Future-Proofing for 2026: The Leadership Prep You Can Start Today
Compliance deadlines create pressure, but they also reveal something deeper: how we lead when time is tight. Many not-for-profits are heading into 2026 with a mix of fatigue and determination. That combination can be powerful if we support it properly, and risky if we simply push through.
So as we move into 2026 it is worth asking: what leadership capability will we need more of this year?
Not the aspirational stuff that lives in strategic plans, but the practical muscles that help people stay steady when things are changing.
Three leadership muscles that help organisations cope
1) Decision-making that is calm and timely
Clarity about who decides what, by when, and what “good enough” looks like.
2) Boundaries and sustainability
Not just wellbeing as a concept, but real practices that stop overload becoming normal.
3) Collective leadership
Sharing leadership across a team or group so it does not sit on one or two shoulders.
You do not need a massive programme to make progress. You need rhythm.
A simple 2026 personal leadership development rhythm
Monthly: one peer learning conversation (what is changing, what is working, what is worrying us)
Quarterly: one skills session (for example, difficult conversations, conflict navigation, influencing, chairing, managing volunteer capacity)
Annually: one personal leadership development programme (we need to know who we are as leaders to effectively lead others)
Ongoing: one reflective practice habit (short debriefs after big moments, a leadership journal prompt, a buddy check-in)
This kind of cadence builds confidence and reduces the “everything is urgent” feeling that drains leaders and teams.
Reflective questions to take to your next board or team meeting
If you want a clean way to introduce this without overwhelming people, try a short round using one or two of these:
What have we been putting off that would genuinely reduce pressure if it was done?
What is one decision we need to make sooner, not later?
Where are we currently relying on goodwill instead of a sustainable plan?
What leadership behaviours do we most need from ourselves in 2026?
If we could strengthen one capability across our leaders this year, what would give us the biggest lift?
“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.”, Arthur Ashe