Break the Cycle: Why Next Year Needs a Real Plan (and a Real Coach)
Let’s just get this out of the way up front:
If you’re heading into next year without a real strategic plan, congratulations — you’re already behind. And yes, I say that with love… and a raised eyebrow.
Every year around this time, leaders start telling me, “Oh yes, we’re definitely planning for next year.”
Then I look at what they call a “plan,” and it’s usually three bullet points, a scribbled revenue number, and a silent prayer that the universe will fill in the details.
Here’s the truth:
If you could break this pattern alone, you already would have.
But year after year, you’re doing the same dance — hoping habits you never changed will magically produce results you never achieved. Spoiler alert: they won’t.
This isn’t judgment. It’s experience. I’ve coached enough leaders to know that smart, capable people get stuck in the same cycles because they’re trying to think their way out of behaviors they keep repeating.
So let’s talk about those cycles.
The Three Cycles That Keep You Exactly Where You Are
1. The Growth Plateau Loop
This is when you’ve tapped out the results you can get from your current patterns.
You want higher revenue, better margins, stronger teams… but you’re using last year’s decision-making playbook.
Imagine trying to climb to a new level of success while wearing ankle weights from 2024.
That’s what’s happening.
New results require new behaviors — period.
2. The Leadership Fire-Fighting Loop
You tell yourself you’re “leading,” but what you’re really doing is reacting — constantly.
The team feels it. The business shows it. And you quietly know it.
One day you’re pushing growth, the next day you’re chasing fires, and somewhere between Tuesday and Thursday the strategy changes twice because something urgent popped up.
If you feel personally attacked, that means this section was absolutely written for you.
3. The Stress Spiral (A Fan Favorite)
By February, you’re already exhausted.
By spring, you’re piecing together decisions with duct tape and caffeine.
By summer, the plan you never fully built is now a distant memory.
And by fall… you’re promising yourself that next year will finally be different.
(Yes, I’m raising my eyebrow again.)
Why Planning Alone Doesn’t Work
Most leaders already know what they should be doing.
Knowledge isn’t the problem.
The problem is:
- No structure
- No accountability
- No consistency
- No outside perspective
- And no one to call out your “creative storytelling,” otherwise known as the excuses you’ve polished to a high shine
That’s where a coach comes in — not as a magician, but as a partner who keeps the plan moving, the decisions aligned, and the stress down.
If you’ve ever wondered why things finally get done when someone else is walking beside you, it’s simple:
We don’t break our deepest patterns alone.
We break them with guidance, tools, and a strategy that doesn’t unravel the second life gets hectic.
Why You Need a Coach (Ideally, Me)
Let’s be honest: if whiteboard brainstorming and good intentions were enough, you’d be running the company of your dreams by now.
Coaching isn’t a quick fix.
It’s not a motivational pep talk.
And it’s definitely not an “instant transformation” (I’m rolling my eyes just writing that phrase).
Coaching is:
- structured,
- consistent,
- honest,
- perspective-driven work that helps you develop new patterns, new clarity, and new results.
It’s the support that gets you out of the cycle you’ve been stuck in for years — the one you’re probably nodding about right now.
And yes, this is where I come in. I guide leaders through the messy, necessary, high-impact work of planning for real growth — not accidental survival.
Part Two Is Waiting for You
In the second part of this newsletter, you’ll find the practical side:
the key steps every leader should review when creating next year’s strategic plan.
But this section — this one — is about deciding to finally do it differently.
**Ready to Break the Cycle?
Here’s What to Do Next:**
- Book a consultation with me.
Let’s talk about your goals, your challenges, and what you actually want next year to look like. - Commit to planning with intention this year.
Not wishful thinking, not reactive scrambling — a real structure with real accountability. - Grab the free checklist by emailing me. that’s your first action step
It will show you the gaps you haven’t noticed yet… and yes, that’s intentional.
Next year doesn’t have to be a rerun.
You deserve clarity, growth, and a plan that actually works — not one you hope might work.
Let’s build it together.
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