Why the beginning of 2025 is especially challenging for Purpose-Driven Leaders, and what to do about it

Of all the memories I have from serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Central America, there’s one that especially stands out when I think about how Purpose-Driven Leaders might feel at the start of 2025.

Ironically enough, it was one day when I was at my neighborhood farmers market. 

Suddenly, I could see nothing but the big brown eyes of a child looking up at me. 

He was the one who was brave enough to come up to The Foreigner (me) to sell his hand-picked chamomile flowers.

I literally had no money left on me, having finished my shopping.

When I told him that I didn’t have what was equivalent to one U.S. penny, he looked disappointed — but not in the lack of a sale. 

He looked disappointed in me.

He looked like he just wanted me to have the spine to tell him to his face that I didn’t want his flowers.

I offered to trade for a tomato, but he just shook his head and walked away.

Why the beginning of 2025 is especially challenging

When I think about Purpose-Driven Leaders at this point in 2025, I see them in a similar situation: arms full of work, and truly without a penny’s worth of energy to spare.

On an average year, many Purpose-Driven Leaders struggle at the beginning of the year, since many of them are so passionate about the cause of their work. Their organization’s mission is tied to their values and their core identity in such a way that the successes and failures of the upcoming year are intrinsically tied to their self-worth. 

When they look at the year ahead, they see so much potential for what might be accomplished, as well as fear of what might not get done. Additionally, they might be feeling the weight of all the expectations that donors have put on the organization through their end-of-year fundraising campaign. Or, the pressure around the upcoming performance evaluations.

On top of that, this year is especially challenging for nonprofit and educational organizations in the United States with the inauguration of President Trump. Yes, many of them fear the loss of federal funding. However, even more importantly, many fear policy changes that impact their organization and those they serve, especially organizations like many of my clients who serve diverse communities.

So, when team members come up to them with big, pleading eyes looking for Guidance, Vision, LEADERSHIP, their offer to swap a tomato is received similarly to mine on that day at the farmers market.

What to do about it

Below are three actions to consider when facing this situation in your organization.

1. Focus on your Mission, Vision, & Strategic Plan

Communicate your mission, vision, and strategic plan repeatedly, consistently, and clearly. 

 Help everyone to understand their role in each. Ensure they understand the value that they contribute to each of these organizational components. 

 Centering these components as a True North will help when political winds, enticing tangential funding, and the squeaky wheels plague your organization.

 Regardless, at year’s end, you can be proud of staying focused on these core components, no matter the outcomes.

2. Live your Values

Make sure your organizational values are clear. 

 Use the values to guide decision-making, and cultivate opportunities for team members to be able to intentionally practice using the behaviors associated with your values. 

 When there are so many things that can’t be controlled, take advantage of situations that you can control, and intentionally leverage the values then.

3. Cultivate a Growth-Minded Environment

Provide opportunities for up-skilling as an act of resistance against the unknown. 

 Focus on “drought-resistant skills” such as collaboration and creative problem solving that will serve individual contributors, managers, and the whole organization both in productivity and innovation. 

In Real Life

A client of mine faced this situation, with the additional complicating factors that (1) she was new to her role at the helm of the ship at the beginning of the year, and (2) she was promoted to the executive position from within. 

So, not only did the team members crave some direction at the beginning of the year, but there was added pressure because they had been her colleague and friend for years. During that time, she had plenty of ideas about what leadership “should” be doing — and now she was that leader who had the power, but who was now also balancing so many different responsibilities. 

Would she stay true to her emphasis about the need for transformation within the organization?

She reached out to me, knowing she wanted to bring her management team together to focus on:

• serving their clients,
• connection, and 
• upskilling. 

I ran two retreats for their team, one in January of that year, and then a Booster Retreat six months later. 

At the January retreat, we focused on their mission of serving their clients, on their value of connection, and on Creative Problem Solving training and practice. 

By doing so, they kicked off the year all oriented in the same direction.

By doing so, this leader was able to leverage her passion for the purpose of the organization not as something that would bog her down, but as a strength. 

And what about you?

If you’re facing similar leadership challenges, you’re welcome to reach out to me. On top of all the other work you have to do, it can seem insurmountable to take on the suggestions above. 

Through facilitated sessions, executive coaching, and training, I can help you support your leadership team so you can:

• Develop their mission, vision, and strategic plan,
• Determine a set of values by which you can live, and
• Cultivate a growth-minded environment. 

 You’re invited to book a time with me here to discuss your needs!

Looking forward to it,

Megan