It’s New Year’s Eve (heck, it might even be New Year’s Day by the time you read this). And if you’re waiting to feel “clear” before you move into 2026, then you might be waiting a while.
Smart, capable leaders try to think their way into momentum.
They want the plan. The perfect goal. The clean “this is what I’m doing this year” sentence.
But uncertainty is part of leadership now. Permanently.
So the move isn’t to eliminate it.
The move is to increase agency within it by a small amount immediately.
The 5% Move
Not a reinvention. Not a 12-week overhaul.
Just 5% more agency in the place you’ve been stuck.
Agency isn’t always control, but it is a choice.
Choice to:
Say the thing you’ve been softening for weeks
Stop renegotiating a boundary you already set
Decide with 70% clarity instead of waiting for 110%
Remove one obligation you’ve been tolerating
Take one step that makes the problem smaller (today)
Here’s a 2-minute reset you can do tonight (or tomorrow morning):
Name the uncertainty (one sentence). “What I don’t know yet is ________.”
Name the step (one action in the next 48 hours). “What I will do is ________.”
Take the step. Even imperfectly.
Because motion creates clarity. Not the other way around.
If you want receipts, here you go:
Microsoft’s 2025 Work Trend Index (capacity + time/energy strain): click here.
Deloitte’s 2025 Human Capital Trends (leading through tension + uncertainty): here’s the report.
2025 research on perceived control + resolving daily stressors: interesting research.
Now the part that changes things:
What’s your 5% move?
Make it small. Make it real. Make it doable by Sunday.
That’s how you start 2026 differently. Not because the world got calmer, but because you stopped waiting for certainty before you moved.
Happy New Year!
P.S. A quick note before you go . I’m curious what serves you best here. Do you prefer these longer, essay-style reflections, or would you like more practical “tips and tools”? You can reply to this email (yes, it’s as easy as clicking ‘reply’ and I’ll receive your email) or message me on LinkedIn.
I encourage you to find the courage to be bitched about.
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