— OCTOBER 25TH, 2026 —

SET THE DIRECTION FOR ANNUAL PLANNING

As we head into annual planning, it's the perfect time to remember why we started building our companies in the first place.

Where are we trying to go? What kind of company are we committed to building? And are the things we're planning to work on this year going to help us get there?

As founders, it’s our responsibility to lead annual planning. But that doesn't mean we need to facilitate the entire meeting or make every decision ourselves.

Our leadership teams should absolutely be involved in helping to develop the plan for the company and for their individual teams. We need their perspectives, their ideas, and their willingness to challenge our thinking. But there are still certain decisions that belong to us.

For example, we have to be willing to say no to opportunities that may look attractive but don't fit where we're headed. We have to be the ones who make sure our Forever Agreements are guiding the decisions we're making. And we have to help our teams understand why we've chosen one path over another.

Read more in Annual Planning for Founders: The Decisions Only You Can Make

Once we've agreed on the plan, we have another responsibility: making sure our leaders understand it well enough to guide their own teams. If you’re starting to plan for 2027, what are the decisions you need to make before your team can confidently plan the year ahead?

PERSPECTIVES

“Strategic planning is worthless, unless there is first a strategic vision."
— John Naisbitt

MARK MY WORDS

I believe people want to understand how their work contributes to the company they're helping build.

We can spend a couple of days with our Senior Leadership Team working through the company's priorities, but our department leaders still need to figure out what those decisions mean for each of their teams. Then, they need to communicate with every team member so they understand how their work fits into the plan.

Department leaders need time to review existing commitments, decide which Rocks support the company goals, and agree on how they’ll  measure progress. They may also need to decide what to stop doing.

Christine Watts makes a good point in her recent article about annual planning at the department level. It gives leaders and their teams time to work through these decisions together.

As founders, we should want that kind of ownership throughout the company. The annual plan gives us a starting point. But it becomes more valuable when the people responsible for executing it have a say in how they'll contribute.

ON THE CALENDAR

Build an Annual Plan That Lasts All Year

October 28 | 3 p.m. ET | Live Webinar

You can agree on what you want to accomplish in 2027, but how do you decide what your teams should focus on first?

Join Christine Watts, Ninety’s Head of Professional Services, to learn how to connect your 1-year goals to your quarterly priorities so you can keep your plan on track throughout 2027.

[Save Your Seat]

ONE MORE FOR THE ROAD

In case you missed it, here’s more from Founder’s Framework:

Where AI Agents Belong in Your Company (And Where They Don’t)

As AI agents take on more responsibilities, we need to be clear about who's accountable for their work. In this article, I explore why every AI agent needs a human who's responsible for its actions and output.

[Read Now]

When founders are clear on where the company is headed, their teams can see the way forward too.