As the Leadership & Engagement Consultant at Focus HR, I get to work with many leaders – emerging, existing or very experienced. What gives me the greatest kick in the work I am lucky to do is the aha moments from our clients – no matter where they are on their leadership journey. We might not be teaching rocket science, but what we do is powerful – creating space for reflection, awareness and intention.
I have been working with a cohort over the year, where we deliver monthly leadership workshops on various topics as part of their business’s Frontline Leaders Program . When checking in on the group to see how their last month has been, several participants shared…
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‘It has been really good!’
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‘We are in such a good place’.
When I asked why – what’s going on to create these conditions – the responses were…
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‘We have been delegating to develop…so we have been increasing the capacity of our team – I don’t have to do everything!’;
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‘We are managing our time better’;
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‘We seem to be retaining our staff – so we are not spending time re-training all the time’
How good is that?! This was definitely a proud moment for me – that our work has impact. Moments like these remind me why leadership development matters – the ripple effects reach entire teams.
So as the year draws to a close, and many of us take time to reflect – on what’s been achieved, the challenges overcome, and the opportunities that lie ahead – it’s also the perfect moment to think about how to set your leaders and managers up for success in the year to come.
Strong leadership doesn’t happen by accident. It’s cultivated through intentional support, development, and recognition. When managers are equipped with the right skills, clarity, and confidence, they not only perform better — they bring out the best in their teams too.
As Ken Blanchard famously said, “People who feel good about themselves produce good results.”
Most of us can recall a leader who made a real impact — someone who listened, adapted, valued our efforts, and made us feel our contributions counted. They built trust, were easy to approach, led by example, and gave feedback that helped us grow. These are the qualities all managers should strive to embody.
By investing in your managers’ growth and wellbeing now, you’re laying the groundwork for stronger engagement, better performance, and a thriving workplace culture in the year ahead.
So, as you plan for next year, ask yourself: what can you do to help your managers feel good about themselves and confident in their leadership? The impact is real and far-reaching.
Focus HR offers a number of leadership coaching and development options. We can deliver one-off group workshops, a leadership program of selected topics delivered to emerging leaders, or one-on-one leadership coaching. We’d love to talk over what options best suit the needs of your people and your business, and set your leaders up for success in 2026.