Hi First name,
As we approach the end of September, we’re noticing clear shifts in nature: leaves are turning, daylight is fading, and the natural world is preparing to slow down.
 
In organizations, however, the shift looks quite different: this is the season when strategic planning begins and year-end wrap-ups take center stage.
 
Last month, we talked about the power of a reset before entering the new season — pausing to notice patterns, releasing what no longer serves, and restoring the energy needed for the sprint ahead. We hope you found space to bring some of those practices into your team.
 
This month, our focus moves from reset to alignment: how to ground your strategic planning, engage your team in the process, and set the tone for a strong 2026.
 
We know Q4 is a high-pressure quarter, carrying both the weight of strategic planning (spreadsheets, forecasts, budgets) and the reflection on the current year’s performance (Were the budgets used wisely? KPIs met? Who gets promoted or rewarded?).
 
It’s also the final push to deliver on what was promised this year.
The result? An overloaded quarter with parallel, competing priorities that often feels rushed and disconnected.
 
Even when reflection happens, the insights rarely make it into next year’s plans. Leaders “close the year” and “design the future” almost in separate conversations (when in reality, they should be one!)
 
This is where you need to ask different questions:
  • How can you integrate reflection so it actually informs and strengthens planning?
  • How can you engage the whole team, making the process collaborative and data-driven rather than top-down and wishful?
  • How do you ensure clarity and alignment, so execution next year doesn’t get lost in overwhelm, indecision, or disengagement?
     
In the end, you have one of two choices:
  1. Continue building strategy the old way, relying on the same so-called “human-centered” methods that, in reality, burn people out.
  2. Or do something different this year, building on what research actually proves works: put the real human system at the center, and create the results you’ve been dreaming about.
Because in the end, strategy is all about people, not just numbers. Without trust, clarity, and alignment, even the best-laid plans struggle to take root. 
 
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Here are a few ways to spark the human side of this process
1 - Engage your team

Strategic planning is a process you do with your team, not to your team. Engaging them doesn’t mean large workshops or endless brainstorming sessions. It can be as simple as:
 
  • Gathering insights early (and regularly!): Ask your people what they see as the biggest opportunities or obstacles in their day-to-day work.
    • What needs to improve? What is slowing them down?
  • Acknowledging patterns, not just performance: Encourage the team to name what dynamics helped (or held back) results this year.
  • Framing strategy as a conversation: Invite input at key stages, so planning feels co-created rather than imposed. Share the big vision and big goals for next year, and ask: “What do we need to get there?”
 
👉🏼Then go a step further and ask yourself: “How does this strategy serve my people’s goals and aspirations?”
A truly human-centered company aligns its vision with the aspirations of its people, rather than just setting targets. The plan should be beneficial for them too, so they see how their growth and contribution matter.
2 - Reviews centered on your people’s needs:

Year-end reviews shouldn’t be reduced to what got delivered and what didn’t. Instead, approach them as moments of collective reflection and integration:
 
  • Celebrate the wins: Honor both visible outcomes and behind-the-scenes contributions,  and look beyond them to the less obvious efforts that made success possible. Celebrate not only results, but also the growth and the journey, both professional and personal.
  • Acknowledge challenges: Normalize them by creating a safe space for honest conversations about what was hard, what didn’t work, or what was left unfinished (without blame).
 
Ensure your team gets the support they need, whether from you or other available resources. Most importantly, don’t stop at acknowledgement. Use what you learn to shape next year’s plan. Instead of starting with “Here’s the budget, how do we spend it?”, start with “Here’s what our people actually need — how do we plan the budget around that?”
 
  • Extract lessons: Ask, “What do we want to carry forward?” and “What can we leave behind?” — also ask: “How can we turn this into an opportunity for next year? How can we build on what we know now? What’s coming next, and how do we prepare for it?” This way, reviews fuel momentum and growth, rather than fatigue.
3 - Create space for clarity and alignment

How clearly do your people understand their role in the bigger picture — and how aligned do they feel with the collective direction? In the end, they need to understand how the next year’s plan will help them grow.
Two things make the difference:
 
  • Clarity of direction: Teams need to know not only what they’re working toward, but why it matters (for the company and for them) and how success will be measured. This breaks through overwhelm and indecision, offering tools for clarity and action.
  • Alignment in practice: Alignment doesn’t mean everyone agrees on everything; it means the team can move forward together. That requires human-centered communication: transparent conversations, trust-building, and a shared rhythm of accountability.
 
At its core, strategic planning is all about change. And for change to stick, four conditions* need to be in place:
  1. Clear information – everyone understands the what, where, when, and why behind the shift.
  2. Shared purpose – people see why the change matters to them as well as to the company.
  3. Input on the “how” – the team helps shape the process, fostering ownership instead of resistance.
  4. Transparency on decisions – clarity on how input will be used, so feedback doesn’t vanish into a black hole.
 
*The Ground Conditions for Change based on Margaret Whitely’s book, “Leadership and the New Science”
 
Miss even one of these, and alignment quickly breaks down into disengagement. But when all four are present, strategy becomes a collective movement forward.
(We explore these four conditions for a successful change in more depth in our workbook, The Leadership Reset: Practical tools to move from stagnation to growth.)
 
Actionable insights for planning and review

In a truly human-centered organization, people are the foundation. So, to build next year’s strategy, there is a need to align the company’s vision with the aspirations of its people. That’s how strategy becomes both resilient and human.
As a senior manager or director, you often carry the responsibility for making sure these steps happen in practice. And even if you’re in a less senior role, having a clear view of the process helps you support alignment, anticipate challenges, and contribute effectively.
Here’s how the process can unfold:
  1. Know where you want to bring the company.
  2. Listen to what matters to your people — where do they want to be a year from now?
  3. Find the overlap between the two and build your strategy →This is often where senior managers play the crucial role of bridging company vision with the daily realities of execution.
  4. Share your strategy, then listen again to gather input.
  5. Adjust your plan.
  6. Communicate the updates clearly.
  7. Execute together.
Pre-planning preparation
A good strategy starts before the planning meeting. Herein lie steps one and two: clarifying the company vision, and gathering insights from your team — listening not only to the challenges and opportunities they see, but also to their aspirations and dreams for the year ahead. This combined data lays the foundation for a strong strategy.
Sometimes, the most valuable preparation is simply pausing to listen.
🌿Whose voice hasn’t been heard yet — and what could it reveal?
 
The power of iteration
Don’t forget the power of iteration and to build your strategy on it. The strongest plans are designed to adapt in case new circumstances arise, and they also protect your team from the burnout that comes with rigid, “all-or-nothing” planning.
🌿Where would it serve your team to approach planning as a draft, not a final verdict?
 
Delegating strategic initiatives
Planning isn’t just for leaders. Empowering team members to own parts of the process not only lightens the load but also builds alignment and buy-in. The key is to connect ownership with what’s important to them and what they want to achieve. That way, they become co-responsible partners in the process. Also, if they see their fingerprints on the strategy, they’re far more likely to bring it to life with enthusiasm. 
🌿 Which piece of the planning process could you hand over — and to whom?
👉🏽 In the Leadership Reset Workbook, we explore how iteration strengthens resilience and keeps teams focused. We also offer practical delegation tools that shift from task-dumping to empowerment.
 
If you still have resources to allocate before the end of the year, make sure to invest them where they create the greatest return: in your people. Through guided discussions, reflective facilitation, or intentional pauses, the right investment now fuels the energy and alignment your team will carry into 2026.
 
At its core, strategy is never just about the action. Most importantly, it’s about the people who bring it to life, their dreams, potential, and the path to get there.
 
As you step into Q4, remember that alignment, clarity, and trust are what turn numbers into movement and plans into results. When you honor both the human rhythms and the organizational goals, strategy becomes more than execution, but a shared commitment to finishing the year with energy, focus, resilience, and celebration.
 
 
Also, remember that this is the harvest season, and as we discussed in the last issue, it is closely tied to leadership…
 
🌿 In many cultures, harvest season is both a strategy and a celebration — a time to acknowledge what has grown, honor what didn’t, and prepare for what’s ahead. The same rhythm can guide leadership: before setting direction, there’s value in pausing to recognize and appreciate what has been cultivated along the way.
 
So, while creating the 2026 strategy, take time to celebrate with your team — both what you’ve harvested this year and what you’re preparing to plant for the next.
 
Celebration doesn’t have to be grand. It can be as simple as a collective moment of reflection, inviting your team to share what they’re proud of, what surprised them, or what they’ve learned that will shape the year to come. Sometimes, it’s simply making the quiet efforts visible alongside the bigger outcomes.
 
And if you’re wondering what to do with the leftover budget? Well, if you don’t invest it with us at Fierce Up 😉 the second-best investment is a proper celebration. Don’t waste it on yet another generic workshop or trying to “fix” your people. Celebrate them. Big time. They deserve it.
 
Plans may set the direction, but it’s your team’s trust, energy, and alignment that turn it into fertile ground. Planning and celebrating with them creates a fertile soil where next year’s strategy will take root.
 
And remember: strategy without celebration burns people out. At Fierce Up, we’re here to help you build both — human-centered strategy and the space to honor the people behind it.
 
Warmly,
The Fierce Up Team

 

 

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