‘NEW YEAR, NEW YOU! SHAPE THE CAREER YOU DESERVE!’

‘2026 - A YEAR OF TRANSFORMATION AND UNPRECEDENTED OPPORTUNITY!’

‘TAKE CONTROL! OUR AI TOOLS WILL FREE YOU UP AND PUT YOU IN THE DRIVER’S SEAT!!!’

Ugh.

Everywhere I look right now, someone’s telling me how exciting things are. That this is the year when it’ll all fall into place. When humans will find their true calling at work, and happiness in life. As long as we buy their product… attend their event… subscribe to their free* AI ACCELERATOR+++™

Are you seeing the same thing? If so, what do you make of it?

I’m going to be honest. I find it more than a little disingenuous. The fact is that for many, the reality has been a little more sober of late.

The issue: complexity, uncertainty and a problematic distancing

Week in, week out, I get to connect with, and listen to, people at work. CEOs and other leaders, employees on the ground, managers in the middle. It’s a genuine privilege and it gives me an up-close look at what’s really going on when it comes to people, companies, careers and lives. The truth is, for many humans and many employers, 2025 was tough.

Let’s be clear - there’s much to be positive about, and we should of course be grateful for the relative privilege that many of us have. But even here in Australia, in the land of promise, the picture’s not rosy. Grocery prices are sky high. So are house prices and rents. Good luck getting a tradie to even quote to work on your house. And while the overall unemployment figures don’t look too bad, cuts and redundancies are increasing in many sectors, including our own. And the mood among most CEOs and business owners I speak to remains cautious.

Everything I’m seeing and hearing points to a crunch - for humans, organisations and work. Employees, seeking to make life work, are asking (or hoping) for more from employers (more money, security, opportunity, flexibility, support and connection). Meanwhile, as companies face increasing market complexity and uncertainty, they’re looking for more from their people (the most common themes I’m hearing are more effort, agility, innovation and resilience).

The fact is, all these needs are valid and they don’t need to be mutually exclusive. But we do need to unite and work hard for them. We also need to reenergise ourselves and reinvent our roles, in order to leverage AI rather than becoming its victims. That’s not easy in an increasingly disparate society.

As well as changing priorities and expectations of work, the addiction to the endless scroll has, in my view, created more exhaustion and isolation than we’ve ever known.

At its worst, it’s a vicious circle that creates a problematic distancing between employees and employers. Consider leaders who undermine their team to protect themselves. Or the company that deliberately exploits its employees to maximise profits. Now, think about the employee who reduces their effort to the bare minimum and who proactively undermines the culture around them, but sticks around for the paycheck and the perks. We’d do well to look to the natural world for lessons on mutualism.

The path from here: remember, reunite, open up and fight like hell

Wow. That was a lot of doom and gloom, wasn’t it. I’m surprised you made it this far! And I’m not surprised that many people prefer not to dwell on this stuff… to instead seek positives and hope for the best. Those are powerful human traits that should be cherished. But I’m calling for a slightly different approach: let’s look this in the eye and call it as it is. Then, let’s take it on.

Why?

Because it’s more than worth it. In fact, I think it’s an existential imperative. Humans need work and work needs humans; it’s as simple as that.

How?

Here are three things I’m focusing on in my own business and with many of our clients to navigate the next chapter:

1. Remember why we work... and the incredible things that work can bring

Let’s say it again: humans need work and work needs humans. Employment pays the bills, for a start. Sustained employment and career success give us a platform for financial security and the confidence to invest and grow. But it does so much more. Good, purposeful work can bring meaning and direction, and can become such a positive part of our identity and our legacy. It’s about the journey, not just the destination: striving… struggling… overcoming… achieving… all offer opportunities for fulfilment and growth that rarely emerge when the going’s easy.

I’ll elaborate on that second part - that ‘work needs humans’ - in a separate article. It’s a huge topic and needs its own space. But I will just say that, for me, there is absolutely no doubt: the more technology proliferates, disrupts and changes the way we live and behave, the stronger the need for human connection, endeavour, subjective interpretation and storytelling. When the dust settles, human behaviours will be the critical differentiator for organisations and their success. It’s the ‘how’ that’s currently up in the air.

2. Reunite... Connect with your work, its purpose and the team around you

We’ve covered some great ways in which working benefits humans. Now, for the clincher: the immense pride, rich connection and deep belonging that comes when we do it with others.

Think about a moment when you’ve felt part of a true team; when you’ve worked to achieve something together, over time. Maybe it’s in sports. In a choir, a band or an orchestra. Maybe it’s your family, working through challenges together. And, hopefully, you can also find examples from your career. Because this is the gold that comes from employment and work - in good times and bad. The highest performing cultures I’ve seen are in teams that have been through tough times together and come out the other side, whether it’s skin-of-teeth survival or with medals and accolades aplenty.

So, if you’re leading or supporting an organisation through a period of change - whether exciting, painful or both - for goodness sake, focus on connection and collaboration.

I’ve written before that I think the greatest risk of supportive workplaces is entitlement… and the greatest antidote to entitlement is contribution. And there’s no better way to empower someone to step up than to ask for their help.

Don’t just tell your team about your company’s purpose and values. Involve them in creating or refreshing them, and explore with them why they matter in their day-to-day work. Don’t just present the vision, goals and strategy at the townhall. Get people discussing and deciding how their role - and their qualities and behaviours - will contribute to the climb.

Inspiring and nurturing a culture where this is prevalent is harder than it sounds - believe me, I’ve seen that first-hand. But, now more than ever, I think it’s a non-negotiable.

3. Fight like hell... together, for what we have and what we want

This is the hardest bit, folks. We can talk the talk. We can tell our people that they matter. We can tell our employer and our manager that we care about the business. But, next, we need to show it, sustain it and turn it into results and progress.

In a sluggish economy with plenty of uncertainty still on the horizon, it really does come down to care and ‘skin in the game.’

Firstly, we have to strengthen bonds and find the desire to roll up our sleeves and dig deep, together.

Secondly, we must be open and agile, flexing and learning as we go. There’s no space for defensiveness or ego. None of us have all the answers.

Finally, and most importantly, we must believe. That the journey we’re on is worth it and that every one of us can influence the outcome and the experience.

So, I’m calling for care.

Leaders and owners: choose to invest in people. Embrace and leverage tech, of course. But keep humans at the helm and the heart. Listen to them. Support them. Have expectations of them! And, use their care, their skills and their growth as your greatest differentiator.

Employees: choose to invest in your work and your career - not just to pay the bills, but to enrich your life, your identity and your legacy. Find an employer and a team whose journey you want to be a part of and be a true advocate - for the organisation and the opportunity you’re all chasing, together.

Ready? Let’s go.