If priorities are blurry and progress is messy, here’s how to get your team back on track for your 2025 goals
Don’t panic, but…
This month marks the halfway point of the year. And if you’re like most leaders, you’re probably asking the same question I always did at this point: Are we where we need to be?
Maybe all the unexpected twists and turns this year have you feeling behind. Maybe you’re just not sure because things have gotten a little fuzzy in the day-to-day hustle. Or your team’s right on track and you’re just reading this for fun!
Wherever you are right now, this is the perfect moment to pause. To take stock. And to make the adjustments to course-correct before you run out of runway.
So today, I want to share four ways you can lead your team through a powerful mid-year reset. These aren’t complicated strategies. But they are practical. So if you want to build clarity, energy, and traction in the second half of the year, this is your guide!
1. Reconnect
Great leaders stay close to their people. And this is the perfect time to make sure you’re connected with yours.
Use this moment as a pulse check—not just on performance, but on how your people are feeling and functioning. Because let’s face it: a team that’s burnt out, frustrated, or confused won’t finish strong.
In fact, as Chipotle CEO Scott Boatwright pointed out on a recent episode of How Leaders Lead, leaders are often quick to blame lackluster results on team performance, when really, it’s the system or process that’s creating unnecessary complexity.
✅ Schedule short check-ins and ask questions like:
- What’s going well?
- What’s slowing you down?
- Where do you need more support?
- How are you feeling about the work we’re doing?
In those conversations, be present. Be curious. And most of all, listen with an open mind.
Chances are, someone on your team already has the insight or solution that could transform your year. It’s just a matter of you bringing it to the surface.
2. Realign
Even if you started the year with clear goals, priorities tend to shift. Projects snowball. New ideas crop up. And before long, teams are chasing ten things instead of delivering on the two or three that really matter.
That’s why realignment is so important.
Take a step back and ask: Are we still focused on the right things? Where have we drifted? What needs to come off our plate so we can stay focused and win where it matters most?
Yamini Rangan, the CEO of HubSpot, has a saying I love: “Fortune favors the focused.” For her team, having clarity on what matters is a priority. And it means they spend as much time determining what to say no to as what to say yes to.
✅ Clarify or recalibrate:
- Your top 2–3 priorities for the second half of the year
- What success looks like for each priority
- What your team should STOP doing
3. Recommit
Once you’ve realigned on the big picture, zoom in. Because strategy is only as good as the habits that bring it to life.
As my good friend Jamie Dimon said in our conversation on How Leaders Lead, “If you have a second-rate execution, you’re in trouble. If you have first-rate execution, you can run a pretty good business, whether or not you have a perfect strategy.”
Ultimately, it’s not just what you plan to do—it’s what you actually do.
That’s why a mid-year reset is the perfect time to look at how your team is executing. Your team’s actions should align with their priorities. Their roles and responsibilities should be clear. And their workflows should set them up to focus, not create unnecessary friction.
When execution is strong, momentum builds. People feel ownership, progress compounds, and results start to stack up.
✅ Stop and ask:
- Are we following through on what we said we’d do?
- Which meetings create clarity? Which ones drain energy?
- Does your weekly calendar reflect your priorities?
- What systems or habits could you tweak to make execution smoother?
4. Re-energize
Goals and alignment matter—but so does morale. A team that’s been grinding hard all year might be running low on fuel.
And if you want to finish the year strong, your team can’t just be compliant. They’ve got to be engaged.
Your ability to reach meaningful goals this year depends on your people capability. You’ve got to show people you value them, appreciate them, and are willing to invest in them.
With an energized team, you’ll satisfy more customers—and in turn, drive more business. It’s a truth I’ve seen time and time again: the “soft stuff” of culture drives hard results.
✅ Try one or more of these simple but meaningful ways to spark momentum:
- Celebrate progress by acknowledging what’s been achieved so far.
- Create a quick win with a milestone you could rally around this month.
- Reinforce purpose! Remind the team why the work matters and who it’s helping.
- Recognize team members who model the behaviors you want to see more of.
Every team drifts. Priorities blur. Energy dips. That’s normal.
But the best leaders don’t let the drift continue. They recognize it. They reset. And they use moments like this to refocus, regroup, and rally forward.
This mid-year moment is your opportunity to do just that. Not with a total overhaul. But with small, strategic shifts that bring clarity, energy, and belief back to your team.
So take the time to reconnect. Realign your goals. Recommit to the habits that matter. And re-energize your team for the road ahead.
Those moves might seem simple, but they’re what great leadership looks like in real time.
Which reset does your team need most right now? Drop a comment or tag a colleague you’re bringing into the second-half push!
Your Next Step
Make the How Leaders Lead app part of your daily leadership routine! It’s 100% free to download and use, no catch.