I'm with preceding comments on this: schedule your annuals in line with your calendar or financial year. We try to do our Annuals in early December of the current year.
On planning, I want to add:
- Prepare rigorously. The better the preparation (financial planning, preparation of key metrics / measurables, forecasting), the better the quality of the annual planning. No harm in sharing all information prior the planning meeting.
- Plan and align operating cadences. For instance, your financial and sales cadence should be aligned, so your product and marketing cadence. All four calendars then should be snapped together. David Saks... (More)