It's predicted we'll see more change in the next 10 years than in the last decade. Are you ready? Sign up for weekly insights and gear up for change. Elevate, empower and energize yourself and your team.
Finishing Strong vs. Just Finishing: A Year-End Check-In
|
Happy Friday 👋 ! It's that time of year—every consulting firm and thought leader are rolling out their 2026 predictions. Mine? It's going to be even faster and messier than 2025. But before we sprint into whatever's next, let's take a pause and actually finish this year properly. I've been thinking about this through the lens of our Adaptability Quotient (AQ) framework. I'm inviting you to do the same. Scan the list below and pick a few that are calling your name right now. I'm looking at four specific dimensions I need to summon or pay attention to in these final weeks: Grit, Resilience, Unlearning, and Work Stress. I've also included a journal prompt for each so you can dive in a bit deeper to these dimensions if you'd like. 📌 Grit: Actually Finishing What You StartedFor me, grit looks like helping two coaching clients get their projects across the finish line during their busiest season. They've done so much work to this point and then things got busy and chaotic. I know they can do it by carving out just a bit of time to focus on a few tasks. And by finishing, they'll not only gain satisfaction and confidence, but they'll feel momentum for the next phase. Additionally, I want to finish two AI courses, one that have been 90% done for too long. You know that feeling :-). It's not about starting something new and shiny. It's about honoring what we committed to months ago and continually pursuing those longer term goals. Journal prompt:
What 1–2 things do I still need to finish that actually matter for my long-term goals?
Where do I need to dig deep, allocate time and push through, even when I'm running on fumes?
📌 Resilience: When Plans Fall Apart (Again)A couple of projects I was genuinely excited about got bumped to 2026. Disappointing? Absolutely. But it forced me to reshuffle and find a different way to close out the year meaningfully. That's what resilience actually is. It's about recovering and bouncing back and even bouncing forward to somewhere new. Journal prompt:
What setbacks hit me this year, and what did they teach me?
How did I adapt?
What will I do differently next time plans explode?
📌 Unlearning: Breaking Up With Your Old WorkflowsI'm guilty 🙋🏻♀️. I slipped back into my old ways of working. I invested time learning vibe coding and other AI tools. Then when I sat down to do some new work, I abandoned them and went back to my more manual processes. Why? Because I knew exactly how to do it the old way. I thought it was easier. It feel safe, even when it's a lot slower. So I'm recommitting. Not just to learning new tools, but to actually unlearning the workflows that got me here but won't help get me where I'm going. This isn't a one-time thing. It takes constant attention to not slide back. Journal prompt:
What old habits or assumptions are quietly slowing me down?
What do I need to let go of to work smarter, faster, or more creatively in 2026?
📌 Work Stress: The Canary in the Coal MineQ4 plus holidays equals a unique brand of chaos. My stress spiked recently, and when I dug into why, I realized I'd ghosted my gym routine. Getting my heart rate up on the elliptical isn't just exercise, it's how I manage anxiety and stay steady. So right after I hit send on this newsletter, I'm heading to the gym. Non-negotiable. Journal prompt:
How would I rate my work stress lately, and what's really driving it?
What one habit or boundary do I need to restore to keep stress manageable?
Let's finish this year with intention. Not perfection, intention. Embrace the reflection, lock in what matters, and get ready for whatever adaptability challenges 2026 throws at us. You got this! Ann 🧠 Gear Up for Change is your weekly dose of insight on navigating and leveraging change — grounded in AQai’s science of adaptability. If you find it valuable, forward it to a colleague who’s also leading through liminality and they can subscribe here. P.S. Want to feed your curiosity? Check out "The Thinking Game" on YouTube, a documentary following Demis Hassabis and the DeepMind team as they work toward artificial general intelligence. Their story about training AI to master the game of Go so they could eventually solve protein folding is absolutely fascinating. Want to Gear Up for Change Faster? Here are 3 Next Steps: 1️⃣ Get Your FREE AI Leadership Edge Scorecard. How prepared are you to lead your team and thrive through change? Find out in less than 5 minutes.
2️⃣ Measure Your AQ Take a 25-minute assessment to discover your Adaptability Quotient (AQ). Learn how to thrive in times of change and create a strategy for your growth. Gear up for the rest of 2026 using our companion AQme Workbook. (Tip: check with your manager -- you can probably expense this!) Hit reply and say "Tell me more!". Issue #59, 12 December 2025 |
Gear Up for Change
It's predicted we'll see more change in the next 10 years than in the last decade. Are you ready? Sign up for weekly insights and gear up for change. Elevate, empower and energize yourself and your team.
Happy Friday 👋 ! We're not even through January, and one thing is already clear: disruption isn't an issue you can put on the back burner. It's here, it's constant, and it's reshaping how leaders perform...right now. The pace of change isn't slowing. But many organizations are. According to the AlixPartners Disruption Index 2026, 51% of CEOs believe their company is not adapting fast enough—a sharp 10-point jump from last year. That's not a fringe concern - it's the majority view at the top,...
Happy Friday 👋 ! Let's talk about something you're probably already feeling. The certainty about uncertainty Ask any CxO what's keeping them up at night, and you'll hear the same things: economic volatility, AI disruption, geopolitical chaos. According to The Conference Board's C-Suite Outlook 2026, these are the forces shaping every major decision right now. And how are they responding? By doubling down on productivity, growth, and AI-enabled efficiency gains. Here's why that combination...
Happy Friday 👋 ! The Feeling You Get First? Put It Last. I heard this on a podcast this week and thought it was great advice and wanted to share it. When something unexpected happens—a deal falls through, a project implodes, someone says the thing you didn't want to hear—there's always a first emotion. Anger, maybe. Panic. That gut-punch feeling of "oh no." Here's the move: take that first feeling and mentally move it to the back of the line. It's still there. You're not ignoring it. But...