The 60-minute career reset every senior leader should do in December

Careers rarely change because of what you do in January. They change because of the clarity you build before it. December gives senior leaders the space to think strategically, define what they actually want and move ahead of the hiring surge instead of reacting to it.

January isn’t when careers change. December is.

Most senior leaders and executives wait until the new year to plan their next move. The clients I work with start earlier, and this 60-minute exercise is where we begin.

While many leaders were planning to “start fresh in January,” Jeff was already finalizing a VP job. By December 15, he stepped into a job the company designed specifically around his strengths and experience, all because he laid the groundwork before the holidays.

That clarity changed everything.

When he met with a senior leader at a fintech company, he wasn’t fumbling through vague goals. He knew exactly what he wanted: high caliber colleagues, meaningful work and a company in growth mode.

The hidden December advantage

After coaching 1,500+ senior and executive-level professionals through transitions, I’ve noticed a pattern most people miss entirely.

Many companies finalize budgets by November. Hiring managers start building pipelines in December. By early January, momentum picks up fast.

LinkedIn’s hiring data shows only a small dip in December, followed by one of the fastest rebounds of the year.

The leaders landing $350K–$850K jobs in Q1 aren’t scrambling to update their resumes in January. They’re executing plans they built in December.

And here’s the real difference: December planners aren’t operating from panic.

When you wait until you desperately need a change, your brain shifts into survival mode. You chase anything that seems slightly better. You negotiate from weakness, not strength.

December gives you space. You can think strategically, not reactively. You can be honest with yourself about what’s not working before it becomes a crisis.

If you want to position yourself ahead of the January surge, start here.

The 60-minute career clarity exercise

This exercise works because it cuts through noise and creates a blueprint you can actually follow, not a list of resolutions you’ll forget by February.

Grab a coffee. Block 60 minutes. Do this before the Christmas chaos hits.

Part 1: The energy audit (20 minutes)

Pull out your calendar from the last month. List every major responsibility, project and recurring meeting. Next to each, mark:

🔋 Energizes me
🪫 Drains me
➖ Neutral

Be brutally honest. That prestigious project that looks great on paper but makes you hit snooze three times on Monday should be marked accurately.

When Jeff did this, he discovered something surprising: despite his senior title and compensation, 70% of his daily work drained him.

He was succeeding at things that didn’t matter to him.

Part 2: The future state (20 minutes)

Write three different versions of your ideal work day one year from now.

Don’t edit or worry about being practical. The point is to reveal what you actually want, not what you think you should want based on your current title or company.

Version 1: The safe stretch
A realistic lateral job. Where are you working? What’s your scope? What kind of team are you leading? What problems are you solving?

Version 2: The bold move
Remove fear from the equation. What would you pursue if you trusted your capabilities fully? Bigger title, new industry, expanded ownership, more visibility or impact?

Version 3: The dream scenario
If anything were possible, no constraints, no impostor syndrome, what does that look like? What kind of leader are you? What energizes you? What environment brings out your best?

As you write, look for the themes that repeat across versions. These are often your true non-negotiables: meaningful problems, autonomy, a manager you respect, a growth environment, a mission you believe in.

I’ve seen countless senior leaders realize through this exercise that they’ve been optimizing for the wrong things, chasing compensation, prestige or title without considering whether the work itself lights them up.

One of the versions should make you slightly uncomfortable. That’s usually the one worth leaning into.

Part 3: The gap analysis (20 minutes)

Compare your energy audit to your future state. Strategy begins here.

Ask yourself:

• What skills gap exists between where I am and where I want to be?
• What relationships would accelerate this transition?
• What stories from my experience support this move?
• What’s the smallest next step I could take this week?

This isn’t about fixing everything. Just identify 2–3 strategic actions that create momentum.

The compound effect

My client Laura spent 60 minutes on this last December. That clarity shifted her from broad, unfocused applications to strategic outreach.

By mid-January, she had two interviews. By February, she’d negotiated a 40% raise.

“Before this, I’d built an organic career,” she told me. “Just taking whatever came next. For the first time, I was intentional.”

Most careers drift. The best ones are designed.

Your December decision

Right now, you have two choices.

Option 1: Wait until January. Join the masses making resolutions. Compete in the most crowded market of the year.

Option 2: Invest 60 minutes this week. Get clear before the chaos. Position yourself before jobs are posted.

The ones who message me with offer letters started in December.

Jeff’s now a VP at a company he loves, doing work that energizes him.

He started with 60 minutes in December.