How high-performing teams execute year-end challenges

This blog is written by founder of Leading Teams and Bloom Growth Coach, Patty Campagna. To read her full bio, go here.

TL;DR

Q4 can make or break your year. Success starts with the right mindset shift—treating the quarter like a finish line with celebration ahead, not a panic-inducing sprint. Focus on 2-3 critical priorities, ensure psychological safety, and be realistic about capacity. Most importantly, know your numbers before you plan, communicate the “why” behind every goal, and remember that recognition this year fuels next year’s herculean efforts.

• The mindset shift that changes everything
• Creating urgency without burnout
• Spotting and fixing team disengagement
• Aligning priorities before Q4 hits
• The power of reflection and data
• Building accountability that works
• Cross-functional collaboration essentials
• Assessing team capacity honestly
• Get ready for Q4

The mindset shift that changes everything

Here’s the truth about Q4: it’s chaotic even outside of work. Parents are juggling school concerts, everyone’s thinking about holidays, and workplace distractions multiply. But instead of fighting this reality, we need to embrace it.

The shift I help teams make is simple but powerful: treat Q4 like a finish line, not a cliff edge. When you cross a finish line, there’s celebration waiting. When you approach a cliff, there’s only fear.

This means getting ruthlessly clear on what actually needs to make it across that finish line. I ask my teams: “Of everything we said we’d do this year, what are the 2-3 most important things that we absolutely won’t shelve until January?”

Creating urgency without burnout

You can create urgency without creating panic, but it requires intentionality. The secret? Prioritization and realism.

When we’re realistic about what’s achievable, we prevent the burnout that comes from chasing impossible targets. Remember, SMART goals must be achievable—that’s not optional. If the goals we set back in January turned out to be unrealistic, Q4 is our chance to realign and finish the year on a positive note.

I tell my teams: “Winter blues don’t need a negative work experience to accompany them.” Positivity and optimism go a long way in helping people believe that success is possible.

The key is treating your Q4 planning session like you’re preparing for a celebration, not a funeral. Because when your team believes they can win, they usually do.

Spotting and fixing team disengagement

I can spot a mentally unprepared team from across the room. The signs are unmistakable:

• Body language speaks first: Crossed arms, leaning back, checking phones
• Focus becomes scattered: Arguments about priorities that should be clear
• Grumblings increase: General negativity and resistance to new initiatives
• Participation drops: Quiet team members become even quieter

When I see these behaviors, I know we need intervention. The solution isn’t motivation speeches—it’s clarity and safety.

As I tell my daughter all the time: “Whether you think you can or you can’t, you’re probably right.” People need to see the path forward because they often can’t see it themselves. This is where having a coach becomes invaluable—we provide the external perspective and psychological safety needed for honest conversations.

Sometimes the fix is as simple as showing team members how achieving goals benefits them personally. Maybe hitting targets means adding another person to the team, which equals more freedom for everyone. Maybe it means bonuses, advancement opportunities, or simply the satisfaction of accomplishment.

Aligning priorities before Q4 hits

Priority alignment starts with one fundamental question: “What happens when we hit our goals, and what happens if we don’t?”

Too often, numbers feel arbitrary to team members. They need to understand the real consequences—both positive and negative—of their efforts. This is where the “why” conversation becomes critical.

I recommend what I call the Clear the Noise exercise. Close your eyes and think about everything you have going on—both at work and outside of it. Now ask yourself:

• What is absolutely mission-critical?
• What will you feel incredibly proud of accomplishing?
• What can realistically wait?

Be honest with your calendar. How long will these things actually take? What resources do you really need? This isn’t about being pessimistic—it’s about being strategic.

For larger teams, aim for 3-5 priorities maximum. You want agreement here, not compliance. Everyone needs to be genuinely bought in.

The power of reflection and data

Before any Q4 planning session, teams need to look backward before they can effectively plan forward.
I have my teams review:

• The five-year vision: Where are we ultimately heading?
• Last quarter’s performance: What worked, what didn’t, and why?
• Historical Q4 data: How have we performed in previous fourth quarters?
• Client needs and demands: What’s driving our business right now?

This isn’t busy work—it’s intelligence gathering. When you know your patterns, you can plan more effectively.

Building accountability that works

Effective accountability isn’t about micromanagement—it’s about clarity and psychological safety.

The tools that work best include:

• KPI dashboards: Are you green or red on leading indicators?
• Regular headlines: Good news, cautionary updates, and problems that need attention
• Obstacles and opportunities tracking: Capture issues before they become crises
• Clear organizational structure: Everyone knows their role and how it fits

Google’s Project Aristotle studied high-performing teams for two years and found that the number one factor in team success is psychological safety. When people feel safe to speak up, raise concerns, and admit mistakes, everything else works better.

This is where having a coach becomes incredibly valuable. We help ensure that psychological safety exists and that team health remains strong even under Q4 pressure.

Cross-functional collaboration essentials

Leadership alignment usually happens during quarterly planning sessions, but cross-functional preparation should happen before everyone gets in the room.

If your teams compete for resources—like sales and marketing both needing budget—have alignment meetings ahead of time. Come to the quarterly planning session knowing what you’re advocating for and why.

Each department needs to have their act together before the big meeting. The purpose of systems like Bloom Growth is that messages cascade down and across the organization efficiently. But that only works when people come prepared.

Assessing team capacity honestly

Capacity assessment requires brutally honest conversations about what’s actually on people’s plates.

Ask your team members:

• What’s currently demanding their attention?
• What additional help or resources do they need?
• Would temporary hires help get critical projects across the finish line?

These conversations can happen during regular check-ins, but they’re especially important before Q4 planning. You need to know where people stand before you add more to their workload.

I also watch for signs of quiet disengagement:

• Are they completing their to-dos consistently?
• How are their KPIs trending?
• Are they actively raising obstacles and opportunities?
• What’s their energy level during team interactions?

Get ready for Q4

The fourth quarter doesn’t have to be a stress-filled sprint to an uncertain finish. With the right preparation, mindset, and support, it can be the strong finish that sets your team up for an even better year ahead.

Remember: Recognition this year fuels next year’s extraordinary efforts. Finish strong, celebrate properly, and watch what your team accomplishes when they believe success is not just possible, but inevitable.