Manager School Series - Year-End Leadership Mastery
- Week 1: Budget Season Survival Guide - Financial planning for managers
- Week 2: The Manager’s Holiday Party Playbook - Team building during celebrations
- This Week: Setting Your Team Up for Q1 Success - Strategic planning
- Week 4: Managing During the Holiday Slowdown - Practical tips for December productivity
- Week 5: 2026 Vision: Trends Every Manager Should Watch - Forward-looking insights
While everyone else is winding down for the holidays, smart managers are quietly setting the foundation for a strong start to 2026. The difference between teams that hit the ground running in January and those that stumble through Q1 comes down to the planning you do right now.
Why Q1 Planning Matters
Q1 sets the tone for the entire year. Teams that start strong tend to maintain momentum, while teams that start poorly often spend months playing catch-up. The key is creating clarity before the chaos of a new year begins. When your team returns from holiday break, they should know exactly what they’re working toward and why it matters.
Strategic planning isn’t about creating perfect predictions—it’s about creating clarity and alignment for your team.
This means asking deeper questions about your delivery:
- Why are we doing this?
- What business problem does this solve?
- How will we measure success beyond completion?
- What happens after we deliver?
Building Your Q1 Strategy
Here’s your step-by-step planning process:
Step 1: Reflect and Assess
- What worked well in 2025?
- What didn’t work and why?
- What did you learn about your team’s capabilities?
- What external changes will affect your work?
Step 2: Align with Business Priorities
- What are the company’s top priorities for 2026?
- How does your team contribute to those priorities?
- What resources and support will you need?
- What are the risks and how will you mitigate them?
Step 3: Set Clear Goals and Metrics
- What are your team’s specific objectives for Q1?
- How will you measure progress and success?
- What milestones will you track?
- How will you communicate progress to stakeholders?
The Three Levels of Goal Setting
Remember the outcome pyramid from our earlier newsletters? Apply it to your Q1 planning:
Level 1: Day-to-Day Execution Goals
- Team productivity metrics
- Process improvements
- Operational efficiency targets
Level 2: Delivery Goals
- Project completions
- Product releases
- Service quality metrics
Level 3: Outcome Goals
- Business impact metrics
- Revenue or cost savings
- Strategic advancement
Communication Planning
A strategy that isn’t communicated effectively is just a document that sits on a shelf.
Plan your communication strategy for Q1:
- How will you share the strategy with your team?
- What’s your cadence for progress updates?
- How will you keep stakeholders informed?
- What format works best for different audiences?
Remember: You must express two to three concepts repeatedly in your story to get through to your audience.
Staff and Capability Planning
Your strategy is only as good as your team’s ability to execute it.
Staffing Assessment:
- Do you have the right people in the right roles?
- Are there skill gaps that need to be addressed?
- What training or development is needed?
- Are there hiring needs that should be prioritized?
Tool and Process Assessment:
- What tools or technologies will you need?
- Are there process improvements that should be implemented?
- What dependencies exist with other teams?
- Where are the potential bottlenecks?
The Q1 Kickoff Plan
Plan how you’ll launch Q1 with your team:
Week 1 Back from Break:
- Team meeting to review strategy and goals
- Individual check-ins to discuss priorities
- Process refreshers and tool updates
Week 2:
- Detailed project planning sessions
- Stakeholder alignment meetings
- Risk assessment and mitigation planning
Week 3:
- Full execution begins
- First progress check-ins
- Course corrections as needed
Creating Accountability Systems
Plans fail when there’s no accountability. Build systems that keep everyone on track:
- Regular check-in meetings with clear agendas
- Progress tracking tools that everyone can see
- Clear escalation paths for issues
- Celebration milestones for achievements
Preparing for the Unexpected
Every plan needs flexibility built in:
- What are the biggest risks to your Q1 goals?
- What contingency plans do you have?
- How quickly can you pivot if priorities change?
- What early warning signs will you watch for?
Action item for this week: Block time in your calendar to complete your Q1 strategy. Don’t wait until January when you’re already behind.
Next Week Preview:
Next week we’ll tackle the practical reality of managing during the December slowdown—how to maintain productivity when everyone’s mind is on vacation.
See you next week!
-Frank
