A Message from Our CEO – January 2026

“Nothing brings a ruler more sorrow than the necessity of choosing.”

– Machiavelli

The Belmont Hotel Caruso, an 11th century palace perched 1,000 feet above Italy’s Tyrrhenian Sea comes with a chef and a private butler. As the new CEO, you can afford this. But as the champagne flows your first night, you are reconsidering your options. Is it all worth it?

In a new report by DDI, 71% of senior executives say their stress level has surged since taking on leadership roles, and 40% are considering leaving their role entirely.

All indicators are pointing to a leadership crisis. Today’s leaders are navigating non-stop ambiguity at head-spinning speed. Digital transformation, economic uncertainty, constant change in policy and law, unrealistic expectation and a fickle customer base are all contributing to burnout.

To top it off, trust in leadership has been plundered. A scant 29% of employees trust their leadership. Ouch. Watch your back. Those are revolution numbers.

Pizza parties, wellness webinars, and unlimited PTO are peripheral solutions that do not address the core issue. Leadership burnout is not an individual failing; it is a systems issue.

Leaders need to prioritize their time toward strategy and outcomes and clear everything else out of the way. They need to focus on what they can control. They should invest in emotional intelligence and resilience training. Adaptability and conflict management is a skill that can be developed and used high pressure environments. Finally, sometimes leaders need a safe environment to fail once in a while, as long as they are not putting their company at risk.

Also—do you really need to pay them that much? Compensation consultants should be ashamed of themselves. That is for another day.

Happy New Year Everyone! May your 2026 be everything you want it to be… or at least avoid disaster.

Take. A. Breath.

– Warren