Resolving to Be Resolute in 2026

Gary Burnison is CEO of Korn Ferry and the author of Love, Hope & Leadership: A Special Edition.

What do we see? That is the question as we open the first page of the first month of the calendar year.

Call them reflections or even resolutions. But they are the sentiments that signal how we can be resolute and resolve for what will come our way in 2026. 

Leading by design rather than default is a choice. 

Resolution or Resolve. Reactive or Reflective. What’s wrong with what’s right or what’s right in what’s wrong.

What we perceive is how we lead.

Our research shows that up to 70% of an organization’s culture and climate can be determined simply by leadership style. So, we ask ourselves: What reality do we perceive and, more importantly, what will we project?

While we can’t always change our circumstances, we can absolutely change our thoughts. 

Neuroscience tells us that what we feed our minds can be just as important as the diet for our bodies. It’s all about what we choose – positive or negative, consciously or unconsciously. And sometimes in the most profound ways. Grit versus grace. Ego or everyone. Ecosystems and silos or the enterprise.

Leadership is inspiring others to believe and enabling that belief to become reality.

Make no mistake: Our attitude is the organization’s altitude!

As leaders, every day we have a choice. And the answers are not always apparent, particularly in today’s world defined by disruption, digitization and economic fluctuation, requiring more than static strategies. We need to adapt, align and act.

It takes resolve to meet our resolution.

Think of resolve as the muscle and the motivation—the drive, the persistence, the willingness to push through challenges. It’s the energy that fuels our action. Think of resolution as the mindset—the clarity, the intention, the “why” behind what we choose to pursue.

Indeed, as we begin this New Year, let us resolve not just to make resolutions—but to be resolute.

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