Start With A Win - 7 Leadership Tools You Need in 2025

Starting point is 00:00:00 Businesses are moving away from social trends and leaning hard into profit trends. Leaders don't fear AI and don't ignore it. Embrace it. Data, data, data. Forbes found that data-driven organizations are 23 times, that's 23 times more likely to acquire customers. Welcome to Start With A Win, where we unpack leadership, personal growth and development, and how to build a better business. Let's go. What should leaders be thinking about in 2025? Hey, leaders. Welcome back to Start With A Win, the podcast where we help you build businesses, grow as leaders, and drive real results. Results that matter to your customers, your team, and most importantly, your bottom line. Today's a big one. So sit down, buckle up,

Starting point is 00:00:46 and grab something to take notes on, or go to adamcontos.com and enter your email, and we'll send you some of this great information. Wake up, though. It's 2025. It's January 1st, 2025. A new year, a fresh start, and let's be honest, it's go time for your business and leadership. This episode is all about leadership trends to watch for in 2025. And no, we're not talking about the fluffy stuff here. Businesses are moving away from social trends and leaning hard into profit trends. We're focusing on action, impact, and creating a work environment where your people thrive so that your customers experience nothing short of greatness. Sound good to you? Let's set the tone here. Leaders, it's about showing up, bringing effort, and building a culture of hard work, teamwork,

Starting point is 00:01:38 and an obsession with customer results. Because when your employees have a great experience at work, they'll create an unforgettable experience for your customers. You know, this reminds me of the tortoise and the hare. Stay with me here. The hare, fast, flashy, full of energy, was great in sprints. But he was inconsistent, unreliable, and let's be honest, a little lazy. The tortoise, steady, consistent, focused, intentional. And that's where businesses are headed in 2025. If you want to win, you need to be the tortoise. Intentional, big word, consistent, singularly focused on results. That's how you create long-term success. Now let's dive in. I've got seven leadership trends that are shaping the

Starting point is 00:02:26 year ahead. Each one will help you drive profitability, strengthen your leadership, and set the tone for a rock-solid 2025. Here we go. First up, AI integration. Leaders in 2025 are leaning into AI tools like never before for real-time decision-making. Data analysis and operational efficiency also follow that trend. AI is not here to replace you. It's here to empower you. Picture this. You've got predictive analytics giving you insights on customer behavior, AI helping you optimize your supply chain, or even tools that analyze your team's performance and suggest improvements. These aren't futuristic sci-fi tools. They're here right now. And this is not some fleeting trend. It is literally the number one thing leaders are talking about. Here's the impact.

Starting point is 00:03:20 According to McKinsey, companies that use AI for decision-making are already seeing a 20% to 30% increase in efficiency. That's real money saved and real growth achieved. So here's an action step for you. Leaders, don't fear AI and don't ignore it. Embrace it. Look at one area of your business this month where AI can help you automate, predict, or optimize. Efficiency equals profit. That saying should be ringing in your head constantly. So on to trend number two, emotional intelligence or EQ. We've also seen it called EI, but I like EQ better, emotional quotient. Leaders who excel at managing their own emotions and understanding others will stand out in 2025. This is table stakes, and it's incredibly

Starting point is 00:04:13 important. Let's face it, teams are diverse, often remote, and the modern workplace is complex. Leaders with high emotional intelligence build trust, foster strong communication, and create an environment where employees feel heard and valued. And guess what? That impacts your bottom line. Here's a stat for you. TalentSmart found that 90% of top performers are high in emotional intelligence. The result? Happier teams, lower turnover, and higher productivity. So let's foster this. So here's an action step for you, leaders. Focus on your emotional intelligence this year. Ask yourself, how can I lead with empathy? How could I better connect with my team? Great leadership starts with understanding people. So consider that all

Starting point is 00:05:06 the time. That's trend number two, emotional intelligence. Number three, and a lot of you are going to love this, back to work. What? Back to work? The return to in-office work is here. Thank God. And while hybrid is still a thing, leaders and teams are relearning how to function face-to-face. Yeah, we had to figure out how to actually sit in a room together again. Here's the challenge. For the past few years, many people got comfortable working solo in their pajamas, out of sight, and out of sync. Now leaders have to set the tone. How we treat each other, how we show up, how we dress, for crying out loud, and how we collaborate face-to-face. Energy management matters here. According to Gartner, 70% of employees felt disconnected post-pandemic. I mean,

Starting point is 00:05:58 who can blame them? That's a leadership opportunity. So here's an action step for you, leaders. This week, take time to model professionalism and bring energy into every face-to-face interaction. Remember how to see somebody face-to-face, like literally at arm's length. Show up like the tortoise, focused, intentional, and ready to inspire. And stop looking at your phone for crying out loud. Look at the person you're talking to.

Starting point is 00:06:31 That's trend number three. Trend number four. And this is a quick leadership secret. Small wins create big momentum. So build big momentum with small victories. The best leaders break down big goals into smaller, more achievable milestones. This is how we make big things happen. Let's take a look at NASA in the 1960s, where they were trying to put a man on the moon. They didn't just say, we're going to the moon. They broke it down step by step, mission by mission, celebrating each one along the way, and everybody had a part in it, even the guy mopping the floor in the hallway. As Robert Collier said, success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out. This is the compound effect, folks. So here's your action step. Identify one small win to celebrate with your team this week.

Starting point is 00:07:20 Recognize progress, not just perfection. It's about the effort and working with the action based orientation to get there. Trend number five, data, data, data. Data driven leadership is trend number five. If you're not using data to make decisions, you're leading blind. You're guessing. You're just kind of holding your thumb up in the wind and trying to figure out which way it's blowing and trying to go that way. Leaders who act on actual insights can transform customer experiences, optimize operations, and increase profitability. So know your numbers.

Starting point is 00:07:59 Forbes found that data-driven organizations are 23 times, that's 23 times more likely to acquire customers and 19 times more likely to be profitable. I like those odds, don't you? Here's an action step, leaders. Ask your team, what's one metric we're not paying attention to that could drive better decisions? Are we paying attention to our metrics to begin with? You should be. Use those metrics. Take that one that you figure out and use it. Implement it. Put it in your meetings. Call it out every chance you get, and everybody will live with it. Now, this one I love. Let's move on to trend number six, human connection and trust. Technology is great, but at the end of the day, people work for people they trust. And I always say presence creates trust. Gallup found that teams with high trust have 50% higher

Starting point is 00:08:55 productivity and 40% lower turnover costs. I like those numbers. Leaders who prioritize trust and connection see the results. There's loyalty, innovation, and strong team performance. All things we want to see. So leaders, here's your action step. Do one thing this week to build trust, whether it's following through on a promise, giving genuine recognition, or simply active listening more. This is important. Be present.

Starting point is 00:09:23 It builds trust. And finally, trend number seven. I love that this one is in here because I'm a huge fan of it. Well-being and resilience. You got to take care of yourself and your people. A healthy workforce is a productive workforce. Makes sense, doesn't it? Burnout, stress, and absenteeism eat into profits. Leaders who invest in employee well-being see better retention and higher productivity. The World Health Organization estimates that stress and anxiety cost the global economy $1 trillion annually in lost productivity. Imagine the upside if we tackled that. How much better would your business be doing? So leaders, here's your action step. Talk to your team this month. Ask, what can we do to better support your business be doing? So leaders, here's your action step. Talk to your team this

Starting point is 00:10:05 month. Ask, what can we do to better support your well-being? That's a good question, right? We've probably never asked that. Healthy teams drive results. Share that term with them. Healthy teams drive results. We want everybody to be healthy to drive results. This is very important. All right, let's recap now. Embrace AI for smarter decision-making. Lead with emotional intelligence. Set the tone for face-to-face collaboration. Celebrate small wins to build big momentum. Use data to drive decisions. Build trust through human connection. And prioritize team well-being for resilience. Sounds like basically a leadership list, doesn't it? It is. So leaders, remember, this year is about focus, consistency, and

Starting point is 00:10:52 intentionality. The tortoise wins the race every time. The tortoise is consistent. The tortoise stays focused on their goals. These seven things should be yours. Show up, put in the effort, and deliver results. I want to hear from you. What's the trend you'll focus on in 2025? Share your thoughts, leave a review, and let's make this year the best yet. Thanks for starting your year with me on Start With A Win. Now get out there, lead strong, and let's go crush 2025.

Start With A Win - 7 Leadership Tools You Need in 2025

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