As summer winds down and vacations (sadly) come to an end, it’s a natural time to shift focus toward the close of the calendar year. Business leaders should prepare their organizations for a landscape that will be shaped by rapid technological changes, evolving market demands, and increasing global challenges.
On a recent team call, we agreed to create this month’s newsletter collaboratively, pooling our perspectives into a realistic checklist of things to consider before December arrives. Our team brings decades of experience across biopharma, and that depth shows in the way we support each other and our clients. It’s the spirit of collaboration – listening, challenging, and building together – that makes us effective in helping companies succeed.
To make this practical, we’ve organized our team’s insights into five areas that consistently surface at year-end: orienting around key milestones, streamlining planning, tightening budgets, aligning people and resources, and reinforcing culture.
Each offers a different lens. Our goal: to help you focus on the right priorities now, so you can wrap up the year strong and step into 2026 with clarity and momentum.
#1. Get Your Bearings
The next few months bring a crowded mix of milestones — data readouts, congresses, Board meetings, and holidays — making it essential to plan around timing rather than react to urgency.
Sue Nemetz pointed out that Q4 is always dense: Board meetings, fall congresses, year-end performance reviews, and planning for the next year all converge. Mapping these events together, she said, helps teams avoid being caught off guard by overlapping deadlines.
According to Kristin Owens, the return from summer is a natural time to re-center. Bringing teams together to review progress against 2025 goals not only provides accountability but also creates space to adjust course if necessary.
This is more than just checking boxes, Marianne Doherty reminded us. By clearly defining 2026 strategic objectives — along with the budgets and resources needed to support them — leaders can enter the new year with alignment already in place.
Cristiana Salgado-Braga emphasized that as 2026 approaches, leaders need to step back and assess the larger landscape. She urged organizations to anticipate those changes now, rather than wait until they are forced to react.
#2. Streamline and Organize
By treating JPM, year-end reviews, and Board materials as one integrated effort, you create a single foundation that can be adapted for different stakeholders.
Since much of the same data underpins many of these undertakings, Cristiana Salgado-Braga suggested that building them in tandem can save effort and avoid inconsistencies.
Echoing that, Sue Nemetz noted how data presented at fall congresses often ends up in Board decks and external communications. A coordinated approach, she said, ensures the same story is told across all audiences.
To prevent execution from feeling chaotic, Liz Tufo advised leaders to look inward at how work is being carried out. Revisiting team charters and clarifying roles and responsibilities now, she argued, sets up smoother execution in Q4.
#3. Check Your Goals and Count Your Dollars
Year-end is the moment to use remaining 2025 funds wisely while locking in 2026 forecasts, ensuring every dollar is tied to a near-term milestone and long-term impact.
Jim Whalen reminded us that year-end is a financial inflection point: unused 2025 budget may disappear, and 2026 forecasts need to be accurate to reassure Boards and investors. He urged a disciplined approach — know what’s left, where it can have impact, and how it sets up success for next year.
Colleen Moore added that starting the budget process early creates more flexibility. Teams that wait until December often scramble; those that begin now can be more deliberate and get more value from each investment.
Budgets are unlikely to expand, cautioned Meighan Rock. Leaders should assume resources will be tight and openly ask what the team truly needs to succeed, and what can wait.
Victor Liang stressed that planning and budgeting for NPP activities can’t be an afterthought. Because they are often multi-year efforts, addressing them now ensures 2026 launches and market preparations stay on track.
#4. Align People and External Resources
Strong plans depend on capacity; clarifying roles, confirming bandwidth, and engaging outside support where it adds leverage keeps execution on track.
Resourcing decisions made in Q4 shape the tone for Q1. It’s not just about whether the right number of people are in place, Jim Whalen emphasized, but whether they have the clarity and support needed to perform.
Liz Tufo suggested this is the perfect time for a reset. Leaders, she said, should take a deliberate look at how teams are structured, ensuring roles are clearly defined and accountability is spread evenly.
If 2026 objectives are already in view, Marianne Doherty pointed out, then hiring and consulting plans should flow directly from them. That way, resourcing isn’t just reactive but strategically aligned.
#5. Reinforce Culture and Celebrate
Closing the year is also about tone — acknowledging progress, celebrating wins, and reinforcing purpose helps teams start 2026 energized rather than depleted.
Ray Mankoski reminded us that year-end is about more than deadlines and deliverables. Leaders often focus on what got done and what’s next, but overlook the culture in which the work was accomplished. He encouraged senior leaders to pause, celebrate team wins, and reinforce shared purpose — a lift that can mean the difference between limping into 2026 and starting it energized.
Looking Ahead
The end of the year doesn’t have to feel like a scramble. With clear priorities, thoughtful planning, and a focus on both people and culture, leaders can close 2025 with confidence. More importantly, they can step into 2026 not just prepared, but energized for what’s next.