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June 10, 2026 | Live Webinar
Categories: Lessons Learned
OK, I know we’re nearly a quarter of the way through the year, but it takes time to do the work to reflect. And if you’ve read my previous posts from earlier this year, you might have picked up that there’s been a lot going on.
Before we move into the second quarter of the year (which here in the UK is the first quarter of the financial year – so there’s that), I wanted to share my takeaways from 2025 to see if there’s any that resonate with you.
And if you haven’t had time to properly digest the end of last year (or the beginning of this one), take this as a sign that it’s worth putting the effort in.
Here are 10 gifts I got to unwrap last year – the lessons we can all share with our teams.
The gift of focus
I know in the workplace we don’t get to say no to work, but in my personal life I was able to say no to low-value work. We outsourced cleaning and now have a lovely cleaning team, for example. I said no to several speaking engagements that required overseas travel. And at work, I did have conversations with my management team about the projects I enjoyed and what I felt I could take on, which helped me focus on the projects that made best use of my skills. The gift of a clear brief
Having clear instructions is so important – I see this with my children! When I ask them to contribute to household chores, they are still at the age where they need very clear instructions. Giving and receiving clear briefs saves so much time.The gift of patience with stakeholders
Stakeholders are busy. Let’s assume their actions come from a good place, because I’m 99.9% sure that they do. A little bit of patience – and factoring in lots of time for their response – is just being kind.The gift of humour during chaos
Being able to laugh together and to see the funny side of events is really important for team morale. I can’t share the exact moments I’m thinking of, but being able to emotionally regulate in a way that brings others along with you is really helpful.The gift of templates and checklists
I love a good checklist! This year my goal is to checklist-ise even more of my day job, especially month-end processes. Templates (basically the last project documents I created for the project that’s a little further on in the process) are a lifesaver when you need to get a new piece of work off the ground quickly.The gift of clear communication
I have valued the times that stakeholders have been clear with what they want to see in steering decks, or communications materials, or in reporting. That saves everyone time. And I hope I communicate clearly to my colleagues too.The gift of teamwork
I’m lucky to work with some amazing people, who have positive attitudes to their work and are proactive – being in a time like that, knowing that people have your back, is really important for wellbeing and psychological safety.The gift of adaptability
Flexibility isn’t just a buzzword. How many times did you have to pivot in the last 12 months because your project team changed, or world events through everything for a loop, or the organizational objectives changed? We just have to be adaptable – it’s not an option.The gift of reflection
I’m lucky enough to have had colleagues who have provided me with performance feedback, and to have had the time to reflect on that. One of my project teams last year was also the absolute best for capturing lessons learned as we went through the process – we ended up with some meaningful improvements we can action.The gift of optimism for what’s next
2026 is already here, and really, who knows what the next few months – or years – will bring? While there is a lot of uncertainty, coming from a place of optimism rather than despondency is going to help me and the project teams I work with. Look for the good.
Posted on: March 10, 2026 12:00 AM |
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