Mid-Year Check-In: Don’t Forget to Assess the Most Overlooked KPI

Every July, leaders gather spreadsheets, review dashboards, and dissect performance metrics. Revenue? Check. Customer growth? Check. Team productivity? Check. But there’s one critical KPI that rarely makes the list: you. The person steering the ship. The heartbeat of the business. How are you the owner and CEO of the company doing?

It’s easy to get swept up in quarterly goals and investor updates, but when was the last time you checked in on your personal and professional development goals? Are you learning something new? Growing in the ways you hoped? Are you achieving a better work/life balance?  Or have those aspirations quietly slipped to the bottom of your to-do list?

A mid-year check on your personal progress and balance is a crucial step in fending off burnout. Burnout may be invisible on the balance sheet, but it’s all too visible in its impact on leadership.

Consider this: In 2024, 56% of executives reported experiencing burnout, and 73% of C-level leaders said they weren’t getting enough rest. That’s not just a wellness issue—it’s a business risk. When leaders are depleted, decision-making suffers, creativity dwindles, and workplace culture begins to erode. In fact, more than 1,900 CEOs stepped down in 2023, many citing exhaustion and a lack of balance. 1

It’s easy to get pulled in every direction by the demands of business and life. But when exhaustion deepens into emotional depletion, and frustration morphs into a quiet sense of hopelessness, the cost becomes personal, and organizational.

Fulfillment Is Fuel
A fulfilled leader is more resilient, more innovative, and more inspiring. When you’re energized, your team feels it. When you’re just enduring, they feel that too.  So, ask yourself: Are you energized or just enduring? Are you working toward something, or just through something? This mid-year moment is your invitation to pause to naturally assess the business performance and profitability, but to reconnect with your purpose.

This mid-year checkpoint is the perfect time to reflect: are you sharpening your skills, refreshing your business acumen, and engaging with peers who push you to think bigger and lead better? Leaders are learners!

What’s one habit, boundary, or priority you could shift in the next 90 days to show up better for your business and yourself? Maybe it’s reclaiming your mornings. Maybe it’s finally booking that retreat. Maybe it’s saying “no” more often so you can say “yes” to what matters, like being part of a business roundtable or reading the top 10 business books of 2025.

Conducting a Personal Mid-Year Check-In

After reading this midyear reflection, I hope you are not too busy to take even 10 minutes and pause to consider what if things could be different? What if you felt confident you were living the life you were truly meant for? That kind of clarity doesn’t happen by accident. It comes when you are intentionally:

• Reflect: What’s gone well? What’s heavy feeling? Make a list and journal your thoughts on each area of celebrations and setbacks.
• Reassess: Are your goals still aligned with your values?
• Recommit: Choose one area to focus on—health, learning, relationships.
• Recharge: Schedule time off. Not someday—now.
• Rely: This is my personal favorite. Because navigating the toughest business challenges often means leaning on someone who’s been there. A trusted business advisor or executive coach can provide insight and support that helps you see the path forward more clearly.

Keep Your Mid-Year Momentum with Three Powerful Steps

1. Revisit and Realign Your Goals: Take a thoughtful look at where you started and where you are now. Are your goals still serving your growth and vision?
2. Refine Your Strategy It’s not about scrapping the plan it’s about sharpening it. What’s working? What needs a pivot?
3. Make Space to Recharge Your clarity, creativity, and leadership thrive when you pause. Prioritize rest, reflection, and the things that restore you.

Today, put yourself on the agenda. Take the walk. Open the journal. Plan the weekend away. Because your business needs your insight, your energy, and your best self. You deserve to lead with clarity.

And if you’re ready to shift from burnout to balance, from busy to purposeful, consider connecting with me, Mike Walrod at Incite Business.  I am deeply committed to helping executives refocus on what matters most, rekindle their passion for leadership, and rediscover the joy of setting and achieving meaningful goals. With a clear mind and a focused mission, anything is possible. Let’s connect!

Sources:

1.Staffing Industry Analysis Leadership burnout rose to 56% last year, LHH report finds