With the previous year wrapped up neatly behind them, January is the perfect time for business leaders to begin prepping for the year ahead. Whether it’s setting clear goals or reviewing and reassessing old practices, taking a moment to plan the next 12 months can ensure the whole team is aligned on the mission.
Here, 20 leaders from Forbes Business Council discuss what they believe are the most important items any business leader should have on their to-do list for January and how those items will help set them up for a successful year ahead.
1. Test Your Organization’s Data And IT Limits
AI is transforming every industry, and that pace will accelerate in 2025. To stay ahead, test your organization’s data and IT limits to identify strengths and weaknesses. Start small, focusing on low-risk use cases like copilots for onboarding or knowledge management. Gradually expand toward core business areas. Incremental steps build confidence and lay a strong foundation for AI integration. – Rudina Seseri, Glasswing Ventures
2. Plan An Aligned, Outcome-Driven Approach To AI Use
Business leaders should prioritize scaling generative AI initiatives beyond pilots, fostering cross-department collaboration and enterprise-grade solutions and focusing on measurable ROI. AI experimentation is maturing and is used for conversational chatbots, customer behavior prediction and enhancing service quality. Leaders need an outcome-driven approach and ROI frameworks aligning AI investments with business goals. – Ivan Ostojić, Infobip
3. Review Hiring And Training Practices For Age Inclusivity
Business leaders should review their workforce hiring and training practices to ensure they promote an intergenerational workforce. With an ongoing labor shortage and over a million older adults in the talent pool, adopting age-inclusive practices is essential for driving economic growth. Businesses that embrace these strategies will position themselves to thrive in a competitive talent market. – Gary A. Officer, Center for Workforce Inclusion
4. Set Measurable Goals For The Year
Conduct a strategic review and set measurable goals for the year. By analyzing last year’s outcomes and aligning priorities with market trends, leaders can clarify their vision, motivate their teams and establish a roadmap for growth, ensuring focus and momentum from the start. – Cathy Ross, Fraud.net Inc.
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5. Gain A Better Understanding Of Industry Shifts And Client Priorities
In the health benefits industry, January begins the benefit year for most companies, offering an ideal time to review trends and goals from open enrollment. Leaders should analyze employers’ objectives, refine strategies, tailor solutions and foster collaboration. By understanding industry shifts and client priorities, teams can strengthen partnerships and see better outcomes throughout the year. – Reza Amin, Bastion Health
6. Identify The Big Challenges You’ve Been Avoiding
January is a key inflection point. Use this moment to deliberately choose the big challenges you want to take on in the next six months, or you’ll default back to drowning in urgent but low-impact work. Take a day. Identify the sticky, transformative problems you’ve been avoiding. They’re never urgent until it’s too late—but they’re the only problems that’ll actually multiply your impact this year. – Gabe Gladstein, Indigo Research
7. Find Ways To Put Your People First
Putting people first is the most important resolution for all leaders. Talent retention and engagement aren’t just strategies—they’re the backbone of a thriving, innovative company. Employees need more than a paycheck; they need purpose and belonging. As leaders, we must recognize when they need support and focus on fostering a culture where people feel valued and are comfortable coming to us. – Kevin Gillan, SquareTrade
8. Host An All-Hands Meeting To Generate Team Excitement
Host an all-hands meeting with your team or company. All-hands meetings are a powerful tool for aligning teams on and generating excitement around strategy, priorities and goals for the year while fostering a transparent and inclusive culture. Notably, all-hands meetings typically outline the North-Star outcomes the company will converge around, uniting everyone around shared objectives. – Eric Yan, MaintainX
9. Prioritize Improving Your Company’s Culture
All business leaders should have culture on their to-do list for January. Facilitating a positive company culture sets a strong foundation for leadership teams, management and employees moving into a new year, essential for driving motivation, innovation and collaboration. Prioritizing culture early gives leaders a unified and productive environment for the year ahead. – Selina Rashid Khan, Lotus Client Management & Public Relations
10. Know Your Numbers And Master Your Finances
As we head into 2025, learn your finances like a CPA! Understanding your cash flow, profit margins and financial statements is crucial for business success. Mastering your finances ensures you make informed decisions. Let’s make this year the one where we become financial wizards and drive our businesses forward. – Nono Bokete, Data Sentinels
11. Leverage AI-Driven Tools To Redefine Your Priorities
As someone managing five companies, I’ve realized January is the perfect time to leverage AI-driven tools to redefine priorities—whether it’s streamlining operations, forecasting market trends or creating personalized customer experiences. My advice? Treat AI as your first hire of the year. It’s the only team member that never sleeps but always delivers. – Abdur Rehman, Rankviz Private Limited
12. Conduct A Strategic Alignment Meeting
One critical task for business leaders in January is to conduct a strategic alignment meeting with their teams. This session should focus on reaffirming the organization’s key objectives, aligning them with current market dynamics and setting clear priorities for execution. Starting the year with alignment ensures everyone is working toward the same goals, enhancing operational efficiency. – Albert Golukhov, ExcessLogic
13. Redefine And Reevaluate Your Mission And Authentic Voice
Understand that every product, campaign and communication is an opportunity to authentically share who you are. Align your goals with purpose-driven impact and innovation. In a world evolving rapidly with new technologies, being authentic is your magic. Having a clear vision and embracing change ensures your business adapts, thrives and leads. – Yasmine McDougall Sterea, Free Free
14. Audit Your Principles And Whether You’re Truly Living Them
Ah, January—the Monday of the year. It’s a month full of big plans, blank calendars and resolutions we swear will last longer than a week. But for business leaders, there’s one to-do item that should hover at the top of your list like the North Star: Audit your principles. January is the perfect time to revisit them. Think, “Are we actually living by these, or are we just pretending?” – Sam Henry, WealthSmyth
15. Consider Hiring A Ghostwriter And Self-Publishing A Book
A key item all business leaders should have on their to-do list is to hire a ghostwriter to write a book for them and then self-publish it. There are many good reasons to do this. First, it helps to attract new clients to your company. Second, if you are planning on bringing anything to market (including listing a company), this will create more favorable conditions. Third, you will become more known. – Tobias Allen, Acquisition.com
16. Plan Your Annual Calendar
Where do you want to spend your time, both personally and professionally? If you don’t own it, your calendar will own you, and you will get to the end of the year frustrated that you missed out on critical business opportunities or key moments with loved ones. – Phyllis Ferrell, PBFerrell LLC
17. Identify Systems And Habits That Will Help You Achieve Your Goals
It is important to begin the year strong. Identifying systems that help you achieve your goals and building daily or weekly habits to incorporate into these systems will be powerful. For me, starting my mornings with a good workout, meditation and time to journal my thoughts and think clearly primes me for the rest of the day. – Nirmit Agarwala, Merchants Fleet
18. Double Down On The Growth Signal And What Works
In 2025, business leaders need to focus. With a tough economy ahead, business leaders should identify where the growth signal is coming from and double down. Look at where your best customers are coming from, and focus your team on those marketing channels. By amplifying what works, you can create a more efficient strategy, find customers you solve a real problem for and grow sustainably. – Sarah Stockdale, Growclass
19. Energize Yourself With Optimism
I believe the best way to start the year is with a positive mindset and clearly defined, realistic goals. By energizing yourself with optimism, you can inspire your team, fostering an atmosphere of confidence and enthusiasm. This approach lays a strong foundation for a highly productive year ahead. – Daniil Demchuk, Smart Flats 24
20. Take The Plunge Into Transformative Technology
One strategy that isn’t going to work in 2025 is standing still. As the business world continues to explore AI and other transformative technology, fortune will favor the bold, and those businesses willing to take the plunge will attract both clients and top industry talent. Taking a hesitant approach to investing in transformative technology could enable your competitors to get ahead. – Julien Villemonteix, UpSlide
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