The results we get depend on the actions we take, and our actions are dictated by our thoughts. One of the best ways to frame our thoughts is by asking the right questions. What follows are six important leadership questions for 2026 and why they are important – individually and organizationally.
The Six Questions
Here are the six questions, why they are imperative to consider now, and some context to help you think about each one.
How will I leverage AI?This question applies both to you personally and to how you will help and support your team. Regardless of what uses you already have found, or even if you have been cautious or resistant, now is a great time to think clearly about this, even if your first step is to educate yourself on what is possible.
How will I navigate uncertainty?If you are waiting for uncertainty to dissolve and certainty to return, it will be a long wait. This question encourages you to acknowledge the new reality – that you don’t have and can’t get all the answers in a complex world. How do you need to think differently in this world?
How will I take care of myself and my team?Burnout, stress, and anxiety are real – both for your team and yourself. If you want to lead successfully you need to be thinking about how you can help your team deal with these realities – and still get great work done. And remember that self-care isn’t selfish. If you aren’t finding ways to care for yourself, you can’t care for them.
Am I focused on activity or accomplishment? This is the critical question of productivity (hint: real productivity is focused on accomplishment, not activity). But this is a broader question because it gets at what you think about, believe in and measure in relationship to where people are working. Your clarity on this question can accelerate productivity and help you think more clearly about when and where people are or need to be working. And here’s a related question – how would your team answer this question about you?
What are my blind spots (and how can I make them more visible)? While this is an evergreen question, in a complex and changing world – which makes your role as a leader more challenging – we may be even less aware of our blind spots. Making them visible and knowing how and who can help you do that is critical to your success and wellbeing.
In what areas do I most need to grow? Notice how I asked this question. I didn’t ask about skills, although your answer could be skills. Think about your growth more broadly including skill sets, mindsets and habits.
What’s Next?
The questions move from highly topical (you would have been surprised if there wasn’t a question about AI, right?) to more personal. All are important and all are worth your time and thought. While your answers matter, what is most valuable is to make that thinking concrete.
To do that either, write your answers/thoughts down or talk with someone else about your answers (or both). Thoughts are powerful but fuzzy. Words bring clarity to thinking and that is where the power, and new actions will arise.
Organizational Application
This isn’t just a set of questions for you as an individual leader, but a set of questions organizations need to ensure all their leaders are thinking about. If you are responsible for developing leaders in your organization, encourage your leaders to consider these questions, or pick the ones that are most useful in your context now. Here are three (of many) ways you could employ them.
Send an email or message to leaders asking them one or all of these questions (or just forward this post to them) and give them a forum to share some of their answers.
Encourage people to share their answers with their boss, coach, or a learning partner.
Use one or more of these questions in your next leadership workshop.
Quality questions lead to quality thinking which gives you the chance to drive behavior. As much as you may want to give your leadership new skills for the new year, if you give them ways to clarify their thinking, you are setting the stage for higher confidence and greater results.
BONUS Content >>>SCROLL for RELATED COMMENTARY by GUEST-POSTERS + FEATURED CONTRIBUTORS
Six Leadership Questions for 2026
The results we get depend on the actions we take, and our actions are dictated by our thoughts. One of the best ways to frame our thoughts is by asking the right questions. What follows are six important leadership questions for 2026 and why they are important – individually and organizationally.
The Six Questions
Here are the six questions, why they are imperative to consider now, and some context to help you think about each one.
What’s Next?
The questions move from highly topical (you would have been surprised if there wasn’t a question about AI, right?) to more personal. All are important and all are worth your time and thought. While your answers matter, what is most valuable is to make that thinking concrete.
To do that either, write your answers/thoughts down or talk with someone else about your answers (or both). Thoughts are powerful but fuzzy. Words bring clarity to thinking and that is where the power, and new actions will arise.
Organizational Application
This isn’t just a set of questions for you as an individual leader, but a set of questions organizations need to ensure all their leaders are thinking about. If you are responsible for developing leaders in your organization, encourage your leaders to consider these questions, or pick the ones that are most useful in your context now. Here are three (of many) ways you could employ them.
Quality questions lead to quality thinking which gives you the chance to drive behavior. As much as you may want to give your leadership new skills for the new year, if you give them ways to clarify their thinking, you are setting the stage for higher confidence and greater results.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kevin Eikenberry