There's a strange lull that happens in August.

Calendars thin. Clients delay decisions. People punt. "Let's pick that back up after Labor Day" becomes a default refrain.

But if you're a leader—or a team tasked with growth—this lull isn't just a break. It's an opportunity.

Especially in a year like this one.

Punting Creates a Gap. And Gaps Create Drift.

Over the past few months, I've spoken with several organizations that have paused their forward momentum, not because they lack ambition, but due to uncertainty. Some are facing turnover. Others are waiting on new hires. Still others are reacting to the broader economic and political ambiguity heading into 2026.

I get it. The urge to wait it out is intense.

But there's risk in the waiting.

When teams pause without a plan, strategy stalls. And when strategy stalls, organizational drift sets in—a topic I recently wrote about. Direction gets fuzzy. Priorities blur. And once drift begins, it takes real energy to re-center.

The question isn't whether a strategy was in place. It's whether that strategy was shared, committed to, and owned broadly enough to survive change. Otherwise, it becomes a moment-in-time artifact—easily dropped when momentum wanes.

So the goal now isn't to "wait until things calm down." The goal is to use this time on purpose.

August Should Be Planning Month.

This quiet stretch between summer's midpoint and Q4 urgency is, in my view, the most underrated planning window of the year.

Because what happens in the fall?

Deadlines tighten. Budgets get squeezed. Teams scramble to hit year-end goals. And just when you want to start planning for 2026, you're overwhelmed with Q4 fire drills.

Sound familiar?

If you want to start next year strong, you don't wait until December to build the plan. You start in August—before the urgency sets in. That's when thinking is clearest. It's when the strategic horizon is visible—if you're willing to look.

Embracing a Bias for Action

Years ago, I read Colin Powell's "40/70 Rule," and it stuck with me. He wrote that on the battlefield, you need between 40% and 70% of the information to make a good decision. Less than 40%, and you're guessing. More than 70%, and you've waited too long—the opportunity has passed, or the battlefield has changed.

That same principle applies in business today.

You'll never have 100% certainty. Especially not in 202.

But sitting still is a decision in itself. And the cost of delay—missed momentum, talent disengagement, customer confusion—is rarely worth the false comfort of inaction.

Strategic clarity doesn't come from waiting. It comes from working the problem, engaging stakeholders, and putting a plan on paper that's directional and adaptable.

What Are You Planning For?

Not every plan requires a complete organizational overhaul. But if you're leading a team, this is the time to ask:

• Where are we drifting?

• What did we deprioritize that actually matters?

• What do we want 2026 to feel like—for customers, for employees, for results?

And if you're asking those questions, let me tease what's coming in Thursday's blog: The organizations that are ready for 2026 aren't just making surface-level adjustments. They're rethinking the systems at the center of their business—especially how AI will shape those systems.

Not AI as a tool at the edge of the org chart—but AI as the new operating model.

But that kind of change takes time. It takes intention. And it definitely takes planning.

Now is that time.

Don't Punt. Prepare.

August doesn't have to be a pause. It can be a strategy sprint.

While others punt decisions, leaders use this window to:

✅ Recommit the team to the strategy
✅ Course-correct for drift
✅ Anticipate Q4 demands
✅ Build an action-oriented 2026 roadmap

And in a few days, I'll share how AI fits into that exact roadmap.

But for now, I'll leave you with this:

If you're hoping for a smoother 2026, the time to build it is now.