A Leadership After-Action Review: What 2025 Taught Me and How It Reshaped 2026

It's 2026! "New year, new me!"

Sounds familiar? It should. Many people (myself included on occasion) have said this in some manner to form their New Year Resolution.

Over time, I realized that this approach didn't work for me. Instead, I treat the turn of the year the same way I treated missions, programs, and major initiatives throughout my career: as an after-action review (AAR). What worked. What didn’t. What assumptions were wrong. And what needs to change if I want different outcomes.

2025 put a lot of things to the test. So this time, I'm sharing a few lessons learned that will form my foundation for a better 2026. Not because everything went wrong—but because enough almost worked to expose deeper truths about leadership, cybersecurity, and how I create and share ideas.

Lessons Learned from 2025

1. Momentum without direction is just motion

I stayed busy all year—writing, recording, experimenting—but activity alone didn’t always translate into progress. Without a clear filter, good opportunities quietly competed with the right ones.

Lesson: Busyness can disguise misalignment.

2. Consistency beats intensity every time

The moments where I tried to “do more” quickly led to burnout. The moments where I slowed down—but stayed consistent—created better thinking, better content, and better conversations.

Lesson: Sustainable pace is a leadership skill, not a personal weakness.

3. Technology amplifies clarity, not confusion

New tools didn’t save time until I simplified the system behind them. When workflows were unclear, automation just scaled the chaos. In some cases, removing the tool was the best option. Addition through subtraction.

Lesson: Tools don’t fix strategy gaps—they expose them.

4. Depth creates trust faster than frequency

Short content drove reach further than I imagined. Long-form thinking drove connection. The most meaningful feedback came from people who actually read, reflected, and followed up on my content.

Lesson: Influence grows when people feel understood, not marketed to.

5. Not everything needs to be monetized immediately

Some ideas needed space to mature. Pushing everything toward revenue too early diluted both the message and the motivation.

Lesson: Long-term value compounds quietly.

6. Leadership content resonates when it’s honest, not polished

The posts that landed weren’t perfect. They were real. They reflected uncertainty, pressure, and growth—not just outcomes. No prep time. No script. Just real talk.

Lesson: Credibility comes from lived experience, not flawless execution.

The Hard Truths That Forced a Course Correction

1. I was trying to serve too many audiences at once.
   Broad reach felt productive—but it blurred my voice.

2. More platforms didn’t mean more impact.
   They meant more context-switching and less thinking.

3. Speed became the enemy of reflection.
   And reflection is where leadership clarity actually lives.

The Moments That Validated the Long-Term Strategy

• When readers referenced specific ideas weeks later

• When conversations moved off-platform into real dialogue

• When fewer posts produced more meaningful engagement

Those moments confirmed something important: depth scales better than volume.

Operating Principles for 2026

1. Design for sustainability

Enables: Long-term clarity and creative energy
Avoids: Burnout disguised as ambition

2. Fewer outputs, stronger signal

Enables: Thoughtful positioning and trust
Avoids: Content churn and audience fatigue

3. Lead with reflection, not reaction

Enables: Strategic insight
Avoids: Emotional decision-making driven by trends

4. Build systems that support thinking

Enables: Consistency without pressure
Avoids: Overengineering simple workflows

5. Measure outcomes, not applause

Enables: Real progress
Avoids: Vanity metrics that don’t change behavior

The Outcomes That Matter Most

1. Stronger conversations, not bigger numbers

2. Trust built through consistency, not virality

3. A body of work that reflects how I actually lead

2026 isn’t about reinvention. It’s about alignment. Because clarity beats volume—every time.