Most people approach the new year with emotion. CEOs approach it with assessment.

They don’t guess. They review. They interrogate performance, strip away assumptions and decide where to invest next. Careers deserve the same level of respect.

Before rushing into job boards or promising yourself dramatic change, the most valuable thing you can do in January is pause and audit. Not emotionally. Strategically.
This is the reset most people skip.

Step one: What did you actually learn this year?

Not what did you do. What did you learn.

Learning shows up in pressure. In moments where something didn’t go to plan. In projects that forced you to adapt, stretch or rethink how you work.
If your learning curve flattened this year, that’s not a failure. It’s data.

Stagnation rarely announces itself loudly. It creeps in quietly through routine, repetition and comfort. CEOs notice this early. Professionals often ignore it until frustration builds.

Step two: Where did you stagnate and why?

Every role has friction points. Meetings that drain energy. Responsibilities that stopped challenging you. Decisions you no longer influence.

Ask yourself where momentum slowed and what caused it. Was it the role itself. The leadership. The environment. Or fear of rocking the boat.
Stagnation doesn’t always mean you should leave. Sometimes it means the role needs redefining. Sometimes it means the company has reached its limit for you.
Ignoring it is the only real risk.

Step three: What am I underusing?

This is where many people feel uncomfortable. Because most professionals are not underqualified. They’re underutilised.

Skills that sit idle. Ideas that never make it past your notebook. Strengths that are acknowledged but never fully trusted.

Underuse often gets mislabeled as boredom or burnout. In reality it’s misalignment. You are capable of more than your role currently allows.

A proper audit forces honesty here. Not ego. Not frustration. Just clarity.

Step four: Who helped me grow and who quietly drained me?

Careers are shaped by people more than job descriptions.

Think about who challenged you constructively. Who trusted you. Who gave feedback that sharpened rather than diminished you.
Now be equally honest about the opposite. The dynamics that slowed you down. The environments where politics mattered more than outcomes. The relationships that chipped away at confidence.
CEOs regularly evaluate leadership teams. Professionals should too.

Step five: What problem am I solving and for whom?

Strip your role back to its core.
Beyond the title and the tasks, what problem does your work solve. Who benefits when you do it well.
When professionals lose sight of this, motivation thins. Purpose dissolves into process. That’s usually when people start questioning everything without knowing why.
Clarity here reconnects effort with meaning.

Step six: What does ‘next’ actually mean?

Not louder. Not more impressive on paper. Not faster.

Next should mean more aligned.

That might be growth. It might be focus. It might be leadership. It might be space. Or it might be staying put with clearer boundaries and a better brief.

The goal is not movement for the sake of movement. It’s direction.

Where BigWig fits

At BigWig, these conversations happen quietly every January. Not everyone who speaks to us is ready to move. Many just need perspective. A sounding board. Someone who understands both the market and the human side of ambition.
The strongest career decisions are rarely rushed. They’re considered, informed and grounded.

A new year doesn’t demand reinvention. It asks for honesty.
Audit first. Act second.

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