Things get pretty intense in the fall. Timelines tighten, board meetings intensify, and decision velocity accelerates. That’s why, after years working in biopharma, I have come to believe that the absolute best preparation for what’s coming is enjoying the summer!
This isn’t about slacking off. It’s about doing what it takes now to make sure we are as prepared as we can be come September.
Your Team Needs a Vacation
Despite what some people think, preparation and rest are not competing interests; there’s something profound that happens when you step away from the daily work. You see patterns you missed while stuck in the weeds and bring an energy that doesn’t exist when you are continually running on fumes.
The fact is, it’s the people who take “real time off” in the summer who come back sharpest and best equipped to contribute at peak capability.
What “Getting Ready” Means in the Summer
Summer isn’t a break from work. It’s a different kind of work. The pace is slower. Someone is always on vacation. There might be a little extra thinking time on the calendar for things like…
Strategic thinking without a crisis. With more breathing room available, we can spend time actually thinking about Q4. What big decisions are on the horizon? Where do we need alignment? What competitive shifts or data releases should we be preparing for? The summer is when you do that thinking, calmly, and with perspective.
Planning that sticks. Timelines, frameworks, role definitions, decision authorities, and more. If you refresh those now, they will hold up under the pressure of fall. The ones built in a panic, on the other hand, are always at risk of crumbling.
Process refinement before you need it. Summer is the time for fixing whatever broke (or cracked) in the first half of the year. Reevaluate your escalation paths, decision logs, and communication rhythms. By September, these improved processes will already be habitual.
AI exploration and capability building. That extra time allows us to make space to build a new skill or test a new tool. At The NemetzGroup, we have been experimenting this summer with AI tools and workflows. It’s been an opportunity to ask important questions:
- When can these tools strengthen our work: competitive intelligence, evidence synthesis, strategic planning, client advisory?
- Where might they accelerate thinking that currently takes weeks?
- How could they improve how we approach the problems we solve for clients?
We’re testing, learning, and documenting what works. By the time fall gets here, we will have figured it out (mostly) and integrated it into our internal systems and processes.
Fall Is Coming. Summer Is Now.
The fall will be intense; it always is. Programs will accelerate. Decisions will need to happen fast. Board meetings will sneak up. That’s not a problem. That’s the work. But you’ll navigate it well if you prepared in the summer months.
But the best way to prepare isn’t by working harder. Take time off, make time to network (outdoor cafes abound!), give yourself room to think, and do what you can now to experiment, learn, and fine-tune.
This year, when September arrives, you’ll be ready to hit the ground running.
