October Skill Lab Recap: Building a 2026 Strategy That Works
Planning season has begun. Every October, disciplined business owners step back from day-to-day operations to think ahead, assess what worked, and decide what must change. This is the time to design a plan that drives focus, accountability, and profitability in the year ahead.
Effective planning is one of the hardest disciplines in business. Many leaders create detailed plans that look good on paper but fail in execution. The reason is not lack of ambition, but lack of structure and consistency.
This monthβs Athena Skill Lab was built to change that. We guided business owners and leaders through a complete strategic planning process for 2026. Participants worked through the Athena Strategic Planning Workbook to define clear goals, align priorities, and connect purpose with measurable outcomes.
If you missed the session, you can catch up using the resources below and follow the same framework to build your 2026 plan.
π View the Slides: Athena 2026 Strategic Planning Workshop
π Make a Copy of the Workbook: 2026 Strategic Planning Workbook
π Take the Health & Value Assessment (HAVA): Access the Assessment
The Foundation: Purpose and Ikigai
Every strong plan begins with purpose. We introduced the Japanese concept of Ikigai, which represents the intersection of four elements:
What you love
What you are great at
What the world needs
What you can be paid for
This exercise helps you pinpoint where your work creates the most value and fulfillment. When your business strategy aligns with this center, growth becomes more stable, profit margins improve, and stress decreases.
Purpose is not a motivational exercise. It is the foundation of strategy. It clarifies what deserves your time and energy, and what no longer aligns with your values or long-term direction.
Defining One Clear Goal for 2026
After grounding in purpose, the next step was focus. Many owners enter a new year with a long list of goals, only to lose momentum by spring. The most effective businesses define one measurable outcome that represents success.
Participants were asked to identify a single result they want to achieve by the end of 2026. This goal becomes the organizing force for all planning, budgeting, and team alignment.
Examples included:
Reaching a specific revenue and profit target
Stepping fully into CEO-level leadership and out of client delivery
Completing an acquisition or preparing the business for sale
The right goal should stretch your capacity and excite you to act. If it does not inspire energy and focus, it needs refinement.
Translating Vision into Priorities and Quarterly Rocks
Once the main goal was defined, participants broke it into Wildly Important Goals (WIGs) and quarterly rocks. WIGs are the two or three strategic priorities that will drive measurable results in 2026. Rocks are the 90-day milestones that make those priorities actionable.
Each rock was written as a clear, measurable outcome with an owner and timeline.
We reminded participants that delegation does not remove accountability. Even when a task is assigned to someone else, the owner remains responsible for ensuring it is completed and reported. When everyone knows who owns what, there is clarity and forward motion.
Turning Goals into Action
With WIGs and rocks defined, the next step was action planning. Participants identified three concrete actions for each rock, along with an owner and due date.
This step ensures that strategy becomes execution. When actions are clearly defined and someone is responsible for each, there is no confusion about who is driving progress. It also highlights which steps require collaboration and which can move forward independently.
This method works at every business stage. For small teams, it drives clarity and momentum. For growing companies, it strengthens accountability and communication across departments.
Building an Execution Rhythm
Plans succeed when they are supported by rhythm. Without regular review, even the best strategy loses momentum. We discussed how to create a consistent cadence of accountability that keeps everyone aligned and focused.
Recommended rhythm:
Weekly: Review progress on rocks and address barriers.
Monthly: Review financial results and performance metrics.
Quarterly: Evaluate accomplishments, set new rocks, and refine priorities.
These meetings must be consistent. When owners and leaders treat them as fixed commitments, they build reliability and a culture of accountability.
Financial Clarity as a Strategic Tool
We then turned to financial clarity, one of the most important elements of planning. A strong plan must be grounded in numbers, not just ideas.
Participants began by identifying three key figures:
Current annual revenue
Current profit margin
Current owner pay
They then defined what a healthy and rewarding business would look like in 2026.
This exercise showed that revenue growth alone does not create financial health. Many owners discovered that optimizing profit margins, tightening expenses, and reinvesting intentionally are far more powerful.
We encouraged everyone to ask: If I could free up 10 percent of expenses, where would I reinvest that money for the highest return? Reinvesting in sales, systems, or leadership capacity creates long-term strength.
Strengthening Sales, Marketing, and Operations
Sales, marketing, and operations are the three systems that determine how effectively a business can grow. During the Skill Lab, we helped participants evaluate each.
They examined which offers generate the best clients, which marketing channels bring them in, and which stories help prospects decide faster. We used a simple messaging framework:
We help [who] solve [what problem] so they can [achieve what result].
This statement creates clarity and consistency across all sales and marketing communication.
On the operational side, we asked participants to identify one process that slows them down. For some, it was payroll. For others, it was reporting, client intake, or invoicing. We asked three questions:
Can this be automated?
Can this be delegated?
Can this be improved with a better system?
Operational strength is what makes growth sustainable and transferable. Improving one key process can save time, increase profitability, and add value to the business.
Evaluating Team and Leadership
A business can only grow as fast as its people. Participants reviewed their top team members and asked:
Are they in the right role?
Do they know how success is measured?
What support or development would help them thrive?
For solo owners, this exercise revealed where to delegate or hire next. For larger teams, it helped identify where structure or communication needs to improve.
Leadership clarity is critical. When roles and expectations are well-defined, teams stay aligned even as the business evolves.
Reconnecting the Business to the Owner
The session ended by bringing the focus back to the owner. A business reflects the clarity, energy, and habits of the person leading it.
Participants reflected on what energizes them, what drains them, and what success looks like beyond financial results.
The final exercise was the One Sentence Strategy, which serves as a guiding vision for the year ahead:
In 2026, I will focus on building a business that [achieves what] by [doing what] so that [why it matters].
This statement becomes an anchor for decision-making, helping owners stay centered on what truly drives value and fulfillment.
The Athena Approach to Strategic Planning
Strategy is not a one-time event. It is the ongoing discipline of aligning what you want, what you measure, and what you do. Each time you clarify purpose, strengthen systems, and lead with intention, you increase both the value of your business and the quality of your life.
Planning season is the time to reset, think clearly, and design next year with intention. The clarity you create now determines the success you experience in 2026.
Continue the Work
You can work through the same materials from the Skill Lab using the links below:
π View the Slides: Athena 2026 Strategic Planning Workshop
π Make a Copy of the Workbook: 2026 Strategic Planning Workbook
π Take the Health & Value Assessment (HAVA): Access the Assessment
These tools will help you evaluate readiness, uncover opportunities, and create a 2026 plan that is both strategic and achievable.
About the Athena Skill Lab Series
The Athena Skill Lab Series helps business owners and leaders think strategically, build legacy, and lead with clarity. Each session focuses on a core discipline of enterprise growth, including finance, marketing, operations, and leadership.
Connect with Athena:
π athenaac.com
π Athena Advisory Collective on LinkedIn
