Drift is the quiet killer of great companies — and great annual plans

We've watched too many companies rush into annual planning without a solid foundation underneath it. The plan looks good on paper, but the payoff is slow and indirect, while firefighting — revenue, operations, customer feedback — screams for attention. Hustle and talent aren't enough, and neither is an annual plan built on sand.

In this MasterClass, hosted by Rhythm Consultant, Strategist & Leadership Coach Cathy McCullough, we'll explore three foundational elements of strategic thinking that need to be locked in before you finalize your annual priorities — the elements that turn a group of employees into an aligned, purpose-driven crew ready to execute the plan.

Date: Thursday, August 20 , 2026
Time: 2pm-3pm EST
Location: Live, Virtual Workshop

Why annual plans drift:

Everything looks solid on the planning whiteboard... but weeks later, the crew is rowing in different directions. Here's what's usually happening behind the scenes:

- Effort without a compass. Talented people row hard, but toward different destinations, because no one agreed on the direction first.
- Firefighting drowns out the plan. Revenue pressure, operations, and customer noise scream louder than a plan that pays off slowly and indirectly.
- Priorities built on sand. Annual goals get set before the foundation underneath them is solid, so the plan looks good on paper but doesn't hold.

Why a solid foundation matters (before you plan the entire year):

- Turns daily work into meaningful progress toward a shared destination
- Creates clarity and confidence in times of uncertainty and change
- Lets decisions happen faster and more consistently — people don't need permission, they need alignment
- Keeps teams steady through market shifts, leadership changes, and crises, because the anchor holds when conditions don't
- Makes annual planning faster and sharper, because you're prioritizing against a clear destination instead of debating from scratch every year

Come ready to think deeply about the foundation your people are standing on as you head into annual planning, and whether it will hold — especially through an unsettled sea of business complexity. This special MasterClass will fill up fast, so secure your spot today.

Register now >

What you'll walk away with:

The three foundational pieces every company needs in place before finalizing next year's priorities:

- Purpose. Defining the "why" that anchors everything your company does — and that your annual plan should serve.
- Winning Moves. Charting a compelling 3–5 year vision that sets your course, so this year's annual priorities are a chapter in a larger story, not a guess.
- Core Values. Establishing the non-negotiable behaviors that guide how you navigate — and how you'll execute on this year's plan.

Cathy McCullough

Rhythm Consultant, Strategist & Leadership Coach

Cathy has built a life where passion and people are at the core, where inspiring organizational transformation is paramount. Clients tell her what she does best is stir the difficult discussions that lead to strategic clarity, focus, and intent, which in turn lead to higher-level results.Her consultative facilitation and coaching have impacted numerous industry sectors — including health care, manufacturing, technology, financial, construction, and service — throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, India, and the Middle East.Cathy earned her Bachelor's degree in psychology and her Master's degree with an emphasis in organization development and leadership from Oklahoma State University, where she graduated with honors. She has spent the past 30 years working with organizations in the areas of strategy, organizational culture (as linked to bottom-line performance), executive coaching, and leadership team development. She holds numerous certifications including Development Dimensions International, Strategic Planning, Performance Management, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (Master Certified), and Kotter's Institute for Leading Change.As a certified expert in Rhythm Systems' methodology, Cathy brings a deep understanding of this proven strategic planning and execution framework — guiding businesses in setting clear goals, streamlining communication, and fostering accountability, so teams experience improved alignment, enhanced visibility into key metrics, and achievement of growth goals.Her entrepreneurial drive resulted in her ownership of a small business in her early years, when she was named a Delegate to the White House Conference on Small Business. She has delivered keynotes and workshops on strategy, "people" issues, and organizational culture for groups including Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO), the Rhythm Systems Breakthrough Conference, the Precision Machined Products Association, and the Inc. 500 Vision Conference. She is co-author of Predictable Results and a contributing author for the Forbes Coaches Council, as well as graduate-level academic texts.

Rhythm has helped us align and fuel growth!

Rhythm allows us to focus resources throughout the company to make progress week-by-week towards the achievement of our agreed quarterly success criteria and our annual goals. It provides visibility to progress (and roadblocks) cross-functionally and up-and-down the line.

Lucie Voves, Founder & CEO at Church Hill Classics
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I have used Rhythm on 4 separate companies. It's been instrumental in helping us Start. Scale. Exit. and Repeat. It benefits us by getting everyone in alignment and making sure nothing falls through the cracks.

Colin Campbell, Serial Entrepreneur
Game-Changing Approach and Tool

Rhythm is grounded in basic principles of focus and accountability. That's what makes it so powerful. I have seen our organization transform its ability to define where we're going and execute as a result of applying those principles and using the Rhythm tools to facilitate that.

Rick Waldron, VP, Strategy & Innovation, MOBE