How to Turn This Year’s Lessons Into Next Year’s Success

Every year a business writes its own story—full of wins, surprises, and lessons. 

The secret to a stronger sequel? 

Knowing exactly what worked well and what to improve.

Lessons Learned

This is the time to capture the lessons that will set you up for a stronger new year. 

Perform an after action review on the year as a whole and then create a “lessons learned” plan. 

The goal is not to assign blame; the goal is to create solutions.

Step 1

Every review should leave you with two sets of takeaways:

1. What worked well – the wins, the smart calls, the moves that delivered results.
2. What needs improvement – the adjustments you will make for next year.

Framing it this way ensures your focus stays on learning and progress, not fault-finding.

Step 2

Build 2 lists

The Keep Category


Recognize what worked well and mark those items to keep. 

Two reasons make this vital: first, it ensures you don’t accidentally cut or forget something that made you succeed. Second, it gives you a moment of celebration—your smart choices deserve recognition.

The Improve Category


Next comes what you’ll change. 

Break it down by categories such as:

• Decision-making – how you approach choices 
• Skills training – where you or your team need development
• Knowledge – what information or research you lacked this year
• Communication – where message flow or clarity broke down
• Tools – software, systems, or equipment that slowed you down

Not every improvement needs immediate action. Decide what to tackle now, and keep a “Parking Lot” list for items that can wait until later in the year.

Step 3

The value of this process comes when you turn the analysis into a working plan. 

With one list of Keeps and another of Improvements, you’ll head into the new year with clarity: doubling down on what works, and adjusting what doesn’t.

When they’re all about problems, end-of-year reviews can feel heavy. Make them practical instead by focusing on what you have to do next. 

What next

Ideas are easy: following through on them is the hard part. Contact me to work on a plan and a timeline.