Lessons from 2025 to Leadership in 2026 | Navigating The Fog of Change™

Navigating the Fog of Change™: Lessons from 2025 to Leadership in 2026
We’re not lacking information—we’re overwhelmed by it.

In this special episode of Focus on Growth: Navigating the Fog of Change™, Tom Doorley looks back on the most important insights from his 2025 conversations with CEOs, founders, board members, and change leaders—and asks a critical question:

How do we lead effectively in 2026 when uncertainty isn’t going away?

The fog of change—driven by AI, geopolitics, demographics, and media—is not temporary. It is massive, fast, and permanent. Traditional long-range planning no longer works.

In this episode, Tom shares a practical leadership framework for this new reality, including:

·      Why strategy today is about being ready, not right
·      How to build a focused Leader’s Change Agenda
·      The importance of “lookouts” to sense danger and “scouts” to seek opportunity
·      Why trust and belief—not compliance—determine whether change succeeds
·      How boards and advisors can move from oversight to real insight

The takeaway is simple but powerful:
We can’t eliminate uncertainty, but we can create the trust and clarity needed to decide, act, and adapt.

If you lead an organization through constant change, this episode will help you navigate the fog—and make 2026 a year of progress, not paralysis.

Thank you to all of our esteemed guests this past year, your insights and conversations were incredibly valuable. If you haven't caught up on all of our 2025 episodes, watch them below:

Seeing Through the Fog: Why Citizen Knowledge Matters with Jeff Jacoby
   • Seeing Through the Fog: Why Citizen Knowle...  
Guest: Jeff Jacoby |   / jeff-jacoby-76616929  

From Oversight to Insight—or Irrelevance: The Board’s Challenge
   • From Oversight to Insight—or Irrelevance: ...  
Guest: Dave Rosenblum |   / drosenblum1  
Guest: Bob Kueppers |   / robert-j-kueppers-1218a228  

A Conversation With A Change Master with Rick Maurer
   • A Conversation With A Change Master: Rick ...  
Guest: Rick Maurer |   / rimaurer  

How a Small Company Fights Its Dragons
   • How A Small Company Fights Its Dragons l |...  
Guests: Tom and Monica Rogan | Founders of Goodnow Farms Chocolate
https://goodnowfarms.com

Making AI Work with John Donovan
   • Making AI Work with John Donovan | Navigat...  
Guest: John Donovan |   / johndonovanatt  

Cascading The Message To The Front Lines with George Young
   • Cascading The Message To The Front Lines w...  
Guest: George Young |   / georgehyoung  

The Board As Your Compass with Dr. Peter Crow
Guest: Dr. Peter Crow | Global governance advisor | www.petercrow.com
   • The Board As Your Compass with Dr. Peter C...  

The Founder's Shift From Builder To Leader with Don Plumley
   • The Founder's Shift From Builder To Leader...  
Guest: Don Plumley | COO at Sage Partners |   / dplumley  

Leadership Is Personal with Jennifer Barron
   • Leadership Is Personal with Jennifer Barro...  
Guest: Jennifer Barron | Executive Coach and Advisor
  / jenniferjbarron  

A Call For Leadership with Cordell Bennigson
   • A Call For Leadership with Cordell Bennigs...  
Guest: Cordell Bennigson |   / cordellbennigson  

Navigating The Fog of Change: Massive, Fast, Forever—Now What?
   • Navigating The Fog of Change: Massive, Fas...  
Hosted by Tom Doorley |   / tomdoorley  

Leadership, Growth, & Building Great Teams — with Kate Morgan
   • Leadership, Growth, & Building Great Teams...  
Guest: Kate Morgan |   / kate-morgan-62793576  

Navigating M&A: Time To Pivot — with Barry Winer
   • Navigating M&A: Time To Pivot — with Barry...  
Guest: Barry Winer |   / barrywiner  

Gambling On Innovation — with Darrell Velegol
   • Gambling On Innovation — with Darrell Vele...  
Guest: Darrell Velegol | https://www.knowlecular.com

Navigating Your Strategy Roadblocks — with Gregg Makuch
   • Navigating Your Strategy Roadblocks — with...  
Guest: Gregg Makuch |   / greggmakuch  

Empowering a High-Performance Sales Team — with Doug C. Brown
   • Empowering a High-Performance Sales Team —...  
Guest: Doug C. Brown |   / dougbrown123  

Assembling Tomorrow: Navigating The Fog of Change with Scott Doorley and Carissa Carter
   • Assembling Tomorrow: Navigating The Fog of...  
Guest: Scott Doorley |   / scottdoorley  
Guest: Carissa Carter |   / carissalcarter  

Spirit of America: Entrepreneurship With Purpose with Jim Hake
   • Spirit of America: Entrepreneurship With P...  
Guest: Jim Hake |   / jim-hake-50297435  

Navigating The Fog of Change™ is presented by Sage Partners. This podcast is hosted by Tom Doorley and edited and produced by Rei Haycraft.

To learn more about Sage Partners, visit: https://www.sagepartners.net/