Managing in the Age of Uncertainty

The Five Golden Rings of Managing in 2026

Give yourself the gift of managing — because 2026 may be the most important year of your managing career.

I don’t think it’s hyperbole to suggest that 2026 will be a year like no other for anyone managing people.

Three reasons why:

1. The combination of millennials and gen-z will top 60 percent of the workforce in 2026, cementing a decade-long transition that will bring to the forefront the wants, needs and expectations of a new generation for the next 20 years (that’s right, 20 years or more).

2. Despite the surging stock market for AI, only 39 percent of Americans see more benefits than drawbacks from AI. At the top of the list is “AI Anxiety” and job displacement. I know this is very real — because I am “out there” talking to young and experienced people alike every week as I write this newsletter. As I’ve said before, if you are under 25 years old and over 50 years old, it is tough right now — and 2026 will only accelerate the pace of reimagining the workplace with AI.

3. As readers of this newsletter know, I believe the corporate ladder is dead or dying in the age of AI. Now that facts are clear: the ladder will die officially in 2026. The corporate ladder isn’t just changing—it’s being dismantled rung by rung, replaced by skills profiles. The evidence is already here: for example, IBM replaced 3,000+ job descriptions with “skills profiles” this year; Deloitte implemented quarterly skills assessments focused on “long-term career currency, not just next steps up the ladder.” Companies are preparing themselves and their workforce.

If we ever needed evidence of the concepts, frameworks and ideas we discuss in this newsletter, 2025 tells us 2026 will tip the scales. The impact on managers and individual contributors is stunning compared to the last 100 years — and it happened in the time span of less than three years as the age of AI arrived almost unannounced and changed the workplace forever.

The Five Golden Rings of Managing in 2026

In this issue of Managing in the Age of Uncertainty, I’m focusing on what you can do as a manager to adapt for so much change. The future of managing is right here, right now. Each of the five “Golden Rings” is a way to get better as a manager. I hope you try all five!

Golden Ring #1: Consistency is the New Black

My research into the future of managing found that the next generation of talent — millennials and gen-z — want a manager who is consistent. It makes sense when you think about it: In a world where so much is uncertain, consistency is the exact opposite. People want to know they can count on a manager to help advance their careers and grow — as the corporate ladder fades into memory.

To that end, my research I identified six specific “drivers” of consistency that millennials and genz care about. In research-speak, the Six Drivers have a 95 percent confidence interval in predicting someone’s willingness to recommend you as a manager — meaning the Six Drivers are the skill set you need to master in 2026 to attract and keep the best talent on your team.

My ebook How to be a Great Manager in the Age of Uncertainty drills into the Six Drivers in detail, including specific actions you can take to master them. I’m offering free Kindle copies of my book for three days: December 17, 18, 19.

Give it as a gift or read it yourself, or both.

As a reminder, here are the Six Drivers of Consistency from my research and the behaviors expected of you as a manager in 2026:

Golden Ring #2: Give Yourself Some Feedback

Former United Airlines CEO Oscar Munoz told me in this newsletter that “know thyself” is fundamental to being a good manager — because you can’t be great at everything. Oscar called it “knowledge of contribution.”

Do you know your strengths and weaknesses as a manager? Do you have “knowledge” of your contribution? Do you think you are consistent as a manager?

Former Cisco CIO Rebecca Jacoby said that the most important act you can take as a manager is to “get perspective.” It starts with you.

From my research, I created a free self-assessment based on the Six Drivers of consistency. More than 5,000 managers have tried the assessment. You’ll get a score on each of the drivers, as well as an overall score on a scale to 0-100.

Every successful manager has super-powers. And, every successful manager has a few warts. Knowing yours is the key to getting ready for the pace of change in 2026.

Golden Ring#3: Modernize Your LinkedIn Summary

The next generation of talent knows they are charting their own career course, one chapter at a time, not one rung or grade level at a time. They want the chapter spent on any team to produce a “best seller” to set them up for the next job, not the next level.

The same applies to you. Role model what it means to tell a bestselling career story. Recently I launched an AI-powered tool called “Career Story Builder” to provide a mentor, coach and buddy to help people write best-sellers about themselves — and why they’re ready for the next role, including you.

In a world where your career opportunities will reflect skills, I ask six thought-provoking questions across a three-act framework (thank you Patti Sanchez) to help you write your story.

Golden Ring #4: Give Back by Mentoring

I dedicated two issues of this newsletter in 2025 to mentoring, and I learned so much from Rene Siegal and Erin Bergamo Tacy that I purposefully sought out several mentoring opportunities myself.

Any manager who wants to stay current on the issues facing people in the workplace should be mentoring. It’s a chance to do good, but also an important way to practice your skills as a manager — especially to help people tell stories about themselves.

The shift at IBM and Deloitte from job roles to thinking about skill set is instructive of where the market is going. Any career story about someone you mentor has to be skills-focused. That’s so different from moving up a grade level on a ladder where the job description is already written. These are new concepts for managing — and for the people on your team.

The easiest way to be helpful is to open your professional network. We’ve all heard stories of recent college grads not being able to get past the AI bots in-taking applications. We’ve also heard the same for experienced professionals in transition from one job to another. Introducing people to your network helps you practice storytelling about people and their skills.

In addition, I encourage you to join the alumni networks where you went to school. I’ve found it helps you feel connected immediately to someone and there’s usually some kind of process to guide you. Both Rene and Erin lead respective alumni groups at San Jose State and UC, Santa Barbara.

If you need any more encouragement: it’s also good karma.

Golden Ring #5: Have Fun

One of the great joys of my career is the time I spend as a direct report to John Chambers when he was CEO of Cisco. We spent a decade together navigating the pressure of change at the company, from dot.com rocket ship to a growth company. During the time we worked together, Cisco’s sales went from $12 billion to $48 billion.

I learned so many amazing things from John, but most importantly I learned how important it is for leaders to show up ready for the moment. The team looks to its leaders for confidence, especially when the signals around them are all flashing.

At the highest pressure moments, John had this calm nature that belied the moment. His favorite phrase to people in these situations was: “Have fun with it.” I want to end 2025 with the same thought for managers getting ready for the most important year of managing ever in 2026. No matter what the year brings, stay positive, remain calm, believe in yourself and your team, and most importantly, have fun doing it. You can do it — you can adapt for the future.

Last weekend I went the San Francisco 49ers game, and I had a chance to catch up with John. Smiling as always, he reminded me that you can lead with a heart. Enjoy the holidays, and I’ll see you all in January.