Think Day

[INTERNAL MEMO]

Hey team,

As we head into the final stretch of the year, I want to strongly challenge each of you to block a full day on your calendar. No meetings, no quick calls ... a true thinking day BEFORE the holidays hit. (Trust me you will regret doing it after..)

Not to catch up.
Not to plan tasks.
Not to respond to notifications every few minutes :P

But to step out of the noise long enough to get clear on what next year actually requires from you as a leader.

Every quarter, I take this kind of space for myself. I step away, I reflect, I audit the business, and I look at the next chapter WITHOUT distractions.

It is the ONLY way I get the clarity I need to design our quarters and our years. If I tried to do this in the middle of the daily whirlwind, there would be no strategy.. lol.

I want the same level of clarity for each of you, because next year will demand it.

As you take that day, I’d ask you to reflect deeply on the following questions:

Core Reflection Questions

What were the most important lessons this year about the business, your team, and yourself that you don’t want to repeat or ignore?
What must your division accomplish in 2026 for us to hit our DSS and VFOs, and what must change for those outcomes to truly be possible?
What do you need from me, from your peers, and from the company to lead at the level this next stage demands?
If you had to remove one thing your team is doing today to double its impact next year, what would you cut and why haven’t you cut it yet?
Where are you still leading like a player-coach when the business now requires you to lead like a director, and what would fully stepping into that role look like?
Also consider the opposite: Where should you still be a player-coach, especially on new initiatives or irreversible decisions?
If your division were an independent company with real shareholders, what would your strategy be for the next 12 months, and what would you be held accountable for that you currently are not holding yourself accountable for?

Use these questions to pressure-test your assumptions, your structure, and your leadership.

Thank you for how hard you have pushed this year. I am proud of what we have built, and even more proud of how we have navigated the complexity of the fast growth. Next year is going to require more clarity, more discipline, and more intentional thinking from all of us.

Let’s get ahead of next year this month, before the holidays hit, so we enter 2026 thinking at the level our next chapter deserves :)

-Leila