of mind, and you’ll just be treading water, or worse, making a negative impression.
I saw over and over again, the leaders who paused, gave themselves time to process and heal, were the ones who pulled out of the negativity spiral. Networking, interviews, and decisions came easier when they weren’t consumed by anger, regret, and shame.
One found a larger role where they aren’t just essential (they always have been), but they feel valued and valuable in a way that wasn’t present in their last organization.
Another found a role that was more senior, higher pay, and with greater influence at a fast-growing firm with high-profile clients.
Another found a consulting opportunity in a domain they never would have considered in the past, but has now found deep fulfillment.
Go deeper: For more, read my post on how to reclaim your power after a layoff. Share it with a friend who might need a reminder to take care.
Theme 2: Isolation Feels Productive — Until It Isn’t
Leadership roles are, by definition, isolating.
Between the confidential information, the difficult decisions, and the volume of responsibility, it isn’t easy to share what you’re going through. It’s no surprise that most leaders have a tiny circle of confidantes, and even those are often partitioned by content areas, leaving few people, if any, having a full picture of what you are experiencing and navigating.
But this way of working takes its toll over time. Whether you choose to hire people to provide the support you need (therapists, coaches, etc), or you build a “trusted circle,” of friends, even leaders need outlets.
This is particularly true if you are feeling stressed or even lost. Being vulnerable feels risky because it is. But retreating into yourself often won’t help you find your way through darker or more challenging times.
As I close out 2025, my clients who have built these circles are the ones that remind me to continue to do the same. My most difficult moments in my career weren’t just characterized by work issues, they were also the moments when I was most disconnected from friends and family.
Go deeper: If you’re finding that you are feeling alone, consider one relationship you could build or strengthen. Make a commitment to do so in the new year.
Theme 3: Even Leaders Need to Be Seen
Too many people buy into the myth that senior leaders are self-sustaining, all-knowing, and omnipresent. They don’t need external feedback or praise. They should just “know.”
Even as someone who has been CEO and COO, I fall into this trap of assuming that leaders are somehow superhuman and therefore don’t require (or deserve) human considerations.
But it’s just not true: Leaders need recognition, too.
Feeling this way is not a sign that you are a narcissist or weak. It’s also not a sign that your team doesn’t care or doesn’t want to share.
It’s a sign you need to design systems to help you get the feedback and acknowledgement you need.
Go deeper: Learn how to source the validation you need in this LinkedIn carousel post. Implement one of these systems, and you’ll not only get more feedback, but so will your team.
Theme 4: Relationships First, Transactions Second
When you are in a high-stakes conversation, it’s easy to get focused on the transactional outcome: should we hire the candidate, can I save a few thousand dollars on the contract, etc.
But that’s a mistake.
The deal or decision may matter in the moment, but the relationship you are building (or destroying) will matter far longer. Share what you are thinking, give the other person the benefit of the doubt, and work together to find the optimal outcome.
When you reframe the situation as an opportunity to collaborate vs. an adversarial encounter, the process doesn’t just lead to better outcomes, it means that you’ll be building trust at the same time. The transaction may not matter 5 years from now, but the relationship will.
Go deeper: For more on how to prioritize collaboration even in a negotiation, read this post about a leader who negotiated a complex compensation agreement and got exactly what she wanted by providing the context her hiring manager needed to make a case for her.
Theme 5: Changing Habits Isn’t Linear — and That’s Not Failure
“Growth is uncomfortable because you’ve never been here before.”
— Kristin Lohr
Successful leaders are used to high expectations achieved at a high pace. But when you are changing deeper wiring, progress takes longer, is harder to predict, and success isn’t a hockey stick to the right.
My first corporate client this year had that exact experience. A C-suite leader and his team signed up for the Positive Intelligence mindset program I offer alongside one-on-one coaching.
Even as some of the group made strides quickly initially, others struggled to get started. They are part of a fast-changing organization with big ambitious goals. It is easy to lose momentum when your days are filled with curveballs and one high stakes decision after another.
My guidance? When you are changing a habit, don’t expect to change your immediate reaction or instinct — they are wired deep. The win is simply becoming aware of your reaction and pausing to choose your next action.
Once you start to reframe success as progress, not perfection, new habits become easier to adopt. Stumbles no longer feel like setbacks. They become part of the muscle-building you need to hone your new skills.
Go deeper: Interested in strengthening your mindset. Start with taking the Positive Intelligence Saboteur Assessment. It’s free and only takes a few minutes and what it reveals might help you determine what habit or skill you want to focus on next year. And you can always ping me if you want to explore how to quiet your saboteurs.
Your Leadership is Needed Now More than Ever
The world is in desperate need of more leaders, who are skilled and truly care about the people and organizations they lead.
The themes above highlight how challenging it is to be a leader today. But they also point to how leaders must first take care of themselves before they can provide the kind of direction, decision-making, and determination that can build successful teams.
As we close out the year, take the time to capture your themes:
What are some of the challenges you faced?
What is giving you energy and resolve?
What helped you grow this year?
How do you want to direct your attention going forward?
I’d love to hear more in the Comments below or in a reply to my email. I read every one.
I wish you the very best and look forward to seeing you in the new year!
May you lead without limits,
This resonated. I was laid off earlier this year, and while I haven’t landed something “better” yet in terms of pay, the pause forced real growth. I picked up new skills, rethought my direction, and lost my intimidation around titles after 12 years of seeing how differently people carry them. Some lead well, some don’t, the title alone never tells the story. 2025 felt less about rushing forward and more about learning how I want to show up next.