Finish Q3 Strong - Shift Into Q4
Q3 is almost behind us — but not yet.
The next few weeks aren't about coasting to the finish line. They're about completing what we committed to, learning from the quarter, and carrying that momentum into the final stretch of 2026.
As leadership teams transition from Q3 to Q4, I think about it in four steps:
FINISH → REFLECT → RESET → EXECUTE
FINISH
What can we still win in Q3?
Which Rocks can we complete? What commitments remain open? What issue have we been avoiding that we can finally resolve?
Just as important: What needs to be closed rather than carried forward?
Not everything deserves to become a Q4 Rock. Finish it, solve it, delegate it, or intentionally drop it.
REFLECT
What did Q3 teach us?
Look beyond whether Rocks were simply "done" or "not done."
Where did we hit our numbers? Where did we fall short? What worked well? What repeatedly blocked our progress? Where did we encounter people, capacity, process, or accountability issues?
The goal isn't to dwell on the quarter — it's to apply what we learned.
RESET
Now shift the conversation forward.
What needs to be true by December 31 for us to consider 2026 a strong year?
Q4 isn't just another 90 days. It's our final opportunity to close the gap between where we are and where we said we'd be by year-end.
This is the time to reset priorities, establish Q4 Rocks, address capacity and people issues, tighten processes that aren't scaling, and decide what we'll STOP doing.
While focused on finishing 2026, we should already be asking:
What needs to be in place so we're ready to hit the ground running in 2027?
EXECUTE
Then we do what EOS teams do best: turn the plan into execution.
Clear Rocks.
Clear owners.
Clear Scorecard numbers.
Clear accountability.
The goal isn't to spend January figuring out what 2027 should look like.
The goal is to arrive at January with momentum.
Finish Q3 with accountability.
Reflect on what it taught us.
Reset around what matters most.
Execute through the end of 2026.
FINISH → REFLECT → RESET → EXECUTE
Let's finish 2026 with purpose — and enter 2027 ready to go.