Insight.Effective CEOs do not wait until December to begin preparing for the next business year.The final months of the year provide valuable information about market conditions, organisational capabilities, financial performance, customer expectations, talent, and emerging opportunities.CEOs should use this information to begin shaping the priorities, capabilities, and investments required for the year ahead.Key Strategies:Review lessons from the current year.Identify emerging opportunities and threats.Define preliminary strategic priorities for 2027.Assess future capability requirements.Align financial planning with strategic priorities.CEO Leadership Actions.Begin executive discussions around 2027 priorities.Identify capabilities the organisation must strengthen.Challenge assumptions about future growth.Actionable Tip.Ask your leadership team, “What must be true for our organisation to achieve its most important objectives in 2027?”Why This Matters?Early preparation creates strategic clarity and gives organisations more time to align people, resources, and capabilities behind future priorities.About the Author.Ernest De-Graft Egyir, CEO advisor, Thought Leader and Founding CEO of Chief Executives Network Ghana, convenes the Ghana CEO Summit and served on Ghana’s Economic Dialogue Planning Committee.