5 Things Every CEO Should Do Before Ending the Year (Strategic Planning + Accountability Edition)

You’ve finalized the strategy. The goals are set. The team is aligned—on paper.

But what looks like a clear plan can quickly turn into a sluggish Q1 filled with misaligned priorities and little to no momentum. The difference between a strong start and a frustrating one is whether or not you set your team up to hit the ground running when they return from the holidays.

The CEO’s role here is not to manage every detail. It’s to ensure solid execution by embedding the right habits, rhythms, and communications across the business. Here are 5 things you can do before signing off for the year to ensure your team comes back from New Year’s ready to build momentum from day 1.

1. Clarify the 3–5 non-negotiable priorities for Q1

Not 12. Not 8.

Three to five.

Too many organizations roll into January with a long list of “important” strategic initiatives, but no agreement on what must move first. That’s how teams end up busy instead of effective.

Before the year closes, your team should be crystal clear on what takes priority from week one:

• What absolutely must move the business forward in Q1

• What success looks like in measurable terms

• Who owns each priority

Harvard Business Review research consistently shows that focus is a stronger predictor of execution success than effort. When CEOs narrow priorities and remove competing agendas, teams move faster and with greater confidence.

When there are too many priorities and no clarity on what to focus on first, January becomes a guessing game. Everyone will move fast, but in different directions.

2. Pressure-test your strategic assumptions for 2026

Plans fail because they’re built on old assumptions. And your strategic plan was likely built several weeks ago.

For example, you may have built your plan under the assumption that “our current positioning still differentiates us from the competition.” However, a new competitor emerged this quarter and they came out swinging in the service category, threatening your position. If nothing changed in your plan, are you still positioned to win against this new competitor?

Before you sign off for the year, take a beat to assess if the assumptions still hold true going into the next several quarters.

• What assumptions did we plan around this year?

• Which of those are still true—and which are no longer reliable?

• Where has risk increased?

• Where are new opportunities emerging?

McKinsey highlights that CEOs who regularly revisit strategic assumptions outperform those who treat strategy as an annual exercise. Assumptions left unchallenged quietly erode execution quality.

This exercise is about ensuring your 2026 strategy is grounded in current reality, so your team doesn’t have to pivot on day one.

3. Make sure every leader owns specific KPIs tied to next year’s goals

Most strategies break down because accountability is unclear at the top.

Common CEO-level warning signs include:

• KPIs exist, but no one clearly owns them

• Metrics are reviewed inconsistently or too late to matter

• Numbers live in reports but don’t influence daily decisions

Before the year ends, confirm:

• Each strategic priority has 1–3 meaningful KPIs

• Each KPI has one clear owner (not a committee)

• The review cadence is set—weekly or monthly, never quarterly

When ownership and rhythm are defined before January, execution starts immediately. CEOs avoid spending Q1 chasing updates and clarifying expectations.

4. Lock in your meeting rhythms with clear agendas

High-performing companies design the following year’s rhythms before the year starts. This brings consistency and allows your team to build their schedules around these meetings rather than squeezing in another meeting into an already busy week. 

Before year-end, get all these sessions on the calendar in advance:

• Weekly leadership meetings with clear agendas and expected inputs

• Weekly departmental huddles focused on progress and obstacles

• Monthly review sessions tied directly to KPIs

• Quarterly reset dates already on the calendar

Predictable management rhythms reduce friction and improve execution discipline, especially in growing organizations.

When the rhythm is clear, accountability becomes the expectation. Miss this step, and you’ll lose the first 4–6 weeks of the new year just trying to get organized.

5. Communicate the plan—twice

Handoff is everything.

Most leaders communicate the plan once and assume clarity. Teams nod, meetings end, and execution quietly diverges.

Now that your strategy, priorities, and KPIs are finalized and you’ve confirmed assumptions:

• Deliver a clear message to your leadership team

• Have them restate the plan back to you to confirm alignment

• Reinforce it again in writing

Research shows that repetition improves alignment and reduces execution errors—especially during periods of transition, such as year-end resets. Execution failures arise because leaders assume everyone is clear on the plan. Saying it twice prevents misalignment that costs you months of progress.

Bring Q1 into Alignment

Don’t leave January to chance.

Instead of hoping discipline survives the holidays, decide it will. Enter the new year with priorities that are visible, accountability that’s unmistakable, and meeting rhythms already locked in—before the calendar flips.

This is where Align supports leadership teams. Align gives leadership teams the structure to operate with intention. When priorities, KPIs, and weekly updates live in one shared place, alignment stops being an aspiration and becomes the way the company runs week after week, long after kickoff meetings are forgotten.

If you want 2026 execution to feel controlled instead of chaotic, see how Align supports leaders who refuse to rely on hope as a strategy. Book a consult today. 

Smart moves today. Big wins tomorrow.