Why most annual plans fail by February—and how to build systems that can actually support what you’re aiming for
Around this time every year, leaders crack open fresh notebooks and say the same thing with slightly more conviction than last year:
“This is going to be the year we finally get ahead.”
They set goals. They build dashboards. They fill the calendar with strategy calls and planning sessions.
Some even bring in consultants to help map out initiatives, define KPIs, or rework their OKRs into something that feels more actionable.
It looks productive. It feels focused. And by February, most of it quietly dies.
Not because the goals were bad.
Not because the people weren’t trying.
But because the systems were never built to carry the weight of those ambitions.
The biggest threat to your 2026 plan isn’t that you’ll dream too small or aim too big.
It’s that you’ll set the right goals, in the middle of the same friction that made last year so hard.
The Quiet Saboteur of Ambition: Operational Friction
Every founder I know can articulate where they want to go.
But far fewer can describe, with precision, what’s slowing them down.
I don’t mean vague bottlenecks. I mean friction.
The invisible drag that shows up as:
- Projects that start strong, then fade
- Tasks that get touched by too many hands
- Systems that rely on the one person who always says “just send it to me”
- Meetings that feel like alignment but solve nothing
- KPIs that are monitored, but never move
It’s subtle. And that’s why it’s dangerous.
Friction doesn’t scream. It whispers. And it whispers for months, until your best people burn out and your “momentum” turns out to be noise.
The Illusion of Planning
In January, teams look sharp. Decks are crisp. Goalboards are populated.
But underneath, most of those goals are being built on shaky foundations:
- Overcommitted teams
- Redundant tools
- Undefined ownership
- Legacy processes that never got cleaned up
I’ve walked into teams who hit Q1 like a rocket and ran out of fuel by March.
The problem wasn’t motivation.
It was that no one paused to ask:
“Can the way we actually work support what we’re trying to do?”
Most plans don’t fail because they’re wrong.
They fail because they’re unrealistic—given the systems, culture, and clarity gaps leaders are unwilling to acknowledge.
A Better Starting Line: Audit the Friction
Before you commit to another set of targets for 2026, ask yourself a harder question:
“Where did the drag come from this year?”
Here’s a practical friction audit I use with my clients before any annual planning:
🛑 What do we keep fixing manually, over and over?
If you’re still touching the same broken process 10 months into the year, that’s not a people problem. It’s a leadership decision to tolerate friction.
👥 Where is ownership still unclear?
If multiple people “sort of” own something, no one does. In these gaps, decisions stall. Deadlines slip. Resentment builds.
🔄 What process has survived simply because no one questioned it?
Be honest. What’s still in your system because it was “how we started”? This is where operational debt hides—and where scaling quietly breaks down.
📉 Where are we tracking performance but not improving it?
Metrics without movement are just spreadsheets. If a KPI hasn’t changed, ask if it’s still the right one—or if anyone has the clarity and autonomy to affect it.
The Role of Clarity in Sustainable Growth
Clarity isn’t sexy. It’s not a headline.
But it’s the difference between a plan that executes and a plan that exhausts.
When your systems are clear:
- People know what they own
- Work flows without escalation
- Meetings become decision points, not status updates
- Leadership can focus on growth—not triage
And clarity is what makes Lean AI® work.
Because Lean AI® isn’t just about automation.
It’s about removing the friction that gets in your way—before you try to scale.
Lean AI®: The Post-Planning Reality Check
If you’ve already set your 2026 goals, here’s your next step:
Ask whether your systems can actually carry them.
With Lean AI®, we run companies through a 3-part diagnostic:
- Where’s the friction?
We name the waste, the drift, the repetition, and the chaos. - What’s the real workflow?
Not the one in the SOP—the one people are actually using. - What should be intelligent—and what shouldn’t?
We apply AI where it supports humans, not replaces them.
The result isn’t magic. It’s clarity.
The kind that makes your planning process feel less like a bet and more like a blueprint.
Final Word
It’s easy to set goals.
It’s much harder to admit what’s getting in the way of reaching them.
As you step into 2026, take a breath before the sprint.
Look back at how your systems really performed this year.
Where you improvised. Where you burned time. Where people stepped in for broken processes and never got out.
Then start there.
Fix the friction.
And build goals that aren’t just inspiring—but actually reachable.
Ryan Gartrell
Consultant. Operator. Creator of Lean AI®.
ryangartrell.com |
angryshrimpmedia.com
