Every year tells it’s own story about what leaders are working on most and what organizations need from them. But 2024–2025 stands out. According to Optify’s analysis of nearly 2,000 coaching goals from 2019–2025, this year-end period revealed a striking pattern: leaders are doubling down on feedback, change leadership, and the communication skills that fuel momentum.
The data show that as companies prepare for a new year, leaders don’t simply set goals, they set the tone. And the tone of late 2025 was unmistakable: clearer feedback, stronger communication, and more confident leadership through change.
Feedback Goals Dominate the Coaching Landscape
The data are clear: Feedback appears in roughly 16% of all goals, making it one of the top three coaching topics across the entire dataset. Leaders consistently paired feedback with other communication topics (Listening at ~18% and Communication Skills at ~17%) forming a cluster that accounts for more than half of all coaching goals.
What leaders mean by “feedback” varies, but common themes include:
- Having difficult conversations with clarity and compassion
- Providing timely guidance (instead of waiting for formal reviews)
- Delivering feedback without defensiveness or over-explaining
- Inviting upward feedback to strengthen team trust
- Making performance expectations unmistakably clear
This reinforces an important truth: feedback is the practical expression of leadership. It’s where communication skills become action.
Leading Change: The Other Major Year-End Priority
Right after communication, the next major category of goals centers on Leading Change, appearing in roughly 12% of all goals.
Why such a strong showing? Because organizations were in motion.
Across anonymized programs, leaders described needing to:
- Guide teams through reorganizations
- Navigate shifting business strategies
- Increase resilience through uncertainty
- Communicate priorities more effectively
- Inspire alignment during times of transition
Coaching became the place where leaders practiced the behaviors that get teams unstuck: clarifying direction, addressing resistance, and communicating consistently.
And importantly, these change-leadership goals often appeared alongside feedback and communication skills. Leaders understand that influence begins with understanding and ends with clarity.
How Feedback and Change Work Together
Feedback is not a standalone action; it’s a catalyst. The data show that leaders link feedback with forward movement in three ways:
1. Feedback-based change builds trust
Teams trust leaders who tell the truth early, consistently, and respectfully. Many coaching goals referenced creating a culture where people feel safe expressing challenges, and where leaders respond with curiosity, not reactivity.
2. Feedback accelerates change
Change collapses without honest communication. Leaders worked on clearly articulating why change is needed, what success looks like, and how they will support their teams through the transition.
3. Shared understanding strengthens accountability
Delegation, performance clarity, and team alignment all rely on shared understanding: another repeated theme in goal plans. When organizations emphasize feedback, they support faster adaptation, stronger team engagement, and more predictable performance outcomes.
Forward Momentum Begins with Better Conversations
Feedback is more than a coaching topic—it’s the driver of execution, clarity, alignment, and culture. And as organizations expand coaching deeper and wider across the business, the data show that leaders at all levels are working on the same core question: How can I communicate in a way that moves people and the work forward?
If listening is the #1 skill leaders need, then feedback is the #1 behavior that accelerates momentum. Optify is here to assist your team with both. If you’re ready to level-up your leaders’ development in 2026, connect with us to learn more!
