The pressure you feel in September is real, and it is not a sign that something has gone wrong. It is the point in the year where the plans you made in January meet the time you have left to deliver them.
Social diaries start filling, the election is weeks away, and the temptation is to either sprint blindly or quietly let a few goals slide. There is a better option: a deliberate check-in that tells you, honestly, what you will finish, what needs to change, and what is better parked until 2027.
This is not about doing more. It is about being truthful with yourself and your team about what “done” looks like from here.
Start with an honest read, not a to-do list
Most year-end reviews start with the task list. Start instead with a simple question for each major goal:
“Are we still on track to deliver what we said we would, and does it still matter?”
Some initiatives that made sense in January have been overtaken by events and other priorities. Naming that out loud is not failure. It is the judgement you are paid for.
A capable leader who says “we are pausing this” is more trustworthy than one who lets it drift and hopes no one notices.
Give each goal one of three honest labels:
- On track
- Needs a change to land
- Defer to 2027
The discipline is in saying it plainly, to yourself first and then to your team.
Make the pressure visible so it can be shared
Pressure that stays in the leader’s head becomes anxiety for everyone else, because the team feels the tension without knowing its shape.
When you name the finish line, “here is what we are committing to close out, here is what we are letting go,” you convert vague pressure into a shared, finite task.
People can rise to a clear target. They struggle with an open-ended sense that more is always expected.
This is also where capability grows. The conversation about what to finish and what to defer is a genuine development opportunity for your managers.
Let them make the call on their own goals, with your support. You are building judgement, not just clearing a backlog.
Set the scene before the noise arrives
New Zealand goes to the polls on 7 November 2026, and the weeks before an election tend to raise the temperature of ordinary workplace conversations.
People bring strong views, the news cycle is loud, misinformation is rife and comments that would pass unnoticed in March can land differently in October.
You cannot control the national mood, but you can set the tone in your own team.
A short, plain message from you does most of the work:
“We are a workplace where people hold a range of views, we treat each other with respect, and we keep the focus on the work we are here to do.”
You are not silencing anyone. You are reminding people of the standard you expect, before you need it.
That is the difference between building a culture and reacting to an incident.
Protect the finish, not just the plan
The last quarter is where good intentions quietly fail, not through one big mistake but through fatigue, competing priorities, and the slow creep of “we’ll get to it.”
Decide now what you will protect.
If closing out a key initiative matters, defend the time for it against the meetings and social commitments that will otherwise fill the space.
If your people are running hot, notice it now, while there is still room to adjust, rather than in the wreckage of December.
Practical takeaways
- Label every major goal: On track, needs a change, or defer. Clarity now beats optimism.
- Say the finish line out loud: A finite, shared target is easier to deliver than an open-ended expectation.
- Set the tone before the election noise builds: One calm message about respect and focus prevents most
problems. - Decide what you will protect: Defend that time deliberately through a busy quarter.
If you want an objective read on what your team can realistically deliver by year end, and how to have the “defer to 2027” conversations well, that is exactly the kind of thing a quick call can sort out.
The first 15 minutes are always free.
General information only, not legal advice. Every situation turns on its own facts, so get advice before you act, and Better HR Co. is available to help.
