The Signals you might be Missing

Something I keep seeing in 2026 is that organisations are busier than ever, despite the implementation of AI. 

In fact, at a recent Tech conference, the joke was that AI has not made us any less busy !

This non-stop momentum is often taking the focus off people and skills/capability development in favour of getting the work done. That is totally understandable, as organisations need produce results.  

However, over time, gaps in skills and capability start to grow.

The consequence is that people and leadership development is put off, while what organisations need is the Best that their people can deliver now, in order to meet their business objectives.

And the demands on people are increasing, for the particular work that they do. However they do not necessarily have the people, personal or leadership skills to keep up with the speed of business.

The Signals

If you, for example, notice that your leaders or team are missing deadlines – this could signal that they have too much work, or it might be lack of prioritisation, perhaps they are somewhat disengaged/demotivated, or there may even be a significant difference of opinion in how the work should be done.

A missed deadline is just one signal.

So is a good person who's gone quiet, a decision that keeps getting deferred, meetings that have no real purpose or outcome and people are distracted - thinking how they wish they were not there.

The signals you start to notice are feeding back to you that something(s) is not right.

Those signals could be coming from your team, peers, stakeholders, or your upline leaders. They could even be coming from customers, which can be a major signal that needs your attention.

Turn Signal into Opportunity

Stop and notice these signals. Don’t ignore them.

·       To begin take 1 hour over the next 2 weeks, to consider the signals that you may have been dismissing or ignoring

·       Determine what is in your control and decide to personally take the necessary action

·       Gather additional feedback from your team, peers, stakeholders, or customers to find out really what is going on ‘under the hood’

·       Engage with your upline leadership to take ownership of the issues that have been uncovered

·       Ensure to install feedback mechanisms so that these signals can come to light more easily in the future

·       After making changes in a way that includes all necessary voices, review what is working and what is not

Keep listening for the signals.

Your People want to Perform.

Give them the necessary environment to be able to do their best work.

Then everybody wins.