2026 Reset: How to Refocus Teams and Drive Profitable Growth
January has a very familiar smell.
Targets have been reset to zero.
Decks have been refreshed.
Pipelines have been reforecast.
And teams are standing in front of leadership with the same plans, the same confidence, and the same explanations they had this time last year.
Different year.
Same answers.
Same approach.
Same excuses.
Which usually leads to one thing:
Same results.
Welcome to the 2025 hangover.
1. Stop Rolling the Plan Forward
Most organisations don’t plan — they copy and paste.
They tweak budgets.
Rename initiatives.
Add a new channel.
Buy another tool.
But rarely do they stop and ask whether the plan itself still deserves to exist.
If you run the same playbook again, you shouldn’t be surprised by the same outcome.
Tips
Start your 2026 plan with a blank page, not last year’s deck
Ask: “If we had to build this plan from scratch today, what wouldn’t make the cut?”
Identify one assumption from 2025 that needs challenging — and challenge it properly
Remove anything justified by “we’ve always done it this way”
2. Rethink Your Cost Base (Properly)
Cost review shouldn’t be a panic exercise or a blunt haircut.
It should be a strategic reallocation.
Too many teams overspend to compensate for weak fundamentals — pouring budget into channels, tools, or agencies to prop up broken positioning, poor product-market fit, or unclear journeys.
Tips
Map spend directly against outcomes, not activity
Separate “must-have” from “nice-to-have” — then be ruthless
Ask: “What would we stop funding if this was our own money?”
Reallocate budget toward fixing root problems, not masking symptoms
3. Define a Real North Star (Not 12 KPIs)
Most teams don’t lack metrics — they lack direction.
Dashboards grow.
Clarity shrinks.
A North Star is not a channel KPI or a vanity number.
It’s the single measure that best reflects whether the business is genuinely getting healthier.
Tips
Choose one primary outcome that matters more than all others
Pressure-test it by asking: “If this improves, does the business win?”
Align teams and incentives to the same North Star — not competing ones
Demote any metric that doesn’t clearly ladder up to it
4. Be Brutal: Amplify What Works, Cut What Doesn’t
Every business claims to be data-led.
Very few act like it.
Teams often protect underperforming initiatives because they’re visible, familiar, or politically difficult to kill.
But growth comes from focus — not fairness.
Tips
Identify the top 20% of activity driving 80% of impact — and double down
Kill one initiative per quarter that isn’t delivering meaningful returns
Separate “busy” from “valuable” in team conversations
Ask: “Would we fund this again today, knowing what we know now?”
5. Shift the Focus: From Pipeline to Market Fit
Pipeline looks impressive in slides.
Until it doesn’t convert.
Many pipelines exist to hide deeper issues — unclear positioning, weak value propositions, misaligned pricing, or products that don’t quite solve a real problem.
2026 needs to be the year teams stop chasing volume and start building pull.
Tips
Analyse why deals stall or churn — not just why they start
Invest in onboarding, retention, and usage — not just acquisition
Talk to real customers more than you talk about customers
Treat repeat usage and referrals as leading indicators, not afterthoughts
6. Make 2026 the Year of Profitable Growth
Growth without margin is noise.
Scale without discipline is fragile.
The businesses that will win in 2026 are the ones that understand unit economics, not just top-line movement.
Tips
Track contribution margin, not just revenue
Measure lifetime value alongside acquisition cost — always
Prioritise quality of growth over speed of growth
Be honest about where growth is subsidised rather than earned
7. Why Fresh Perspective Matters
The hardest thing for teams isn’t execution — it’s seeing clearly.
When you build the plan, you defend it.
When you own the budget, you protect it.
When targets loom, you default to what feels safe.
Fresh perspective breaks those patterns.
Not with criticism — with clarity.
Tips
Bring in outside challenge early, not once plans are locked
Encourage teams to test assumptions, not just optimise outputs
Create space for uncomfortable questions before results force them
Look for insight, not validation
A Clearer Path Into 2026
2026 shouldn’t be another year of explaining why targets were missed.
It should be the year plans are simpler, sharper, and actually deliver.
Less theatre.
Less noise.
More focus.
More learning.
More profitable growth.
Duncan is here to help with that.
A fresh pair of eyes.
A streamlined approach.
And a focus on what truly moves the business forward.
No hangover.
No recycled plans.
Just a reset that actually sticks.
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When strategy needs momentum and momentum needs direction, I can help you get there.