Why start planning now? Because Q4 is the best time to set next year’s goals. Planning in October through December builds clarity and momentum so when January arrives, your team hits the ground running. Here’s how you can make it happen.
By Jason Pearl, Founder of Nacre Consulting
Are you still waiting until January to set annual goals? By then, the first quarter is already slipping away, and your team is running without clear direction. If you want 2026 to be a year of growth, the work starts in Q4 of 2025. This is when you have the focus, context, and the urgency to make the decisions that matter.
The Problem With Waiting
When companies wait to set goals, they usually fall into one of two traps:
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They delay until financial reports are final, hoping that more data will create more clarity. In reality, the big picture rarely changes, and the delay only costs time.
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They rush into the new year without a plan, then scramble to put something together once operations are already in full swing.
In both cases, the outcome is the same: the team doesn’t have clarity when they need it most. Energy that could have been used to start strong gets wasted.
The issue isn’t effort, it’s process and timing. A business can be full of motivated people working hard, but without clear direction, their effort doesn’t gain traction.
Why Q4 Is the Window That Matters
The fourth quarter provides the perfect balance of context and urgency:
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Enough information is already available: By October and November, you know how the year is shaping up, what the market is doing, and where your team is stretched.
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Deadlines force decisions: With the calendar closing, leaders are naturally motivated to lock in what matters next.
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Teams are looking for clarity: Employees want to know what’s coming. Starting the year without that clarity creates anxiety and disengagement.
This is why goals should be finalized by December and rolled out in late December, but no later than January 10. The first two weeks of the year are the prime time for a kickoff meeting where leaders can lay out the plan, explain why it matters, set goals, and show how success will be measured.
Strategic Goals vs. Vanity Goals
Here’s where most companies get stuck. They focus on numbers that look impressive but don’t actually drive progress.
Strategic goals are:
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Contextual. They reflect market conditions, customer demand, and industry trends.
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Comprehensive. They balance revenue with profitability, cash flow, retention, and culture.
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Actionable. They build capability and capacity, not just activity.
Vanity goals are:
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Vague. Broad goals like, “Grow 15%” offer no clarity on how.
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Shallow. They focus on top-line revenue only, ignoring margin or churn.
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Unrealistic. Pushing numbers that the current team and systems can’t sustain.
Three questions to test for your goals:
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Will this improve profitability or cash flow?
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Will this strengthen customer lifetime value or reduce churn?
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Will this strengthen your team’s skills and help you retain top talent?
If the answer is no, you’re chasing vanity, not strategy. A business that chases vanity goals may look like it’s growing, but under the surface it’s creating cracks that will eventually slow everything down.
Once you’ve defined real strategic goals, the next step is making sure they stick.
How to Roll Out Goals That Stick
Even the best-written goals won’t matter if they aren’t rolled out well. A strong rollout creates clarity, accountability, and consistency.
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Share goals early and give space for feedback. People need to understand, not just hear.
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Equip managers with talking points and a simple conversation flow so they can translate goals into daily actions.
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Publish one-page scorecards so priorities stay visible in weekly routines.
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Create a monthly rhythm to inspect what you expect. Leaders who check in regularly keep momentum alive.
A Year-End Planning Guide
Here is a timeline and breakdown of the process:
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October: Draft 3–5 company priorities. Keep them broad but directional.
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November: Translate those priorities into measurable targets and assign responsibility.
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Early December: Validate capacity and risks. Make sure goals are realistic for the team you have.
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Mid-December: Finalize goals and prep the rollout. Build scorecards, talking points, and kickoff agendas.
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January Weeks 1–2: Host kickoff and share scorecards with the whole company.
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February: Hold the first monthly review. Address bottlenecks early and keep the long view front and center. (Just as important as the initial launch.)
These milestones keeps the process simple, structured, and achievable.
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
It’s easy to mistake drafting goals as the finish line. In reality, the real work is in execution, and missteps here will stall progress once the new year begins.
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Waiting for perfect data. It will never come. Decide what level of confidence you need, and move.
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Creating too many goals. More is not better. Focus on three company priorities and three per team.
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Ignoring people. If goals don’t account for staffing, retention, and workload, they will fail.
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Rolling out late. By February, momentum is already gone.
Get Ready for 2026 Now
If you want 2026 to be a breakthrough year, the work starts now. Q4 is the time to define what progress really looks like, align your team, and build a launch plan that sticks. When January arrives, your people should already know the path forward and how their work connects to it.
Don’t roll into January scrambling. Step into it ready.
Explore our Growth Strategy Workshop and step into 2026 with a plan your team can believe in.
👉 Book an intro call to get started.
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