In Executive Search, September isn't the end of summer, for us it's the start of the busiest stretch of the year. It’s the September Surge, the real New Year. It makes September the ideal time to reset, refocus and look ahead.
The summer lull ends. Boards reconvene with a renewed pace of energy and perspective. The Q4 reality check is weeks away. Priorities sharpen and attention turns to delivering results while laying foundations for the year ahead. The plans sketched out in Spring are tested against the facts in black and white. September is when ambition stops being aspirational and starts becoming operational.
Are there critical appointments still to be made in 2026? By the end of this month, Q3 results will be in hand and Q4 budgets confirmed – and real urgency to hire before the financial year ends. With interview panels harder to assemble from mid-November, there is now a realistic window to make an appointment by Christmas before it rolls into the New Year, costing a full quarter of leadership continuity.
This month defines your leadership bench. Strategic planning uncovers gaps and Q4 exposes the shortfalls – lack of succession and lack of scaling, outgrown by growth with no one accountable for seizing the opportunities 2026 presented. For many Boards, September means the opportunity to consider their leadership capability. As the organisation has grown and evolved, are the right people in the right roles? Are they equipped to drive the ambition forward and to support the next stage of growth? Is there succession action-ing as well as succession planning? Does it have an ample view of talent inside and outside the organisation to sustain its future?
What key appointments could make the difference to your organisation in 2027?
At Narratology, we partner with organisations to identify and attract outstanding leadership talent, helping our clients make appointments that strengthen their businesses today and position them for tomorrow. To discuss your own leadership strategy please contact Narratology in confidence on 02890446336.
