🔥 5 Minutes of Leadership Fuel
✉️ This post is part of The 5-Minute Mentor — my weekly leadership newsletter. If you’d like to get it delivered straight to your inbox, click here to subscribe.
Welcome to The 5-Minute Mentor — your weekly dose of leadership inspiration, curated resources, and practical action. All in under 5 minutes.
Activating Your Genius in 5,4,3,2,1… 🤩
🫶 A Dose of Inspiration
“What you appreciate, appreciates.”
— Lynne Twist
A simple reminder that the good we name grows.
As you close out the semester, notice what has strengthened, what has held steady, and what has made your team better.
đź“Ą Download the quote graphic to use in your next staff email or meeting.
🤓 A Dose of Learning
As we’re all trying to make it to winter break, justifiably looking forward to the midyear reprieve it brings, let’s not forget that wrapping up the semester with intention can help us, and our teams, return in January with a clear and effective mindset.
One of the simplest, most impactful ways to close the year with meaning is a practice called Three Good Things, developed by the Greater Good Science Center. It’s a short, evidence-based reflection that shifts our brains toward noticing what is good, steady, and worth celebrating.
At this point in the year, teams are tired. Minds are cluttered. Emotions run high. Taking just a few minutes to name what was good helps us end the year with clarity and connection rather than fatigue. And when we do this as leaders, celebrating what it means to be “us,” the collective impact is powerful.
Leaders can make this a yearly tradition by going first.
Name three good things from your team’s year… a moment of resilience, a success that mattered, or an act of living out a core value that made a difference. When people hear what stood out to you and how it supported your shared mission, vision, or core values, it helps them see their own contribution in a new light. And it gives momentum to what matters.
This simple practice creates a collective pause that becomes a meaningful ending before everyone steps into the break. It honors what you’ve lived together and shapes the story you carry into the new year.
👉 Read more here: Three Good Things
🌀 A Dose of Action
Try Three Good Things with your team this week.
Start by naming your own three good things from the semester and how those moved your shared vision, mission, core values, or goals forward.
Then invite your team to share one or two of their own. 🙌
You can do this in any way that fits your team… a few minutes during a holiday gathering, a shared Canva or Google Doc, or even a collective board in a shared workspace. The format doesn’t matter as much as the meaning behind the message.
This simple practice creates a ripple effect of gratitude, connection, and collective meaning.
What better way to close the year than by noticing the good you’ve created together?
You got this. Let’s lead with belief.
In your corner,
​Melody​
​Founder, Culture of Belief
PS: Giving last-week-before-break vibes… 🎄🔔🎶🤣
​Send them this link to join The 5-Minute Mentor.