As the year winds down, business leaders face a unique opportunity: the chance to reflect on achievements, course-correct where necessary, and set the tone for the upcoming year. But closing the year on a high note isn’t about tying a neat bow around unfinished business—it’s about asking the right questions that drive clarity, inspire action, and lay the foundation for sustained growth. In this article, we’ll explore 10 essential questions that every leader should ask their teams, themselves, and their stakeholders.
Asking the right questions at year’s end isn’t just a formality—it’s a powerful tool for driving growth, improving culture, and positioning your business for success. By reflecting on what worked, what didn’t, and what’s next, you can close the year on a high note and set the stage for an even better year ahead.
So, gather your team when you resume and ask the following questions.
1. What Were Our Biggest Wins This Year, and Why?
Identifying wins boosts morale, reinforces effective strategies, and builds momentum for the future.
People thrive when their efforts are recognized.
When Starbucks introduced its reusable cup initiative, it not only saved costs but also gained significant positive PR. By analyzing why this worked—timing, customer sentiment, and sustainability trends—the company could scale similar projects.
When Salesforce closed its highest-ever deal in 2022, the company celebrated publicly and internally, using the win as a rallying point for the next year.
Gallup research shows that companies that recognize achievements have 31% lower turnover rates, 31% higher employee engagement and 21% higher profitability.
Call To Action – You can host a team meeting to celebrate achievements, big and small. Document successful projects and the factors that drove them. Create a “Year in Review” newsletter for employees and stakeholders.Use insights to create a “success blueprint” for next year.
2. What Didn’t Go as Planned, and What Can We Learn?
Failure is a better teacher than success. Reviewing missteps helps leaders avoid repeating them. Understanding failures is just as important as celebrating wins—it’s where the lessons lie.
In 2014, Target’s expansion into Canada flopped spectacularly. By analyzing the failure, they realized poor logistics and underwhelming product offerings were to blame, lessons that informed future initiatives.
In 2020, Peloton faced backlash over its controversial holiday ad. Instead of shying away, the company analyzed its misstep, adjusted its marketing tone, and emerged stronger.
According to Harvard Business Review, organizations that learn from failures are 23% more likely to innovate successfully.
Call To Action – Encourage teams to frame failures as experiments, not catastrophes.Conduct post-mortems for failed projects without blame. Identify patterns and root causes in setbacks with actionable lessons so as to avoid repeating them. Encourage teams to share lessons learned without fear of blame.
3. Are We Aligned With Our Mission and Vision?
Misalignment between day-to-day operations and organizational purpose can dilute efforts and demotivate teams. Inconsistent alignment with core values can erode trust among employees, customers, and stakeholders.
For example, Flour Mills of Nigeria (FMN) continuously aligns its business operations with its commitment to local content – like deployment of innovation in driving localisation of wheat production, aggregating over 8,000 tonnes of wheat grain in 15 collection points across three (3) Nigerian states and investing about 3.5 billion Naira on CSR projects, donations, and other interventions.
Companies with strong mission alignment see 58% higher employee retention rates (Harvard Business Review). A Deloitte survey found that 73% of employees who feel aligned with their company’s mission are engaged at work.
Call To Action – Review strategic decisions to ensure they reflect core values. Revisit your mission and values—are they reflected in your actions? Communicate the mission in all your internal messaging. Identify any areas where you strayed from your principles and ddjust processes or initiatives that veer off course.
4. How Did Our Customers Feel About Us?
Happy customers are loyal customers, and they’re often your best source of new business. As a matter of fact, customer satisfaction is the ultimate business KPI. If you’re not adding value, you’re losing relevance.
At the Africa Nxt Conference 2023, Executive Head of Content & West Africa Channels, MultiChoice Nigeria, Dr Busola Tejumola said “In Nigeria alone, we have over 250 tribes and ways of living, and stories for days. We can tell 250,000 stories in a year, and you won’t repeat any of them. There is just uniqueness and diversity in our stories. As a brand, we are not just jumping on a trend with indigenous stories. We’ve told these stories for over a decade through our Africa Magic Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa channels. As much as we believe that local content that appeals nationally is good, we know that people want to see themselves represented on screen.”
Arguably, this commitment to making viewers see themselves represented on screen has led to the continuous growth of Multichoice Group despite very challenging macro-economic conditions.
According to Zendesk, 87% of customers will recommend a company after a positive experience, but 58% will never return after a bad one. HubSpot reports that companies prioritising customer experience see 1.7x higher customer retention rates.
Call To Action – Analyse customer feedback to identify trends. Analyse customer satisfaction scores (CSAT) and Net Promoter Scores (NPS). Collect feedback through year-end surveys or focus groups. Highlight and share stories of positive customer impact. Identify areas for improvement. Develop an action plan to address unresolved pain points and communicate planned changes to customers.
5. How Did We Empower and Engage Our People?
Your people are your most valuable asset, and disengaged employees cost businesses billions annually in lost productivity. A thriving workforce therefore equals a thriving business. Leaders must prioritize employee growth and well-being.
TVC Communications deployed a company-wide training on emotional intelligence in 2024. As a result, the media company witnessed increase in team collaboration, employee wellbeing and enhanced leadership effectiveness.
Jaiz Bank Plc embarked on a culture transformation project in 2024. In addition to remarkable growth in its financial metrics as a result of the culture transformation, the bank also witnessed significant improvement in employee engagement and retention, enhanced staff productivity and stronger customer relations. The bank is soaring high.
LinkedIn’s Workforce Learning Report found that 94% of employees would stay longer at a company that invests in their development. According to Gallup, ‘highly engaged teams are 21% more profitable’.
Call To Action – Review training and development budgets—did you spend it wisely? Highlight promotions and growth stories from within the team. Conduct an anonymous employee engagement survey to gauge satisfaction and well-being.. Act on feedback, even if it’s tough to hear. Recognise top performers and ensure all employees feel valued. Engage us in CHAMP to empower and engage your workforce as we did with TVC Communications, Jaiz Bank and other peak performing organisations.
6. Did We Hit Our Financial Goals?
Numbers don’t lie. Reviewing financial performance reveals whether your strategy delivered results. It is important to regularly assesses subscriber growth, revenue, and profitability to ensure pricing and product/service offerings align with financial goals.
According to McKinsey, companies that regularly review financial performance outperform their peers by 15%.
Call To Action – Compare actual performance against forecasts. Review major expenses—what paid off and what didn’t? Set up tighter KPIs to track progress next year.
7. Where Did We Waste Time and Resources?
Inefficiencies cost money, morale, and momentum. Identifying bottlenecks and waste can free up resources for strategic priorities.
Toyota’s lean manufacturing approach eliminated waste and inefficiencies, making it one of the most profitable automakers globally. Forrester estimates that 25-30% of organisational resources are wasted annually due to inefficiency.
Call To Action – Review project timelines and budgets—where did delays occur? Streamline processes using automation or updated tools. Train teams on prioritisation techniques like the Eisenhower Matrix.
8. Did We Keep Pace with Industry Trends?
Falling behind on trends can make your business irrelevant—just ask Blockbuster. Walmart’s quick pivot to e-commerce and delivery services helped it stay competitive with Amazon during the pandemic.
Deloitte found that companies that adapt quickly to trends are 2.5 times more likely to be market leaders.
Call To Action – Review which trends you embraced and which you ignored. Research emerging technologies and consumer behaviours for the next year.Allocate resources to stay ahead of key developments.
9. How Well Did We Communicate, Internally and Externally?
Clear communication fosters alignment, trust, and efficiency. Slack’s internal communication strategy is a case study in success—they use their own platform to streamline collaboration and transparency. Available research reveals that companies with effective communication strategies are 3.5 times more likely to outperform peers.
Call To Action – Assess how well leadership messages were cascaded throughout the organisation. Review external communication metrics (e.g., social media engagement, PR coverage). Set up tools or processes to address gaps.
10. Did We Take Enough Risks?
Playing it safe rarely leads to growth. Calculated risks are essential for innovation and progress.Tesla’s decision to invest heavily in battery technology was a huge gamble, but it paid off, making them a leader in electric vehicles. A BCG study found that risk-taking companies are 45% more likely to be market leaders.
Call To Action – Review bold initiatives taken this year—what worked, what didn’t? Identify areas where you were too risk-averse. Build a “risk fund” to encourage experimentation next year.
11. How Did We Adapt to Change?
In a rapidly evolving business environment, adaptability is a core competency for long-term success. When in-person sales plunged during the pandemic, Nike doubled down on its digital strategy, increasing online sales by 82% in a single quarter. McKinsey reports that companies with high adaptability outperform peers by 20% in profitability.
Call To Action – Document instances where your team pivoted effectively. I Identify gaps in flexibility and decision-making. Incorporate agility into team training and strategy.
12. What Are the Stories We Want to Tell About This Year?
Storytelling reinforces culture, highlights achievements, and motivates teams. Warby Parker often shares its origin story—how its founders wanted affordable glasses—to remind employees and customers of their mission. Research from Stanford shows that stories are 22 times more memorable than facts alone.
Call To Action – Identify key milestones and frame them as stories. Share these stories across internal and external communications. Involve employees in crafting narratives from their perspectives.
13. What Does Success Look Like Next Year?
Clarity on future goals ensures alignment and momentum heading into the new year. Apple’s annual goal-setting process includes clear, measurable objectives like product launches, allowing it to maintain consistent growth and innovation. Organisations that set specific goals are 10 times more likely to achieve success, according to a Harvard Business School study.
Call To Action – Define SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound). Communicate these goals across all teams to ensure alignment. Build accountability mechanisms to track progress throughout the year.
14. Are We Positioned for Next Year’s Challenges?
The end of the year is the perfect time to assess your readiness for upcoming trends and disruptions. Anticipating challenges early allows you to mitigate risks and seize opportunities. During the pandemic, Zoom quickly scaled infrastructure to meet exploding demand, ensuring they could handle future challenges. PwC observed that companies with strong risk management practices report 30% higher revenue growth. Gartner predicts that 74% of organisations will invest in future-proofing strategies by 2026.
Call To Action – Conduct a SWOT analysis to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Review technological investments—are they keeping pace with trends? Scenario-plan for potential economic or market disruptions. Align next year’s goals with key challenges.
Final Thoughts
Closing the year on a high note isn’t about checking boxes—it’s about asking the right questions that provoke reflection, spark action, and build momentum for the future. These questions are powerful tools for driving growth, improving culture, and positioning your business for success. By reflecting on what worked, what didn’t, and what’s next, you can close 2024 on a high note and set the stage for an even better 2025 with clarity, confidence and direction. So go forth, reflect, and prepare to make 2025 your best yet!
About Dr. Abiola Salami
Dr. Abiola Salami is the Convener of Dr Abiola Salami International Leadership Bootcamp ; The Peak PerformerTM Festival Made4More Accelerator Program and The New Year Kickoff Summit. He is the Principal Performance Strategist at CHAMP – a full scale professional services firm trusted by high performing business leaders for providing Executive Coaching, Workforce Development & Advisory Services to improve performance. You can reach his team on hello@abiolachamp.com and connect with him @abiolachamp on all social media platforms.
