Annual planning is more than a meeting. It’s a working session meant to align your entire organization. As the founder, your role in planning isn’t to facilitate. It’s to lead where no one else can.
Planning for the upcoming year has a way of revealing that truth. Even with the agenda set, the team engaged, and the ideas flowing, there are key moments when the room looks to you. Why? Because some decisions simply can’t be delegated.
You’re the one who ensures the plan connects back to the vision. Who revisits the Focus Filters to make sure they’re still guiding the work. You make the final call on what’s in, what’s out, and what feels misaligned. And you’re the one who brings the steadiness your team needs when the path forward gets murky.
Meeting structure alone isn’t enough. It’s also about your presence, how you show up, what you reinforce, and the standard you hold that gives the plan weight.
PERSPECTIVES
“Leadership is not about being in charge. It is about taking care of those in your charge." — Simon Sinek, author of Start With Why
MARK MY WORDS
The hardest part of annual planning isn’t deciding what to do. It’s deciding what not to do.
That’s the tension I feel every year. There may be good ideas, smart people, and a long list of possibilities, but if everything matters, nothing sticks. I’ve learned that part of my job is to be the one who draws the line. To say, “This matters. And that can wait.”
When founders avoid that responsibility, the plan outgrows the team’s capacity. Everyone gets spread too thin. And six months later, people are working hard but burning out fast as they pull in different directions.
You don’t need to make every decision. But when it’s time to define what matters most, don’t hold back. That’s the role only you can play.
TUNE IN
From Sweet Potatoes to a $100M Family Business What happens when a family business nearly collapses and then comes back stronger than ever? In this episode, Mark Abbott talks with Jessie and Adrian Capote of J&C Tropicals, a third-generation company built on grit, clarity, and culture.
You’ll learn:
How their father’s hustle created a legacy produce company
What it took to rebuild after hitting rock bottom
How generational leadership keeps the company strong
Ninety’s EOS® Annual Planning Guide If you're running an EOS Annual Planning Session, this guide is for you. It's the same one we use inside Ninety and with the teams we coach. You'll find everything you need to lead a clear, focused, high-trust session without overcomplicating the process.
In case you missed it, here’s more from Founder’s Framework:
Where the Best Ideas Win
Great planning isn’t about agreement. It’s about alignment. This article explores how strong teams challenge ideas, preserve trust, and let clarity bring the best ideas forward.
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