What’s coming in 2026 isn’t just more disruption. It’s not another wave of AI tools or a new generation entering the workforce. What’s coming is a reckoning—a sharp reassessment of which leadership skills still matter, and which are quietly expiring.

When most people think about expansion, they imagine doing more—more sales, more effort, more hustle, more hours. But expansion isn’t about “more.” Scaling is altogether different.

Recently, I was asked: “In a world of Artificial Intelligence, what will still make humans indispensable?”

The question lingers everywhere now.

The piece highlights how AI is rapidly compressing the “half-life” of many technical skills. What once remained relevant for a decade now erodes within 18–24 months.

In the early years of a startup, many founders are taught to prioritize the pitch deck over the sales call. Raise capital. Extend the runway. Buy time. That was the game. For a while, it worked. But we’re not in that era anymore.

Every founder I’ve worked with, myself included, has wrestled with a kind of illusion: “If I can just get everyone to see what I see, we’ll be fine.”

It’s flattering when everyone agrees with you.

Every ambitious professional eventually hits a wall. Sometimes it’s burnout. Sometimes it’s decision fatigue. Sometimes it’s that quiet, creeping sense that this is no longer working like it used to. You’re still showing up. You’re still producing. But momentum has stalled—and effort alone isn’t cutting it anymore. Sound familiar? You're not alone.