The Year You Stop "Winging It" As A Leader

The Year You Stop “Winging It” as a Leader

Happy New Year! We’ve officially landed in 2026.
If you’re like most leaders and managers that I’m familiar with, you’ve probably spent the last week of December doing two things: catching up on sleep, or connecting with your closest friends and thinking, “Okay, 2026 is going to be different.”

We all enter the new year with that "Day 1" energy. We want to be more patient with our teams, more strategic with our time, and, honestly, a lot less stressed. But by mid-January, the emails start piling up, the fires start breaking out, and those "New Year, New Leader" intentions usually get buried under a mountain of To-Dos.

Here’s the truth we don’t talk about enough: Leadership is lonely, and it’s hard to change our own habits while we are busy managing everyone else’s.

Why “Doing More” Isn’t the Answer

Most managers think the key to a better 2026 is a new productivity framework or a tighter calendar. But if you’re still leading from the same internal “operating system” you used last year, you’re going to get the same results.

That’s where leadership coaching comes in.

I like to think of a coach not as a teacher, but as a high-definition mirror. When you’re in the thick of it, you can’t see the way your tone shifts when you’re stressed, or how your “quick check-ins” are actually micro-managing your best talent.

I faced those same leadership challenges of stress, self-doubt and feeling stuck. When I finally hired a coach, things started to shift. My coach didn’t just give me advice, they acted as a sounding board and a high-definition mirror, helping me see my blind spots and uncover what truly mattered for my success. With my coach’s support I gained new perspectives, found clarity, and learned to manage my stress effectively. I could sleep better and handle work situations with greater confidence.

Making the Shift in 2026

If you’re serious about evolving this year, coaching helps you tackle the stuff that actually moves the needle:

• Breaking the “Always On” Cycle: Finally learning how to delegate so you can actually think, not just react.

• The “Human” Stuff: Navigating the messy, complicated dynamics of a modern team with high emotional intelligence.

• Unshakeable Confidence: Moving from “I hope I’m doing this right” to “I know why I’m making this call.”

My Challenge to You

We’re only a few days into 2026. The slate is clean. You have a choice: you can keep “winging it” and hope for a different result, or you can decide that this is the year you actually invest in your own growth.

Think about this: If you became 10% more effective as a leader this month, what would that do for your team’s morale? What would that do for your own Friday evening stress levels?

Let’s make 2026 the year of the “Intentional Leader.”

What’s one leadership habit you’re leaving behind in 2025? Drop it in the comments. Let’s hold each other accountable.

Ready to take this seriously? If you’re tired of the “New Year resolution” cycle and want a partner to help you transform how you lead, let’s chat. Send me a DM.

Your growth as a leader starts with one intentional step—what will yours be?”