Don't Waste the Hard Years

Extract the value from what you survived, solved, and improved.

The last few years forced leaders to deal with tariffs, supply volatility, workforce turnover, margin pressure, and nonstop operational change. Much of it is here to stay — it’s our new normal. The question isn’t whether we prefer it, but what we do with the experience we gained.

Teams improve through adversity, not convenience. They got faster, more cross-functional, more resourceful, better at prioritizing, and better at communicating. That value is often overlooked because it came from solving problems rather than achieving perfect results.

Leaders should pause and ask: Are we extracting the value from those adaptations? Or did we just survive them and move on?

In extreme change, certainty comes from recognizing progress. When teams hear, “We got better at this. We learned this. We adapted here,” it validates the struggle and reinforces capability. That’s fuel for 2026.

Don’t waste the hard years. Leverage them.

#NewNormalLeadership #VUCAReady #ResilientTeams #AdaptiveLeadership #LeadWithCertainty