June Matters: The Quiet Reset That Shapes Your Financial Year

Each year around this time, I notice a shift in tone during conversations with clients. The words change—some say “we’re crawling to the finish line,” others “I can’t believe how fast it’s gone”—but the underlying sentiment is the same:

June feels like both an ending and a beginning.

In Australia, June isn’t just Q4. It’s the pre-financial-year reset. A quiet inflection point where decisions made (or avoided) shape how teams enter the next cycle.

And whether I’m working with a procurement team in government or a delivery lead in mining, I’m hearing the same core concerns play out in different language:

• “We’ve still got deliverables due—but everyone’s flat.”

• “Our FY25 planning is behind and we’re not aligned.”

• “We’ve underspent this year and only delivered 30% of what’s critical so I’m losing next years funding ”

• “We can’t afford another slow start in July.”

  
  

Based on our research across over Australian organisations, we’ve found that teams who enter July without clarity and alignment are 3.5x more likely to miss their first quarter goals.

This blog is for those leaders. The ones holding complexity and performance together, while quietly wondering: how do I reset the energy and direction of the team—before the year resets me?

What We’re Seeing Across Australian Organisations

Over the past three years, our team at Twenty2 Collective has supported more than 100 Australian organisations through this Q4 window.

The pattern is clear:

Teams that use this period to build clarity and momentum go into July focused, connected, and ready.

Teams that don’t… drift.

We call it Strategic Delivery Drift—a term we’ve coined to describe what happens when:

• priorities are unclear,

• ownership is dispersed,

• rhythms are inconsistent, and

• people feel disconnected from strategy.

Strategic drift isn’t loud or dramatic. It’s the slow erosion of energy and alignment beneath the surface. And May is often where it starts—or where it’s quietly corrected.

Three Challenges We’re Seeing (and What Leaders Are Doing About Them)

1. Team Fatigue is Real, But Often Hidden

At a recent diagnostic session with a public utility client, we surveyed staff on their current energy and alignment. Over 65% said they weren’t clear on how their work contributed to FY25 priorities. The feedback wasn’t angry or disengaged—it was tired and uncertain.

What’s working:

Short, focused reset workshops that reconnect teams to purpose, to one another, and to the strategy ahead.

At Woodside, we ran a High Performance & Happiness Workshop for an engineering team. What followed was a visible lift in energy, clearer delegation of responsibilities, and a renewed sense of shared ownership. One leader said, “It felt like we came up for air.”

2. Unspent Budget is Creating Quiet Pressure

Many clients tell us they’re sitting on unspent budget they’re unsure how to use. And in large organisations, unused funds rarely carry over—they vanish. But spending fast without a clear outcome also feels risky.

What’s working:

Using May and June to invest in lightweight but high-impact interventions that prepare teams for July.

At a well known  Construction Company, a team lead chose to invest some of their final quarter budget in a team alignment and coaching sprint. That same team entered FY25 with a clear delivery rhythm, renewed engagement, and their own toolkit for sustaining performance.

3. Plans Are Being Written Without the People Who Deliver Them

Many organisations are finalising strategic plans now—but operational teams are either too busy to engage or haven’t been invited in. The result? Plans that look sharp in slides but lack traction in reality.

What’s working:

Bringing delivery teams into the planning process—even for half a day—makes a huge difference.

At a Utilities business , we recently facilitated a session between the procurement team and their business customers with whom they were struggling to align on an Annual Plan. That one workshop reset the relationship, unlocked clarity, and allowed the project to move forward with confidence.

Why This Window Matters More Than You Think

Let me be blunt: you can’t afford a sluggish start to FY25.

Whether you’re in government, mining, utilities, or infrastructure, the first quarter is where momentum compounds—or where underdelivery starts costing real money.

This is the window to:

• Realign your team without overhauling your strategy

• Use your remaining budget in a way that leaves a legacy

• Lift morale and energy while setting a clear path into FY25

It doesn’t require a transformation. It requires intentional focus.

So What Can You Do Next?

Whether you partner with us or not, here are three actions you can take this month:

1. Run a Pre-FY25 Pulse Check

   Ask your team: “How clear are you on our FY25 priorities, and how confident are you in your ability to deliver them?” You’ll be surprised what you learn. 

2. Download our CORE Video Series for your next team meeting 

   Not a meeting. A facilitated team conversation to align around what’s working, what’s not, and what matters most from July. It works. We’ve done it with teams of 5 and teams of 50.

3. Use Budget to Build Capability, Not Just Capacity

   If you’ve got funds to use, invest in something that will shift thinking, uplift capability, or improve delivery rhythms.—but behavioural change drives the real return.

   
   

If You’re Curious…

We’ve designed a short, focused service called the High Performance Workshop. It’s built for Q4. It includes a diagnostic, a team session, and practical tools you can embed.

It’s not a massive program. You can book it straight to a corporate card. But it’s been a game-changer for teams who need to land FY24 and launch FY25 with purpose.

If it’s helpful, I’m happy to send you the overview or talk it through. No hard sell—just here to help.