Xmas Special — Leadership Reflections: Using the Festive Season to Reset Your Career

Welcome back to Your Path to Career Success — the podcast that helps you build the skills, confidence, and strategies to thrive in your career.

In this festive Christmas Special, we’re slowing the pace and stepping into a different kind of leadership conversation, one centred on reflection, renewal, and intentional growth.

As the year draws to a close and the world begins to quieten down, the festive season offers a rare opportunity: a moment to pause, take stock, and reset your direction for the year ahead. Because while leadership is often focused on driving outcomes, true leadership also requires creating space to think, to reconnect with your purpose, refine your path, and reimagine what success looks like next.

This episode is your invitation to use the stillness of the season not as a time to “power through,” but as a chance to reflect deeply and prepare for a more aligned, intentional 2026.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• Why the festive period is the ideal moment for meaningful leadership reflection
 • How to gently refresh your professional brand before January begins
 • A practical framework to help you reimagine and refocus your career direction for 2026
 • A guided reflection exercise to support clarity, alignment, and purpose

In leadership (and in life) your most powerful insights often arrive in moments of stillness. When you pause long enough to listen, clarity, confidence and renewed direction can emerge.

What Next?

Thank you for joining this reflective Christmas Special of Your Path to Career Success — where ambition meets purposeful growth.

🦉 Ready to step into 2026 with clarity, confidence, and a refreshed career direction? Book a free discovery call to explore how my Unlock Your Career Potential coaching programme or 1-2-1 ad-hoc support can help you start the new year with focus and intention: 👉https://calendly.com/thecareerowl

🦉 If this episode supported your career reflection, subscribe, leave a review and share it with a colleague preparing for their own year-end reset.

🦉 Connect with me on LinkedIn for leadership insights, career development tools and reflective prompts throughout the holiday season.

Useful Resources

📘 The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey — timeless principles for reflection, alignment, and intentional leadership
📘 Your Best Year Yet by Jinny S. Ditzler — a practical framework for reviewing your year and creating meaningful goals
📘 Essentialism by Greg McKeown — a guide to focusing on what truly matters and designing a purposeful direction

My two paid toolkits available to purchase from my website https://www.thecareerowl.co.uk/career-essentials-shop.html 

🎁The Career Pathway Toolkit

🎁 The Leadership Career Transition Roadmap

Next Steps

Your challenge this week: Set aside one quiet hour: a walk, a café moment, or your favourite armchair for your year-end leadership reset. Review your year, refresh your professional story and choose one meaningful intention to guide you into 2026.

Remember — leadership isn’t defined by constant motion. It’s shaped by the moments you pause, reflect and realign.

Wishing you a joyful Christmas, a restorative break, and a powerful start to your next chapter of career success. Season 10 returns on 7th January 2026 with more guidanc

Transcript

Xmas Special – Leadership Reflections: Using the Festive Season to Reset Your Career

Welcome back to Your Path to Career Success—the podcast that helps you build the skills, confidence, and strategies to thrive in your career.

I’m your host, Kathryn, and today we’re pausing our busy schedules for a different kind of leadership conversation—one that’s about reflection, renewal, and intentional growth and is our Xmas Special.

As we reach the end of the year, many people are preparing to switch off completely—and rightly so. 

But for ambitious professionals and leaders-in-the-making, this quieter season can also be a powerful opportunity: a chance to pause, take stock, and reset your direction for the year ahead.

Because the truth is, leadership isn’t only about driving results. It’s also about creating space to think—to realign your purpose, refresh your goals, and reimagine what success looks like next.

What I’ll Share in This Episode

In this reflective episode, I’ll walk you through:

• Why the festive period is the perfect time for leadership reflection
• How to refresh your professional brand before the new year begins
• A practical framework to reimagine your career direction for 2026
• A short reflection exercise to help you reset with clarity and purpose

1. The Leadership Pause – Finding Stillness to Think Strategically

Let’s be honest—most of the year, leadership doesn’t give us much breathing space. The calendar fills before we even notice. The weeks blur into quarters, and the quarters roll into another financial year. There’s always a meeting to prepare for, a presentation to deliver, a challenge to solve. 

Reflection, if we’re honest, often becomes something we promise ourselves we’ll do when things slow down.

But they rarely do.

And then December arrives.
 Emails quieten. Projects pause. The pace softens.
 
 

For the first time in months, you might look up from your screen and notice the world moving a little slower.

There’s a moment—maybe it’s late afternoon, when the house is quiet and the light is fading—where you realise: this is the breathing space I’ve been waiting for.

It’s in that rare stillness that true leadership reflection happens—not the kind you schedule into a one-hour strategy session, but the kind that helps you reconnect with who you are, and where you’re going.

I remember speaking with a senior leader who described this moment perfectly.
 Every year, between Christmas and New Year, she takes her notebook, a cup of coffee, and sits by the window overlooking her garden. No emails. No agenda. Just time to think.
 She calls it her annual leadership pause.

She asks herself the same three questions every year:

·       “What am I proud of?”

·       “What did I learn?”

·       “What needs to change?”

She told me it’s the most valuable hour of her year—because it resets her leadership compass before the noise of January begins again.

And that’s the essence of the festive pause. It’s not about doing more—it’s about thinking better. It’s about giving yourself permission to stop moving long enough to see where you’ve been, and where you want to go next.

So, as the world slows down around you, take your own leadership pause.
 
 

Find a quiet corner, a moment of calm, and ask yourself:

• Am I where I want to be in my career?
• Am I growing in the direction that aligns with my values and aspirations?
• What lessons did this year teach me—about leadership, resilience, or balance or all of them?

You might be surprised by what surfaces when you finally give your mind permission to breathe.

Reflection prompt:
Where in your leadership journey do you need to pause—not to stop progress, but to reconnect with purpose?

2. Refresh & Reconnect – Strengthening Your Professional Brand

Once you’ve taken time to pause and reflect, the next natural step is to refresh—to gently reconnect with who you are professionally, and how you’re showing up in the world.

Now, let’s be clear: the festive season isn’t about forcing productivity or diving into a flurry of updates. It’s about light-touch renewal—those small, intentional tweaks that align your external presence with your internal direction.

I often think of this as refreshing the mirror—wiping away the dust of a busy year so you can see your reflection clearly again.

 I often find that when clients come to me for help with their CVs or LinkedIn profiles, it’s because they’ve realised their professional story no longer reflects who they are today. 

One client told me how, during a quiet December evening, she opened her laptop intending just to “quickly check” her LinkedIn profile. Within minutes, she realised the story it told was completely out of date—it reflected a version of her from two years earlier, before her promotion, before she’d led a major change initiative, before she’d truly grown into her leadership voice.

She described it as like looking at a snapshot of her past self—a professional biography frozen in time. That realisation prompted her to get in touch with me so we could refresh her profile and ensure it told the story of who she’d become.

If that sounds familiar, and your own profile or CV no longer reflects where you are now, it might be time for an update. And if you’d like some help bringing it up to date, do get in touch.

And that’s what this part of the season is about. It’s not about chasing new opportunities yet—it’s about being ready when they appear.
 
 

It’s about aligning the story you tell online with the story you’re actually living.

Because your CV and LinkedIn aren’t just documents—they’re reflections of your professional identity. They should evolve with you.

Even though recruitment often slows down in December, something important happens behind the scenes: hiring managers and HR leaders start mapping talent pipelines ready for January. So when you show up visible, current, and clear about your direction, you’re already one step ahead.

Practical approach:

• Review your CV and LinkedIn profile as if you were meeting yourself for the first time. What impression do they give?
• Add at least one leadership highlight or project from this year—something that captures your growth or impact.
• Refresh your summary or headline to reflect who you are now and where you’re going next.
• Reconnect with your network. Send a few genuine messages—thank someone for their support, or simply wish them well for the holidays. Authentic connection never goes unnoticed.

Stretch exercise:
Schedule one quiet hour this week to review your professional brand. Not as a task, but as an act of self-recognition. You’re not starting from scratch—you’re updating the story to reflect your evolution.

Reflection prompt:
Does my professional brand reflect where I’m headed—or just where I’ve been?

3. Reimagine Your Career Direction – Designing, Not Drifting

Once you’ve paused to reflect and refreshed your professional presence, the final step is to reimagine — to lift your gaze from the day-to-day and look towards what’s next.

This isn’t about drafting a five-year plan filled with bullet points and buzzwords. It’s about reconnecting with your vision — the kind of leader you want to become, the work that energises you, and the impact you want to create.

Too often, we drift from one year to the next, moving with the current of our organisation’s goals rather than steering our own. But the festive season offers something rare — space to ask deeper questions about direction, purpose, and possibility.

A few years ago, I coached a senior operations leader named A.
 
 

For over a decade, A had been on a fast track — promotion after promotion, each one arriving like clockwork. On paper, he was thriving. But when he finally took a step back over the Christmas break, something unexpected surfaced: a sense of restlessness.

He told me, “I’ve been climbing fast, but I’m starting to wonder if it’s still the right mountain.”

That simple reflection changed everything.
 
 

Over a few quiet days, A began sketching ideas in a notebook — not job titles, but themes.
 
 

He wrote down what energised him most about his work: mentoring emerging leaders, building high-performing teams, driving meaningful improvement rather than constant expansion.

By the time January came, he realised that what he really wanted was a shift — from operational leadership to people and culture transformation.
 
 

It wasn’t a small move and took us time during our coaching sessions to fully unpick this and decide on the next pathway, but within six months, he was in a new role that aligned perfectly with his values and strengths.

That’s what reimagining your career direction is all about.
 
 

It’s not about abandoning what you’ve built — it’s about refining your trajectory so it fits who you’ve become.

So as you look ahead to 2026, ask yourself:

• What does success really look like for me — not just in title or salary, but in meaning and impact?
• What kind of work makes me feel most alive and fulfilled?
• Which parts of my current role energise me — and which drain me?
• What would it look like to design my next step intentionally, rather than wait for it to happen by chance?

When you start thinking this way, your career stops being a series of reactions — and starts becoming a body of work built with purpose.

Practical approach:

• Create a simple “career vision map.”
   Draw three columns: Now, Next Year, and Future (3 years).
  Under each, write what you want to learn, lead, and leave behind.
• Identify one area for growth that will move you toward your future vision — a skill to develop, a network to expand, or a project to lead.
• Write a short vision statement that begins, “By the end of 2026, I want to be known for…”
  Keep it visible — somewhere you’ll see it often.

Stretch exercise:
Set aside one morning before the new year begins. No screens, no distractions. Just you, a notebook, and your thoughts.
 
 

Reflect on what you want your next chapter to stand for — not what’s expected of you, but what’s true to you.

Reflection prompt:
Am I actively shaping my career — or simply reacting to what comes my way?

4. The Year-End Reset – Reflect, Refocus, and Realign

Every leader has a rhythm — moments to accelerate and moments to breathe. The end of the year is one of those rare pauses in the rhythm, a chance to stop chasing and start realigning.

For many of us, December brings a kind of quiet perspective. The calendar begins to empty, the inbox slows, and suddenly, between the wrapping paper and the winter walks, there’s space to think — to take stock of what the year has really meant.

I once worked with a communications director named P who made this her annual ritual.
 
 

Every year, on the last Friday before Christmas, she’d take herself to her favourite café — a quiet corner table, a warm drink and a fresh notebook.

She’d divide a page into three simple sections:
 What I achieved. What I learned. What I want next.

No overthinking, no wordsmithing — just honest reflection.

She told me, “That one hour resets me more than anything does in the rest of the year.”

By writing it down, she could see her year as a story — not just a series of tasks or targets, but a journey of growth. Some years, her notes were full of energy and expansion; others were about resilience, recalibration, or rest. But every year, that simple exercise gave her something powerful: clarity.

And clarity, she said, always led to confidence.

That’s what the year-end reset is about. It’s not another item on your to-do list — it’s a moment to honour the progress you’ve made, acknowledge what you’ve learned, and choose what comes next.

Here’s a simple structure you can try during your own quiet moment of reflection this season:

Step 1 – Review the Year

Start by asking: What am I most proud of?
Think beyond numbers and deliverables. Maybe it was leading through uncertainty, supporting your team, or finally setting healthier boundaries. Leadership growth often hides in the quieter victories.

Step 2 – Recognise the Energy Gaps

Notice where your energy rose — and where it drained away.
 Patterns here tell a story: where your passion lies, where you’ve grown tired, and where change may be needed.

Ask: What work gives me energy, and what consistently depletes me?
Sometimes, clarity begins not with knowing what you want — but with knowing what no longer fits.

Step 3 – Reconnect to Purpose

Revisit the deeper “why” behind your work.
 What still excites you? What values are non-negotiable? What kind of impact do you want to make next year?
 Purpose isn’t fixed — it evolves as we do. Taking time to reconnect with it ensures your goals for 2026 align with who you are now, not where you were a few years ago.

Step 4 – Reset the Focus

Now, choose one focus for the year ahead.
Not a list of ten resolutions — just one meaningful theme that can guide your decisions and growth.
It might be visibility, balance, courage, or impact.
Let it become your quiet anchor — a lens through which you approach the opportunities and challenges of the new year.

I often say: clarity creates confidence, and confidence fuels momentum.
 
 

When you start the year grounded in reflection rather than reaction, your energy feels different — calmer, more intentional, more aligned.

So, before January arrives and the pace returns, carve out that space for your year-end reset.

Light a candle. Grab a notebook. Ask the questions that matter.
 
 

Because your best leadership decisions don’t come from pressure — they come from presence.

Reflection prompt:
What truth about your career or leadership do you most need to hear yourself say — before the new year begins?

Final Reflection – Investing in Your Future Self

Leadership, at its core, isn’t just about what you do — it’s about how intentionally you grow.
 
 

And this season gives you a rare opportunity to do just that: to pause, to breathe, and to invest in your future self.

Because growth doesn’t only happen in motion — it also happens in stillness.
 
 

It’s in those quiet, unhurried moments that you often see most clearly who you’ve become and who you’re ready to be next.

If you’ve ever felt like the year has passed in a blur, this is your moment to slow the frame — to zoom in on the lessons, the progress, and the possibilities waiting just ahead.

I often think of leadership like the turning of a page.
 
 

Each year, you get to write a new chapter — and while you can’t always control the plot twists, you can choose the theme.

So as you look toward 2026, choose your theme with intention.
 
 

Maybe it’s renewal. Maybe it’s visibility, confidence, or impact.
 
 

Whatever it is, let it guide how you show up, how you lead, and how you invest in your own growth.

Because when you begin a year grounded in clarity, you’re not just chasing success — you’re creating it with purpose.

Closing

Today, we explored how to use the festive season as a powerful leadership reset — how to pause, reflect, and reimagine your career with clarity and intention.

Your challenge this week:
 Set aside one quiet hour for your own leadership reflection ritual.
Find somewhere calm — maybe it’s a walk, a café, or your favourite chair by the window.
Review your year, refresh your professional brand, and write down one clear intention for 2026.

That single act of reflection could be the spark that sets your next chapter in motion.

If you found this episode valuable, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a colleague who’s ready to begin their own reflection journey.
 
 

You can also connect with me on LinkedIn — just search Kathryn Hall, The Career Owl — and visit www.thecareerowl.co.uk for more career tools, coaching, and resources to support your growth in the new year.

As we wrap up this festive episode I want to leave you with this:

Leadership isn’t about being constantly in motion.
 It’s about knowing when to pause, reflect, and realign.

So, take this time to rest deeply, dream boldly, and step into 2026 with clarity, confidence, and purpose.

I’m Kathryn Hall — wishing you a joyful Christmas, a restorative break, and a powerful start to your next chapter of career success.

Season 10 will start on 7th January 2026 with more hints and tips to move your Leadership Career forward.