Before You Add Another Goal to Your 2027 Plan
Before you start planning for 2027, pull out the plan you made for this year.
Which priorities moved forward?
Which ones are still waiting?
And which ones quietly disappeared from the conversation?
I want you to spend some time with those answers before you set another goal.
An unfinished priority deserves an honest conversation. If ownership was unclear, carrying it into January won’t clarify it. If your team didn’t have the capacity, a new deadline won’t create it. If you avoided a difficult decision, that decision will still be waiting for you.
Your next plan needs to address what kept the last one from moving.
That starts with looking at your own leadership.
Did you keep changing the priorities?
Did you give someone responsibility without the authority to act?
Did you allow an urgent request to replace an important commitment every week?
Those can be uncomfortable questions.
Answer them honestly, and you’ll give your team a better starting point.
Then decide what deserves your attention in 2027.
I’d rather see you commit to three priorities your team can explain and support than ten that compete for the same people and resources. Choosing means leaving some good ideas for another time. As the CEO, you need to make that call and explain it.
For every major priority you add, ask:
Where will the capacity come from?
What will we stop, delay, or hand off?
If you can’t answer, you haven’t finished the planning conversation.
Be specific about the result, too. “Grow the business” gives your team very little direction.
Where do you want growth?
Why does it matter?
What needs to happen in the first quarter to make it possible?
You don’t need certainty about every month of 2027. You need a clear direction, honest assumptions, and commitments your team can act on.
Start there. Give yourself permission to make fewer commitments and lead them well.
CEO Reflection Questions
What unresolved issue from 2026 needs your attention before you build another year’s plan around it?