Breaking Your Old Habits So Your Company Can Grow in 2026
As we approach the end of a quarter, many CEOs use words like “sprint,” “drive,” or “push” to motivate their companies to hit targets and raise the ceiling for the quarter and year ahead.
But “bigger,” “faster,” and “more” aren’t the keys to breaking through your company’s present. The ceiling most companies find themselves bumping up against usually isn’t related to strategy, what you’re selling, or how you’re selling it.
The real ceiling is leadership.
The era of “growth at all costs” is over. In and of themselves, no amount of extra effort or improved efficiency can tackle problems like accelerating AI disruption, widespread geopolitical uncertainty, and the realigned priorities of top talent.
If you want to Make BIG Happen in 2026, then before you step into your annual planning session, you have to confront the one question that will reframe everything about your company and your performance as CEO:
What if the biggest obstacle to your company’s growth next year is your own outdated habits?
The Leadership Bottleneck: How CEOs Unintentionally Limit Scale
During the start-up phase, companies largely run on a “Founders Operating System.” This OS is programmed around an entrepreneur who’s running on sheer will.
Decisions are made quickly, not perfectly.
Growth is the top — and sometimes only — priority.
Depending on the day, the CEO is Chief Fire Fighter, Head of Sales, Marketing Director, or Customer Service lead — sometimes all at once.
And then, usually, around the time that red starts turning black, the Founders OS starts to crash.
Why?
Because the CEO fails to shift from a Building mindset to a Multiplier mindset.
The fast acting and multitasking that’s necessary to build a company’s foundation isn’t a path to sustainable growth. Eventually, the amount of value that a Builder can create through their own effort just isn’t enough to push the flywheel over the hump and generate momentum. At that point, either the company stalls and dies, or the CEO grows into a Multiplier, designing systems and recruiting talent that can 10X the output and the value of the company.
The Hidden Costs of an Outdated OS:
- Micro-decisions become emergencies: An unempowered team will be just as paralyzed by a $500 decision as they are by a $5,000 or $5 million decision.
- Faulty framework: CEOs know their businesses better than anyone. But gut instinct doesn’t scale. If your company doesn’t have clearly defined roles, responsibilities, and decision trees, employees will freeze until you tell them what to do.
- Misallocation of time: Time is one of the most precious resources a CEO has. You’re wasting it if you’re spending your day putting out fires (reacting) rather than designing and supporting the sprinkler system (leading with intention)
Time for An OS Upgrade?
- The company is growing, but you aren’t. You feel exhausted, not energized. And the harder you work, the less you feel yourself accomplishing.
- Capacity stagnates. Your five-star team of VPs and managers aren’t adding value to existing customers or accelerating your prospecting because they’re waiting for your direction.
- You’re still the hero. If you have to put on your cape anytime there’s a minor crisis, you’re failing as a leader.
The CEO Reset
To win in 2026, you need to replace the habits that built your company with the habits that will scale it.
And that requires not just better time management, but systematic mindset management.
Perform each of these OS upgrades one by one:
Reset #1: From Control to Clarity
- The Founder’s OS: You’re deeply involved in the “How” of every project, ensuring quality by controlling the minutia of every process.
- OS 2.0: The CEO determines “What” and “Why,” and delegates “How” to the team.
- Operational Framework: The Stop-Doing List
- Make a list of everything on your weekly to-do list.
- Separate out anything that doesn’t fall under the CEO’s five responsibilities: Vision, Cash, People, Relationships, and Learning.
- Of the remaining tasks:
- Delegate was has to be done.
- Terminate tasks your company shouldn’t be doing.
Reset #2: From Speed to Scalability
- The Founder’s OS: Executing every task yourself because it’s the fastest way to get tasks done.
- OS 2.0: Investing time and money in training and educating team members so that, eventually, you’ll be able to focus exclusively on CEO-level responsibilities.
- Operational Framework: The Leadership Capacity Ladder
- Assess your direct reports. Where do they fall on the following?
- Rung 1: They wait for instruction.
- Rung 2: They ask what to do.
- Rung 3: They act and report.
- Who can you coach up to Rung 3? Who’s stuck at Rung 1 and should you replace them?
- Assess your direct reports. Where do they fall on the following?
Reset #3: From Intuition First to Insight First
- The Founder’s OS: Your experience and feelings ultimately guide your decisions.
- OS 2.0: You establish a systematic process for aligning teams, gathering and analyzing data, making key decisions, and assigning accountability.
- Operational Framework: The Weekly CEO Rhythm
- Great CEOs don’t “wing it.” They’re intentional about how they spend their time, which helps them make more informed strategic plans and decisions. Establish “theme days” and time blocks that will help you balance learning and execution. For example, Monday might be Alignment Day where you meet with all of your leaders and set the tone for the week ahead. By Friday you might ready for Review Day, where you block time to reflect on the previous week, set goals for the week ahead, and start powering down for the weekend.
Reset #4: From Being the Engine to Being the Architect
- The Founder’s OS: You are the company’s main source of fuel.
- OS 2.0: You design a culture and strategy and hire a world-class team to put up the scaffolding.
- Operational Framework: Enhanced Communication
- Established a structured communication rhythm that reinforces goals, deadlines, and accountability so that your voice is always being heard even when you’re busy doing CEO things.
Reset #5: From Habitual Reactivity to Deliberate Leadership
- The Founder’s OS: You start your day responding to what’s in your inbox.
- OS 2.0: You start your day with exercise, meditation, and think time so that you can improve your output.
- Operational Framework: The “Stop–Start–Strengthen” Audit
- Sit down with your CEO coach or your leadership team and perform a ruthless audit of your behaviors:
- STOP: What are three things on your weekly to-do list that are not top-level CEO tasks? (Tip: Review your Stop-Doing List!)
- START: What are three habits you could adopt that will improve your leadership in 2026? Think inside the office (“I need to delegate better.”) and outside the office (“I need at least 8 hours of sleep every night.”).
- STRENGTHEN: What is your CEO superpower and how can you enhance it?
- Sit down with your CEO coach or your leadership team and perform a ruthless audit of your behaviors:
Break Through the Emotional Barrier
When CEOs know that something is wrong with their companies, they often turn to the numbers. But the barrier to a CEO reset isn’t diving deeper into KPIs or another round of AI analysis.
The barrier isn’t intellectual. It’s emotional.
You’ve poured so much of yourself into making your company a success that your company is inseparable from your identity. Your company gives you a sense of accomplishment, a sense of purpose. It feels good to be “the hero,” the only one who can save the day. It’s fulfilling having so many people, inside and outside of the company, depending on you. And it’s rewarding when you’re able to deliver.
But to keep delivering, the company has to keep growing. And if, as CEO, you keep operating with your original firmware, you won’t be able to grow along with it.
In that sense, being a longtime CEO can be a lot like being a parent. You’ll always be Mom or Dad. But your teenager doesn’t need their diapers changed or help with their homework. They need someone they can look up to. Someone who leans on their strengths, shores up their weaknesses, acts with compassion and humility, and empowers people around them to take that next BIG step.
Your 2026 Depends on Your Reset
2026 will not reward CEOs who just try to accelerate. It will reward CEOs who are willing to evolve.
Stagnant leadership will stall companies until they’re passed by nimble competitors in both lanes.
And companies that still depend on one person for everything won’t have the team, systems, or values they need to react when the ground shifts under their feet.
If you want to shatter the ceiling, first you need to break the bottleneck. Upgrade your OS. Surround yourself with top talent. Work with a CEO coach who can help you find your blind spots, optimize your annual planning, and Make BIG Happen.
Your company is ready for 2026. The question is: are you willing to become the CEO it needs?
If you don’t have a coach and want one to help you prepare your business during this quickly evolving landscape, fill out the form below to take us up on a complimentary 1:1 coaching call.
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