#215 3 Secrets to Clarify, Set and Achieve Your Leadership Career Goals in 2026

What if I told you the reason that you didn’t achieve everything you wanted in 2026 in your leadership career without sacrificing your soul is nothing got to do with your potential. It’s nothing got to do with your abilities and everything got to do with the structure and the systems that you have in place for yourself. Because let’s face it, as women in leadership, we tend to put ourselves last. We put everybody else first.

 

We put our goals in the back burner. And today I really want to change that for you. That’s why in this week’s special episode of the 360 Leadership Podcast for New Year’s, I am sharing three steps to help you to clarify, set and achieve your leadership career goals in 2026. This is not some fluffy goal setting stuff that you’re going to hear on the Internet. These are the exact three steps that I personally use every single New Year to ensure that I know exactly where to focus.

 

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the steps I need to take to get there and what might get in the way most importantly. I hope you enjoyed today’s episode. Tune in to find out more.

 

Lucy Gernon (03:37.582)

it’s gonna have to do. Hi there and welcome back to a very special New Year’s episode of the 360 Leadership Podcast. If you are new here, my name is Lucy Gurnon and if you’re listening to this live, happy New Year’s Eve. What a perfect day to talk about setting career goals that actually stick. And if you’re listening to it a little bit later, happy New Year to you too. So today I’m about to share with you my personal New Year’s Eve ritual.

 

that I have been doing for years and that I guide my clients in 360 Leaders Club through every single December and January. In fact, just before Christmas, we did our end of year reflection, which is, I’m going to get into that in a little minute. And one of our members sent me, actually a couple of our members messaged me, but one lady in particular, she is a executive director, I believe, in a multinational saying that for the first time in her career,

 

She’s entering January knowing exactly what she wants and how to get it and no more hoping things will magically change thanks to your support and the community in 360. And another managing director who is in a smaller company, Messaged Me as well, pretty much saying that she never takes the time to really pause and get strategic about her goals. And now she actually has the tools and support in place for her to do this. And so today I want to walk you through

 

exactly some of the steps that I share with my clients in 360Litres Club to help you to properly reflect on 2025, set meaningful goals for 2026. And this is crucial. So if you’re multitasking, come back to me. How to actually achieve them without burning yourself out by February. And if you’re serious about making 2026 different, I’m going to share how you can get

 

priority access to 360 when we open up spots with an exclusive rate and a bonus that you will not find on my website. So that is super exciting to talk to you about today as well. Okay, so let me share what I’m gonna be doing on Year’s Eve. So I am obviously pre-recording this and I’m gonna release it on New Year’s Eve because as much as I love you guys, I do enjoy my little champagne on New Year’s Eve and all of those things. So what I do every New Year’s Eve is in the morning time, usually about 11 a.m.

 

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When everybody’s getting ready for their parties or lounge on the couch watching movies, I do something different. I go to my office or I go to like a really nice hotel, sometimes like a nice five star hotel, and I light a candle. If I’m at home, I come in with a cup of tea. If I’m in a hotel, I get some bubbles. I sit down with my journal and my computer open and I do three specific things.

 

The first thing I do is I reflect deeply on the year that’s passed and not just what went well, but really examining the patterns, what worked, what didn’t, and most importantly, why. Because I’m not gonna lie, 2025 has probably been one of the hardest years I’ve ever put in in business. And I had a lot of team changes, I had a lot of health issues myself, there was people in my family, and I think I talked to you guys about this before.

 

You know, when you feel like everything is crumbling around you and you’re just like keeping your head above water, trying to do your best. And that’s kind of what I felt like last year. And I swear, if it was not for the support of my my own mentor and coach and my community that I’m in, I’m in a different community, obviously to 360. I don’t know what I would have done because it was so, so tough. But still, even though I know I had systems and support in place, there’s always room to improve and.

 

I really wanted to do it. I want to do it like a deep dive. And why didn’t it work? What could I have done better? Because we’ve got to try to prevent recurrence, right? Just like you would in a business. You need to do that for yourself, too. Now, in the reflection step, our 360 members have already done this with me in a live guided session in December. We do this every year. We have a lovely interview reflection and I love helping them to really pause and actually focus on what they have achieved rather than always like

 

you know, logging off for Christmas, feeling burnt out because it is amazing. And, you know, they were able to kind of get clear on where they went wrong, quote unquote. But it’s all just learning where they succeeded. And so really, so they don’t make the same mistakes twice. In fact, one of my other clients who is in the finance industry, she said to me, I finally saw that I kept saying yes to projects and asks that were not strategic. No wonder I had no time for visibility work.

 

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So this particular lady had that huge revelation that she was just saying yes. Now she was only with us a few weeks. So she didn’t get to experience the full benefits of our firefighting to freedom playbook and all of those amazing tools that we have in 360. So that’s all to come for you, lovely lady. You know who you are. So I’m going to teach you now exactly how to do this in three simple steps. So if you’re multitasking, come back to me. It’s not groundbreaking, but I’m hoping some of you will.

 

take what you need from this today and actually action it. So the very first step is to reflect, OK, without rose tinted glasses, but to really reflect. And most people skip reflection or they kind of do it superficially. But here’s what you miss is we have got to double down on what’s working and stop what doesn’t. So like when you’re looking at your life, the people who supported you, the processes that supported you.

 

the little rituals you put in your place in place that supported you, the business processes, the all of it, if they’re working, like how can you do more of that? And equally, if there are things that in your business or in your life that are not working, how might you eliminate it? So to get there and again, in 360, I give a whole guided guided reflection on this, but just to give you a flavor of some questions, if you’d like to reflect on these today for yourself.

 

Like think about when you felt most energized. When did you feel the most energized? Think about what boundaries got crossed repeatedly. And this might be a tough one for lots of you because when you are a, you know, a people pleaser, like some of us are, and when you want to do the right thing and you want to support your team and empower people and, you know, be impactful, it can be really, really hard to say no.

 

But actually, if you don’t have boundaries in place, first of all, and you don’t even know what they are, that’s a bit of a sign. So have a real think about, OK, like, did I really want to get out on time at six every day? Why didn’t I? Or I promised myself I wouldn’t end up here. What boundary was that? Or what support was missing? So one of my clients, Lisa, actually said to me when she did this, she said, Lucy, I realized not this year, the previous year. I remember her saying to me, she was saying like,

 

Lucy Gernon (10:32.343)

She spent something like 70 % of her tasks. She was spending on stuff that was just low visibility work. was doing her job, but yet she wanted to get promoted. So we made some really simple tweaks last year to work herself out of a job, to empower her team, to develop her team members effectively. And lots of you will resonate with the term, you build high performing teams, right? You are a leader. Some of you are servant leaders.

 

But really, are you really building a high performing team? I would challenge you to really ask yourself, are you letting go of the control? Are you giving over decision-making rights? Do you have a process for, you know, checking in with your team so they feel supported and not micromanaged? Because in leadership, especially the more senior you go, it’s really is less about doing and more about leading, right? So you’ve got to try to work yourself out of a job.

 

if you want to accelerate your success. That’s what we all should be doing, right? Developing our team. So essentially there’s a couple of prompts, but it’s very important you do that for yourself so that you can start 2026 knowing what worked, what didn’t. Because honestly, do you want to go into next year the same? Nah. Okay, so step two, once you’ve done your reflections and you’re a little bit more clear on the current state, I invite you then to set your goals. Now, here’s where

 

most goal setting fails, it’s either too vague. So it might be like, get promoted to, I don’t know, I just want to get promoted. I just want to get the title. That’s a whole other episode. But anyway, it’s a little bit vague, right? And it’s not really considering you as a whole person, because I know you in your career, that’s just one part of who you are. And when you just nurture that part, you neglect the essence of who you really are.

 

You you you neglect your soul, you neglect your wellness, you know, you might neglect everything some people do. And if that’s you, that’s OK. But this is a time to recalibrate and reassess. So in 360, we use our I love it, our personal KPI scorecard. So I give our members this scorecard every year. It’s actually on Excel. So, know, you guys who love Excel.

 

Lucy Gernon (12:56.785)

I used to have it in like a fancy document, but sometimes simple is best. And we assess eight different areas in our lives. within each one of those areas, they identify three, just three to five key areas of focus to focus on each quarter. So essentially, that’s exactly what I’m going to be doing with our members now in January. If we’ve done the reflection, now we’re actually going to get in and set our personal KPIs. So we measure them just like you’d measure everything. So we look at things like

 

You know, your career, we look at things like your home, friends and family, finances, like really helping you to ensure that you’re, you’re taking those areas. And for some of you, you won’t want to focus on all the areas. I tell the girls all the time, you don’t have to get it right in all areas. But isn’t it great when you have a plan and even take the time to reflect on, well, actually, do I need a financial advisor? Do I need to be putting more in my retirement fund?

 

Or I have all of this, the shares like, I doing it properly? Or maybe you have these bucket lists trips that you’ve planned and at the back of your mind and you’re putting off to someday. This is where I want, I love the whole thing around 360 degree success because I don’t want to just support women in leadership. I want to support you like as the woman. So we identify those areas and then they pick what matters most and you can do that too. So we’re actually going to be doing our goals set in sessions next week, I think.

 

And I’m really excited for that. So 360 ladies, if you’re listening, you better come to the annual goal setting because I’m going to be walking you through my Believe It or Retrieve It success model. I’m going to be giving you your brand new 2026 KPI scorecards as well. And we’re going to have lots of fun holding each other accountable and getting excited about our goals for next year. OK, so after you set all of your goals in each of the areas and you’ve got to get specific, right, you’ve got to make them smart. Give yourself deadlines and actions towards your goals. OK.

 

The next step then is to choose your guiding word for the year. Now, this might sound fluffy for some of you, but stay with me. Every single year, I choose a word that guides my decisions since I did my coaching course in 2025 and in 2020, sorry, 2020, did my coaching course, my second one. And in 2025, my word was simplify because, oh my God, I don’t know about you, but like

 

Lucy Gernon (15:23.307)

I thought I was over my perfectionism and I am in many ways, but I still struggle at times when it comes to delivery with clients and making sure the experience is premium because I, just think I’m the kind of person that when I walk into a five star hotel, like I expect a high level of service, not because I expect people to do more than I would. It’s because I have high standards. And I really believe that if you’re paying for something, you should

 

get the service that you’re expecting. So like, I just take that very seriously. But at the same time, it’s also an Achilles heel. And it’s the same probably for you that you want everything to be great and work. You might overcomplicate processes and things. I know I have definitely done that in the back end of my business. So this year our word in the business was simplified. And this one I kept coming back to when I had to make a decision. Is this easy? Does this feel easy? Does this feel simple?

 

When there was complexity, I’d feel resistance. And that was my trigger to go, no, this is too complex. We need to simplify. Because what I know to be true in business is I know Jeff Bezos says this all the time. It’s always simple things that work the best. And why the hell do we really complicate it? So anyway, that was my word for the year. And obviously.

 

this year, I actually haven’t picked mine yet because I will be doing my ritual the same time, hopefully, as you’re listening to this episode. So I’ll keep you guys posted or DM me on Instagram or LinkedIn. Let me know if you pick a guiding word for the year. And I let you know what mine is as well. So for you, just think about what’s one word that are one quality that would transform how you.

 

lead in not only in your career, but also in your life. What’s one word that might be the anchor for you in terms of how you want to feel or what you want to do? So other words I’ve used are like believe or consistency. Build was another one when I was building the foundations of my business. So it’s really individual, but have a bit of fun with it and the right word will pop out. And what I tend to do then is I get like a little crystal or a little pebble or something.

 

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and I write the word on it and I keep it on my desk and I’ve just cleaned my office. So it’s over there from this year. And it’s just a nice little reminder. So there you go. So they are basically the three steps. Step one is to reflect without rose tinted glasses. Most important step. OK, if you want the transcript for this episode, you can go over to the show notes. If you just go to lucygarnon.com forward slash podcast.

 

You’ll be able to see all of our podcasts there, but if you need the questions, you can just grab them in the transcript. Step two is to set your goals using your, we use a personal KPI scorecard. So this is where you’re going to look at your business, your career, your family, your travel, your finances, your health, all the areas that are important to you. I’d pick no more than eight. And then in each one of those, really get specific about yourself about, what do I want? What’s my focus for the top, for the first quarter?

 

What are the actions I need to take? So I know some of you are going to be like, give me an example. OK, so I really want to get promoted by the end of 2026. So in quarter one, what do I need to do now to ensure that I am on track for promotion? So it might be things like I don’t do a stakeholder map, identify my key stakeholders by the 31st of January. Step two, set up a coffee chat with each of the stakeholders. OK.

 

Step three might be to write your ideal job description. Okay, that’s just an example of tangible things that I invite you to consider when you do this. And again, guys, if you’re in 360, don’t worry, I’ll be guiding you through all of this in our session. And then step three is to choose your guiding year. So once you’re clear on your overall goals for the year, that’s when you will choose a word that aligns with that. And again, send me a DM on Instagram or LinkedIn, let me know what yours is, and I’ll share what mine is as well.

 

Or if you’re watching this on YouTube, you can just write it in the comments below. And guys, actually, that’s on this point. So many of you are not subscribed to my YouTube channel or to wherever you’re listening to the podcast. And you might actually be missing out on episodes. So if you love this show, I would invite you to go and subscribe right now. And please help me to grow this show as well by just sharing it with your friends. If you find this valuable, you know, there’s very few podcasts like this for women in leadership and

 

Lucy Gernon (20:02.589)

Lots of you messaged me saying how game changing it’s been for you and you can’t believe the content is free. And many of you come to work with me and then you’re like, holy shit, I the podcast was good. And then your life changes when you work with me. And it’s just really special. So I would love for you to share this if you feel called and subscribe to us everywhere. So that is it for the end of the episode. know, first of all, if you’re not where you want to be, that’s OK. We have a brand new year.

 

But if you are done letting another year slip by, repeating the same patterns you have probably for your whole life of, you know, not really showing up as your full self, feeling like you’re not fully in your potential, feeling like you can make more of an impact, getting stuck in your head, feeling lonely in your leadership role. And if you’re ready to do the work on and for yourself, because no one’s going to do for you, if you’re ready to do something different and all with a community of women.

 

who are amazing that you will absolutely love and senior leadership. We will be taking on some new members in 360 leaders club in January, okay? At the end of January and you’ll be starting in the first week in February. So if you want that, it’s not as easy as it used to be because we were getting inundated if I’m honest with people on our wait list. And we’ve decided, you you can’t just join the wait list study more passively. You actually have to apply now. And what we’re gonna do is we are gonna screen all applications.

 

And if you’re a good fit, we will pop you on our priority invite list. Now, when you get on our priority invite list, this is where the game changer is going to happen for you. essentially, rather than you just putting in your name and email going, yeah, I’ll join this waitlist. I might join someday. I can’t help someday people. I just want the action takers. I just want the women who are like, I know I can’t do this again next year. I’m smart. I know I want support. I know I deserve to invest in myself and I know I need this.

 

So if you are ready, if you, if that sounds like you, if you’re done listening to the podcast, if you’re like, you know what, wouldn’t it be great if I had the support? What I invite you to do is head over to 360leadersglobe.com forward slash priority. And you can apply to get on our priority invite list. And when you do that, you will, we will screen the application and if it’s the right fit, you’ll be first to be invited to secure a spot in 360. But the best part is, that when you get on our priority invite list.

 

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you are going to get access to an exclusive preferential rate that you will not find on my website. And you’re also going to get an extra special bonus worth over 3000 euro. I’ve never done this before. OK, I do this sometimes in master classes, but I’ve never done this before on the way on in our priority invite list. Feels really good to do this. And this bonus is genuine. You probably value it up way more. But the reason I want to do this is because it is the key.

 

to you unlocking your potential this year. So you’ve got to go and join the priority list to find out what that is. So this is only for you if you’re done people pleasing, if you’re done with having other people control your career in your life, if you’re sick over thinking, if you’re sick not having enough time, if you want to be seen as more strategic and if you want to feel the most freaking confident you have in your entire life, all without sacrificing what matters most so you can unlock your potential. I invite you to go to the show notes below. You’ll see the link.

 

or head over to 360leadersclub.com forward slash priority. But please only go to this if you’re really serious about making 2026 different. Okay, so here’s my little challenge for you just as we finish up. Please don’t let tonight just be another New Year’s. Take 30 minutes to an hour to really reflect on the last year. Set your goals and choose your word. And if you want to get that accountability, the frameworks, the training, the tools, the coaching,

 

Get on that priority invite list today, OK, because the women who joined 360 in January, guys, I can tell you, will be getting promotions in June while others are still hoping, you know, things are magically changed. The women who joined 360 in January will be totally transformed by like literally in a matter of weeks. They will be feeling more confident. They will not be shying away from conflict anymore. They will be all in their voice and they will be influencing up with ease.

 

They will be influencing across with ease. They won’t be overthinking as much. They won’t be beating themselves up all of the time. They will have the support, the tools and the coaching that they need. And I want this for you if it sounds like something that you want. with that being said, I’m going to go and wrap up. Please send me a DM on Instagram or LinkedIn. Let me know what your word is. Or if you want any more information on 360, please just feel free to reach out to me.

 

Lucy Gernon (24:53.483)

I really, you I love supporting you and I love hearing from you guys as well. And yeah, I hope you have a really happy, happy new year. Remember you have full permission, lovely lady, to make 2026 the year that you stop shrinking and start leading on your terms. So to your success balance and happiness in 2026, happy new year. See you again next week. Same time, same place. Bye for now.