Annual Planning Essentials: 4 Tips to Get It Right
‘Tis the season for cozy sweaters, holiday cheer… and annual planning! If you haven’t scheduled your session for 2025 yet, don’t worry—it’s not too late. Annual planning isn’t just another meeting to squeeze in before the year ends (and yes, it’s perfectly fine to do it in January). It’s your opportunity to align your team, prioritize your efforts, and lay the foundation for a truly successful year ahead.
Here are four essential tips to help you make your session both effective and inspiring:
1. Revisit Your Vision
Start with the big picture. First, focus on the elements that define your broader vision: Core Values, Purpose, Brand Promises, and your Big, Hairy, Audacious Goal (BHAG). Then, revisit your 3-5 year goals. These medium-term priorities provide a clear strategic direction for the next several years.
Your annual plan should align with your long-term goals, serving as a stepping stone toward your 3-5 year vision. Revisiting your organization’s vision ensures that every initiative you prioritize moves you closer to achieving that larger goal.
Key Questions:
If we fast-forward to the end of 2025, what big wins should we be celebrating as an organization?
How do those wins tie to our 3-5 year vision?
2. Reflect & Celebrate
Before looking ahead, take a moment to look back.
Reflection isn’t about dwelling on challenges—it’s about learning from experiences, celebrating achievements, and leveraging insights to inform the future. By recognizing successes and gathering diverse perspectives, you create a foundation for continuous improvement.
Key Questions:
What big wins did we achieve in 2024?
Where did the team excel?
What challenges should we address to make 2025 even stronger?
3. Commit to Annual Planning
Effective planning requires focus and intention. Block off time on everyone’s calendars and make your session a priority. The more dedicated and distraction-free your planning session, the better the outcomes—and the easier it will be to plan future quarters. Move meetings, eliminate distractions, and show your team that planning is essential.
Plan for two full days to allow ample time for both strategic thinking and execution planning. This session can even double as your Q1 planning meeting, setting your team up to hit the ground running.
To truly level up, consider taking your planning session offsite. A change of scenery sparks creativity, eliminates interruptions, and fosters deep thinking. Plus, it can be fun!
Key Questions:
What type of environment will encourage focus and creativity for the team?
How much uninterrupted time do we need to fully plan for the year?
4. Get a Coach
Facilitating the Annual Planning Session isn’t a task for the CEO or founder.
It’s really challenging to be both a participant and a facilitator during a planning session. That’s where a Coach comes in—not just to facilitate but to elevate your session. A great coach comes prepared with tools, frameworks, and strategies to maximize productivity, align your team, and help uncover opportunities.
Perhaps the best part? A Coach will guide you and your team through the first three tips. They’ll help revisit and clarify your vision, ensure meaningful reflection and celebration, and provide structure and focus to commit to annual planning.
Key Questions:
Who is facilitating our planning session?
How can a Coach support us in crafting a plan that’s both ambitious and achievable?
Are we ready to invest in expert guidance to maximize the value of our planning session?
A Final Thought
Annual planning isn’t about creating a simple to-do list—it’s about crafting a strategic roadmap that gets you closer to your vision. By reflecting on your past, aligning with your future, and dedicating the time and resources needed to plan effectively, you’ll set your team up for an amazing year ahead.
Ready to take your planning to the next level? Let’s chat—I’d love to help guide your session and set you on the path to success in 2025.
