As the year winds down, most teams start talking about numbers. What's the revenue target for 2026? How many deals per quarter? What's our headcount plan? These are good questions. Necessary ones. But there's one question most leaders overlook this time of year, and it's arguably the most important:
How do you want to feel next December?
Do you want to feel confident about how the team performed? Proud of how your culture held together through uncertainty? Less scattered? More strategic? Recharged instead of burnt out?
These aren't "soft" goals. They're signs of alignment, intentionality, and momentum. And the truth is, if you don't decide how you want to feel ahead of time, the default is usually stress, reactivity, or being stuck.
Reverse Engineer the Feeling
Organizational psychologist Dr. Benjamin Hardy says it well: "Your future self is not who you are today. Your future self is a different person, and your job is to start acting like them now."
That starts with vision. Not just of what you want to accomplish, but who you want to be while doing it.
If you want to feel clear and confident next December, ask yourself: What decisions do I need to make this January to get there?
If you want to feel like the team grew in healthy, sustainable ways, what do you need to stop tolerating now?
If you want to feel more present with your family or less controlled by the clock, where does your calendar need to shift?
For example, a few years ago, my schedule was controlling me; I wasn’t controlling my schedule. In conversation with another Sandler professional, she asked me what my schedule would be like if I were controlling it?
I said, “Well, I would take the last week of every month off from training. This would allow me to strategize, schedule vacations, or simply recharge.” Her next question was, “What’s stopping you from doing that?” It set me in the right direction, and it took me six months to adjust my schedule and move to accomplish this goal.
These are the planning conversations most people skip. But when you start here, the tactical decisions (targets, headcount, budgets) actually get sharper.
Don't Just Set Goals; Set Standards
Goals are the outcomes. Standards are the behaviors. One of the biggest mistakes sales leaders make is setting goals without adjusting expectations around process.
If your team is burned out or if your culture is drifting, you don't fix that with bigger numbers. You fix that with clearer standards, smarter processes, and more honest conversations.
This is where we lean into the Sandler mindset. You can't manage results. You can only manage behaviors. Want to feel confident next December? Start by reinforcing the right habits now, and coaching the ones that aren't helping.
Make Space for the Right Debriefs
Before you close the books on 2025, take time to ask the team a few key questions:
- What's one thing you're proud of this year?
- What would you like us to have done differently?
- Where did we waste energy?
- Where did we gain unexpected traction?
Reflection is a leadership skill. And planning isn't just about metrics. It's also about alignment.
So before you load up the dashboards and lock in the goals, pause and ask the question most people forget:
"How do I want to feel next December?"
If the answer is clear, focused, energized, proud—great. Let's build toward that.
If it's not clear yet, that's a signal worth listening to. Let's start the conversation.
Need help building a sales plan that aligns with the results you want and the culture you're trying to protect? Reach out. We'd love to talk strategy.
