Leaders: The 3 Decisions You Must Make in the Next Three Weeks

December isn't a planning problem. It's a decision problem.

And you have only three weeks.

You're making three decisions right now whether you realize it or not.

What you're protecting in the year-end chaos.

Whether your team knows what's coming in 2026.

Whether your gratitude reinforces anything that matters.

The only question: Are you making them deliberately, or is December making them for you?

Your board wants aggressive Q1 targets. Your top customers are renegotiating contracts. Your leadership team is fielding offers because they can't see past December's fog.

You have roughly three weeks. Are you all in?

Decision 1: What You're Actually Protecting

Picture this.  A CEO walks into our call with a spreadsheet. 47 rows. Everything marked red.

I've seen this spreadsheet dozens of times. The numbers change—47 items, 52 items, 63 items—but the pattern doesn't.

"I need to close all of this before January 1st."

Board deliverables. Customer renewals. Budget approvals. Year-end reviews. Strategic planning. Compliance audits. Two acquisitions in diligence.

I let him talk for five minutes. Then:

"If you could only finish three of these, which three would mean you're executing strategy in January instead of recovering from chaos?"

Long silence.

"Close the $4.2M acquisition—it changes our market position. Keep my VP of Product—she's gotten two offers, and I haven't had a real conversation with her in six weeks. Lock the budget so my team knows what they're working with."

"What happens to the other 44?"

"They move to Q1, get delegated, or die."

"And if you try to protect all 47?"

"The three that actually matter get 10% of my attention. And I lose them anyway."

Here's what happened next in this real-life scenario.

• Acquisition: Closed before year-end. I personally ran the final diligence calls.

• VP of Product: Dinner mid-December. "What does 2026 look like for you?" She stayed. The offers went cold.

• Budget: Locked down with leadership in early December. "This is what you're working with. No surprises in January."

The other 44 things? 12 got delegated. 18 moved to Q1. 14 died quietly and nobody noticed.

He finished Q4 at 103%. More importantly, he spent January executing.

While this discussion was underway, two other CEOs on my roster tried to protect everything.

One lost his VP of Sales in early January. The VP's exit interview: "I spent December in meetings but never got clarity on the changes to the comp structure. The other company had it locked by Thanksgiving."

Another lost his VP of Operations in February. Her explanation: "I needed 30 minutes to talk about the manufacturing expansion. You kept saying 'after the holidays.' By January, I'd already accepted another offer."

They didn't lose people because they worked less. They lost people because they protected everything and therefore protected nothing.

So, right now, write down your three MUST DO items.

Not your top priorities. Your "if I finish these three things, I'm executing in January instead of recovering" three.

If you can't name them in 60 seconds, December is already deciding for you.

Decision 2: Whether Your Team Knows What's Coming

A fintech CEO crushed Q4. Hit 108%. Then disappeared for two weeks on a well-deserved family vacation.

Q1 turnover: 23%.

His CTO shared this in her exit interviews: "I didn't know what next year was going to look like. I got a call. They had a plan. We didn't."

His VP of Operations—five years, best year in division history—left for a lateral move. Same title. Same money.

"Why didn't you tell me you were looking?"

"When the recruiter asked what I was walking into in January, I had no answer. You were gone. So, I hedged."

The following year? This CEO did things differently.

One 60-minute meeting December 18th. Before anyone left. The entire leadership team.

·       What we accomplished: Specific wins with names. "Sarah's onboarding redesign saved us $1.2M. Mike's retention program brought churn to five-year lows."

·       What next year looks like: "We're facing margin pressure from two suppliers—that's real. Revenue will dip in Q1 from customer consolidation. But if we hit Q2 targets, we're hiring aggressively."

·       What's not changing: "Strategic priorities stay the same. Capital allocation is locked. Your roles are secure. You're executing the plan we built together."

Result: Zero leadership turnover in Q1. Highest retention rate in company history.

Not because they were promised more money. Because he eliminated the ambiguity that makes top performers hedge their bets.

Decision 3: Whether Your Gratitude Actually Reinforces Anything

Last year, a medical supplier CEO asked: "How do I make year-end bonuses actually matter?"

I asked what he was planning to write.

"Thanks for your hard work this year. Here's your bonus. Let's crush 2025!"

"You're thanking them for effort. They'll forget it by January 3rd. Thank them for the specific outcome their effort created."

He revised it:

"Your Q2 lab realignment improved our margin by 40%. More importantly, the three resident associates you developed are now running their own projects. This bonus reflects that business impact. You didn't just solve a problem—you built capability that compounds into 2025."

He wrote versions of this note for 8 key people—each one specific to what they'd contributed.

Post-bonus survey: 94% called it the most meaningful feedback they'd received in their careers.

Zero of those 8 left in 2025. Three had standing offers when they got that message. All three declined.

You Have Roughly Three Weeks

You're going to make these three decisions whether you're deliberate about it or not.

You'll either choose your three priorities, or December will choose them through whatever screams loudest.

You'll either give your team clarity, or they'll create their own by taking recruiter calls.

You'll either recognize strategically, or you'll lose people in Q1 who don't feel seen.

Earlier this year, one CEO told me January 4th: "I didn't work less in December. But I worked on three things that mattered instead of forty things that felt urgent. That's why I'm executing right now instead of recovering."

What are your three?

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