1 January 2026
Reflecting and Planning for 2026: A leadership reset that actually works
By
Kate Hill
Welcome to the first working week of 2026. If you’re reading in real time, it’s early January — the decorations are packed away, the inbox has become a feral creature living its own moral life, and your team are slowly re-emerging from their holiday caves looking slightly stunned by daylight.
And if you’re anything like the leaders I coach — especially those in agencies, creative consultancies and professional services — you’ve walked back into the year with a curious blend of optimism, a diary that is already too full, and at least one client who has emailed to “refresh the brief” for the new year. Which, of course, is always code for: I want the same thing, but different… and ideally for less money.
January is a natural reset point, but most leaders treat it like a motivational sugar rush - high energy for a week, inconsistent for two, then quietly abandoning their good intentions by mid-February.
This blog isn’t about resolutions. It’s about reflection, intention and leadership design - in a way that actually sticks.
Instead of giving you another list of annual goals to write down, I’m going to guide you through a fresh strategic model for planning your year, and the kinds of questions senior leaders rarely stop long enough to ask themselves.
Wherever you are - commuting, drinking a lukewarm coffee at your desk, or avoiding opening Slack - use this moment to pause, breathe and plan your 2026 with real intention. (You could also download my 2026 Leadership Impact workbook here)
If you prefer to listen, this topic is covered in full in the episode Reflecting & Planning for 2026 of the How to Lead podcast.
Part One: Look Back Before You Look Forward
Let’s begin with a question most leaders never answer properly:
What was the leadership moment last year that changed you the most?
Not the year-end numbers.
Not the board-ready highlights.
Not the polished wins you proudly shared on LinkedIn.
I’m talking about the moment that shifted you — the moment that cracked something open.
Perhaps it was:
A team member surprising you with how much they’d grown
A conversation you delayed for too long
Delegating something properly for the first time
Letting go of a project you were never meant to rescue
Realising your team look to you for calm, not answers
Learning to tolerate silence in meetings
A crisis that reshaped your leadership instincts
Choose one moment.
Locate it.
Sit with it for a second.
Reflection is data.
And leaders who refuse to use their past as data tend to repeat the same year on a loop — just with slightly shinier software.
Now ask yourself:
What did last year teach you about how you show up as a leader?
Did you step in too quickly?
Wait too long?
Play it safe?
Play it too big?
Overcorrect? Undercorrect?
This isn’t about judgment - it’s about insight.
Leaders who want to lead with clarity, care and curiosity do something others don’t:
They link their behaviour to their impact.
So ask yourself honestly:
What actually changed because of you?
Not because of the work.
Not because of the team.
Because of your presence, your attitude, your influence.
These insights become the foundation of your leadership strategy for 2026.
Part Two: The “Three Rooms” Model - A New Way to Plan Your Year
Now that you’ve looked back, let’s look forward with a structure I’ve been teaching senior leaders across agencies, biotech scale-ups, and professional services:
The Three Rooms Model
Every leader operates across three metaphorical rooms:
The Engine Room
Operational delivery, deadlines, client demands, resource juggling.The Project Room
Planning, prioritisation, decision-making, team development.The Strategy Room
Vision, influence, direction, long-term thinking.
Most leaders - especially those in client-facing businesses - live almost entirely in Room One.
Room One is loud.
Room One is urgent.
Room One has clients emailing you “quick questions” at 6pm.
But your value as a leader increases the further you move away from the Engine Room.
Not because you’re hands-off. Because you’re doing the work only you can do.
So ask yourself:
Which room did I spend most of last year in? And which room did my team actually need me to be in?
The answer is rarely the same.
Part Three: Set Intentions - Not Resolutions
Resolutions are rules. And rules break.
Intentions are directions - and directions guide your behaviour long after motivation fades.
Here are four intention-setting questions I use with my Leadership Accelerator members. They create remarkably sharp thinking:
What do I want to be known for as a leader by December 2026?
(Think reputation, identity, energy - not tasks.)What leadership habit did I avoid last year because it felt uncomfortable?
(Courage is a competency.)What is one thing only I can do that I neglected because I was too busy doing other people’s work?
(Be honest - the list is longer than you think.)What do I want the experience of working with me to be like?
(Calm? Clear? Strategic? Empowering? Thoughtful?)
These aren’t KPI-driven questions. They’re identity-driven. And identity always drives behaviour.
If your identity remains “the dependable fixer,” you’ll keep fixing.
If your identity evolves into “the strategic director,” your behaviour will follow.
Part Four: Plan Through Energy, Not Time
Here’s a reframe for 2026:
Stop planning your year around your time. Start planning it around your energy.
Time is finite. Energy is renewable - if you protect it.
Look back at last year:
When were you at your best?
What drained you more than it should have?
What did you say yes to that wasn’t yours to carry?
What created unnecessary friction?
What gave you disproportionate value?
Most leaders aren’t overwhelmed by volume - they’re overwhelmed by misalignment.
So here’s your first practical task:
Identify three energy leaks from last year.
For example:
Sitting in meetings where you add little value
Being the default problem-solver
Rewriting your team’s work instead of coaching
Allowing client urgency to dictate your diary
Being too accessible on Slack or Teams
Not protecting thinking time
Then choose one to eliminate by the end of January.
Start small. Start intentionally.
My 2026 Leadership Impact Workbook can really help and support you with your planning; access your copy here.
Part Five: Lead Through Rhythm, Not Rush
Your leadership isn’t shaped by big annual goals.
It’s shaped by small, consistent touchpoints.
Every week is an opportunity to:
Anchor your team
Build trust
Strengthen culture
Coach someone
Improve a process
Make a decision
Reduce noise
Move strategy forward
So rather than filling 2026 with abstract quarterly goals, plan your leadership rhythms.
Ask yourself:
What are the small, repeatable touchpoints that will make the biggest difference to my leadership impact?
Some examples:
A weekly one-to-one with each direct report
A Friday check-in email to refocus your team
A weekly “reset hour” for strategy
Asking one coaching question every day
Reviewing one process every fortnight
A monthly energy audit
Monthly talent or capacity conversations
This is how sustainable leadership happens — not in sprints, but in rhythm.
Part Six: Start the Year With Your Team (Without Over-Engineering It)
January often tempts leaders into over-designed “vision sessions,” sticky notes, and PowerPoint decks nobody asked for.
Let’s skip the theatrics.
Here’s what your team actually needs from you at the start of 2026:
Clarity on what matters this quarter
Permission to say no to low-value work
A shared definition of “done”
A decision-making cadence
A sense of how they fit into the bigger picture
Here’s a powerful prompt for your January team meeting:
“What would make this the year that feels easier, smoother, and more sustainable for all of us?”
People won’t tell you they want fewer meetings. They will tell you they want more space.
They won’t tell you they want more responsibility. They will tell you they want trust and clearer expectations.
They won’t tell you they want training. They will tell you they want confidence and support.
Your job as a leader is to make the unspoken spoken.
Part Seven: Your One-Page Leadership Plan
Instead of a long development plan that never gets read again, create a single-page plan that covers:
What I’m letting go of
What I’m building (a skill, identity, behaviour or mindset)
How I want people to feel when they interact with me
How I’ll know I’m improving (behaviours, not metrics)
What support I need (feedback, coaching, boundaries, training)
Print it. Keep it visible. Review monthly.
If you’re in a senior role, share part of it with your team. Leaders who show their work build trust faster.
Part Eight: Build Your 2026 Shock Absorber
No year unfolds predictably. 2026 will bring delightful surprises, inconvenient twists and moments that challenge your leadership deeply.
So ask yourself:
How shock-absorbent is my leadership?
Meaning:
Can I stay calm when context shifts?
Can decisions still be made if I’m not available?
Can my team operate without me for short periods?
Can I recover quickly after setbacks?
Can I make decisions without perfect information?
A shock-absorbent leader isn’t more talented — just more prepared.
Create your simple Shock Absorber Plan:
What will I do when things go wrong?
Who will I go to for thinking support?
What boundaries do I need to protect under pressure?
What helps me reset quickly?
Write it down. Prepared leaders lead better.
Part Nine: Your “Day One, Week One” Checklist
Here’s your practical starting point for the year:
Day One
Choose your leadership intention for 2026
Identify one thing you will no longer do
Block out your weekly strategic thinking hour
Day Two
Have a 20-minute “year ahead” conversation with each direct report
Share one thing you’re working on as a leader
Ask what they need most from you this year
Day Three
Plan your weekly leadership touchpoints
Create your one-page leadership plan
Choose one habit to practise in January
By the end of the week, you’ll have more clarity and focus than 95% of leaders — without setting a single resolution.
A Final Reflection
Before you go, ask yourself:
What would be the cost of leading this year the same way you led last year? And what could be possible if you shifted even 10%?
Leadership is not built in dramatic moments. It’s built in accumulated ones.
Let 2026 be the year you lead with genuine intention, strategic clarity and a deep respect for your own energy.
Download your copy of my 2026 Leadership Impact Workbook here; a guide all about leadership reflection and planning, in a way that actually sticks, and more importantly, creates meaningful change for you and your team.
If you’re ready to lead 2026 with more clarity, confidence and calm, you’ll find practical tools, programmes and coaching support at waterfallhill.co.uk - including the Leadership Accelerator if you want structured guidance, accountability and a community of leaders navigating the same challenges.
