10 Questions We Should Ask Ourselves as Business Leaders in 2025?

It’s a new year with new opportunities. As business leaders, many of us, myself included, are reflecting on 2024 and what we want to do differently in 2025.
As part of our reflection, I believe that we should ask 10 questions about how we run our companies. The answers to these questions can help us make positive changes and ultimately better serve our teams, customers and communities.
My view is that, above all, acting ethically in business is a moral imperative. In addition to the moral imperative, research has revealed that many people care about corporate values. For instance, Harris Poll research that Google Cloud commissioned found that 82 percent “of shoppers want a consumer brand’s values to align with their own, and they’ll vote with their wallet if they don’t feel a match.” In fact, the research noted that 75 percent of shoppers indicated “parting ways with a brand over a conflict in values.”
When we act ethically, we can contribute good to the world. Asking ourselves these 10 questions can be a starting point.
1. Do we have good labor practices?
Good labor practices, such as providing fair compensation and a safe work environment, are an integral part of business ethics.
As business leaders, we should create and maintain environments where people can thrive and do their best work. Treating our team members well is a matter of morality. Research has also shown how good labor practices benefit businesses.
2. Are there any safety issues involved with our product or service?
You probably screened your product or service for potential safety issues before launching it. Even if you did, it’s important to monitor your product or service for potential safety issues continuously and take action if you notice anything concerning.
Catching a problem early and acting on it can keep your team members and customers out of harm’s way and can safeguard peoples’ trust in your brand.
3. Are we environmentally conscious?
We live on one planet, and I believe it’s crucial to take care of it. By doing just one thing to be more environmentally conscious, such as moving away from handing out swag and sourcing our products more sustainably, we can play a role in protecting our planet.
Additionally, consider this: Being environmentally conscious can be a differentiator. In an article in the Harvard Business Review, three researchers explained that their work “suggests we’re on the brink of a major shift in consumption patterns, where truly sustainable brands — those that make good on their promises to people and the planet — will seize the advantage from brands that make flimsy claims or that have not invested sufficiently in sustainability.”
4. Are we ethically compromised?
As business leaders, I believe it’s important to be honest with ourselves about whether or not we’re ethically compromised. For instance, if a brand publicly says it supports a cause but then takes money from investors who are actively against that cause, there’s a conflict.
Staying true to our values and maintaining our ethics is how we can operate authentically and consistently.
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5. Do we listen to feedback internally and externally?
Feedback can sometimes be difficult for us to hear due to having big egos, being resistant to change and having emotional attachment to our ideas.
But if we don’t listen to feedback, we risk endangering our team members and customers and destroying our businesses. One of the biggest examples of a company ignoring feedback? Boeing. According to CBS, in their testimonies, Boeing whistleblowers alleged the company deterred “employees from raising concerns about the company’s manufacturing practices.” Had Boeing listened, many lives could have been saved.
6. Who and where do we get insights from?
While feedback is important, it’s also crucial to be mindful of who and where we get insights from. We should not unquestioningly accept suggestions because they come from an authority figure.
Just because an expert believes you should go in a certain direction or a certain idea has mainstream acceptance, for instance, does not necessarily mean it’s right for us. When getting advice, always keep you and your business’s unique circumstances in mind.
7. Are we interested in diverse perspectives?
It’s tempting to want to surround ourselves with people who think like us. But we should avoid doing so.
Diverse perspectives are important for business success. I believe that when we only collaborate with people who think like us, we deny ourselves an opportunity to learn and grow. People from different walks of life can offer ideas that help you think differently about problems, find innovative solutions and expand your company’s horizons.
8. What is our reputation?
Reputations can make or break companies.
A company could offer the best product or service in its category, but if it becomes known for something negative, such as poor customer service or unethical business practices, many consumers might eventually walk away. Complicating matters more, backlash could ensue on social media or in the news.
9. How does our product or service affect the world?
In my view, analyzing how our products and services affect the world is vital. Through that analysis, we can determine if we’re making the type and level of impact we envisioned when we launched our companies.
Additionally, by thinking about how our products and services affect the world, we might identify new ways we can make a positive impact. For example, we might discover that our product has an unexpected use case that can help customers.
10. Are we truly solving problems and helping people?
As business leaders, we should do what we do for the right reasons. Our only focus shouldn’t be making money.
Yes, businesses have to make money to keep their doors open. But truly solving problems and helping people is crucial. Think about it this way: If you needed to see a doctor and you knew that one entered healthcare primarily to make money and another entered healthcare because of a genuine interest in medicine and desire to help people, which would you pick? Probably the latter. Similarly, I believe that businesses that truly care are the ones people will ultimately turn to.