Planning for 2026 Starts with the Business but it Should Not End There

As we move into 2026, most financial planning businesses will do what they have always done at this time of year. They will review performance, revisit goals, refine strategy, adjust operations and look closely at systems and processes. Some will do this thoroughly and thoughtfully; others will do it quickly, more out of obligation than conviction. Either way, the focus will be on the business.

This is not wrong. A business needs direction and structure. It needs clarity around what it is trying to achieve and how it intends to get there. Strategy, operations, systems and processes all matter… they always will.

What is often missing, however, is the equal and deliberate focus on people.

In theory, most leadership teams would agree that people sit at the centre of any successful business. We talk about people, processes and systems as the foundational layers of an organisation. In practice, though, the people layer is usually the least examined and the least planned for. It is assumed rather than explored and it is acknowledged but not deeply worked with.

Our experience working with financial planning businesses, both large and small, is that planning conversations tend to treat people as a resource rather than as a dynamic and evolving part of the business. The business is planned band people are expected to adapt.

If planning for 2026 is going to be meaningful, that balance needs to shift.

When we talk about people, we are really talking about three distinct but interconnected groups: leadership, employees and clients. Each plays a different role in the health of the business, and each deserves its own spotlight.

Leadership is where this begins.

Business owners and senior leaders carry more than just responsibility. They carry pressure, expectation and often a level of emotional and cognitive load that goes unseen. They make decisions that affect livelihoods, reputations and futures. They set the tone for the organisation, whether they intend to or not.

The reality is that a business cannot outperform

the internal state of its leadership for very long.

If leaders are tired, distracted, overwhelmed or carrying unresolved personal pressure, it shows up in how the business is run. It affects clarity, decision-making, communication and ultimately performance. No strategy document can compensate for a leader who is not in the right headspace to lead.

This is why planning for the business has to include space for leaders to work on themselves. Not in an abstract or indulgent way, but in a very practical sense. Are leaders rested and clear coming into the year ahead? Are they carrying personal challenges that may bleed into the business? Are they operating from a place of intention, or simply reacting to what is in front of them?

A leader who is grounded, self-aware and mentally resourced creates a very different business environment to one who is simply trying to get through the day.

The second group is the people who work in the business.

Employees are expected to return after the December break ready to perform, deliver and support clients. Often, very little thought is given to whether they are actually in the position to do so. People arrive with their own pressures, concerns and levels of readiness. Some are motivated and energised; others are anxious, uncertain or silently struggling.

The truth is that people usually need more support than leadership realises.

Supporting employees is not limited to training or improving technical skill sets, although those remain important. It also includes mentoring, cultural alignment, psychological safety and the sense that someone is paying attention to how they are coping, not just how they are performing.

Culture plays a significant role here. It is shaped at the top and cascades throughout the business. It influences how people treat one another, how they engage with clients and how they respond under pressure. A strong culture does not happen by accident but is created through consistent behaviour, clear expectations and genuine care for the people who make the business work.

As leaders plan for the year ahead, important questions start to surface. What would it take to get the best out of our people? What kind of environment allows them to do their best work? How do we support growth without burning people out? How do we build a culture that serves both the business and the clients, and that becomes a reference point for future hiring?

Then there are the clients.

It is easy to forget that the business is, in essence, the client. Without clients, there is no revenue, no assets under management, no cash flow and ultimately no business. Yet client experience is often treated as a secondary consideration in planning discussions.

Client relationships are fragile. Losing one significant client can materially affect a business. Losing clients consistently is a sign of deeper issues. Client dissatisfaction eventually shows up in financial performance, even if the link is not immediately obvious.

Planning for 2026 should include honest reflection on how people are experiencing the business. How are relationships being maintained? Where are clients feeling supported, and where are they feeling neglected? What feedback or complaints are emerging, and what has been done about them? How intentional is the client experience, and where is there room for improvement?

The businesses that thrive over time are those that remain deeply connected to their clients while simultaneously investing in the people who serve them.

Planning properly means widening the lens and recognising that strategy and operations are only part of the picture. People drive execution, shape culture and create client experience. And people need as much attention, care and intention as any business plan.

As 2026 takes shape, the question is not whether businesses will plan - they will – but whether planning will extend beyond the business itself and into the people who make it succeed.

That is where real progress begins.