Recently, while driving through North Dakota on a crisp fall evening, I found myself surrounded by the sights and sounds of harvest. Combines and trucks moved through golden cornfields, reaping the season’s bounty. I imagined the farmers, exhausted but satisfied, reflecting on the season’s challenges and triumphs, and maybe already planning for the next year.

As leaders, we also experience seasons of harvest—those times when projects are completed, goals are hit, or tough challenges are overcome. But unlike farmers who spend time thinking, evaluating, and preparing for the next season, too many leaders rush forward without pausing to reflect on the bigger picture. They jump to the next task, holding a lukewarm celebration at best, and miss the powerful opportunity that comes with these moments of success.

Here are five common mistakes leaders make during a season of “wins,” and what they could do instead to prepare themselves and their teams for the next season of growth.

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