Growth in 2026: Why successful businesses challenge everything

Businesses have over the past few years demonstrated extraordinary resilience. Faced with global disruption, economic uncertainty and rapid technological change, leaders have adapted, innovated and, in many cases, emerged stronger.

That adaptability will be a defining characteristic of successful businesses in 2026.

But adaptability does not happen by accident. It comes from a willingness – and a discipline – to challenge the way you operate. Not just occasionally, but continuously. In 2026, growth will belong to the organisations that ask: what can we improve?

• Improve for our clients and customers.
• Improve for our people.
• Improve for the planet and our communities.
• And improve both the top and bottom line.

These questions are not tactical. They go to the heart of purpose – the reason your business exists, the impact you want to make, and the legacy you want to build. When purpose is clear, decision-making becomes faster, teams stay motivated and growth becomes more sustainable.

Leadership framework

Firms that challenge the status quo and unlock growth share a common trait: strong leadership teams grounded in clarity of purpose, trust and flexibility.

Strong and clear leadership separates strategy from operations, and with it, ownership.

For larger businesses, the CEO/MD sets and drives strategy, making the big decisions with accountability for performance. A COO (Chief Operating Officer) should run the day-to-day operations, the CFO (Chief Finance Officer) the finances. A CPO (Chief People Officer) should lead recruitment, development and retention of people, with a CMO/CGO (Chief Growth Officer) driving growth. It will sound obvious, but if the business leader is making every operational decision, you haven’t built a team – you’ve created a bottleneck on growth.

Smaller businesses, that might not have all these roles in-house, can explore outsourcing functions or roles to advisers, consultants, agencies or Non-Executive Directors (NEDs). Or, allocating responsibilities to trusted team members.

This division of responsibility does not, however, mean silos. A senior leadership team is just that, a team. And as with all teams, structure matters. Regular strategy reviews, where progress is measured, are vital. Complemented with operational reviews when execution challenges arise.

This rhythm ensures that strategic vision informs operational reality, with operational insights feeding back into strategic refinement.

The year ahead

Throughout 2026, our experts will explore how sustainable growth can be unlocked through:

• Talent: Incentivising growth and improving productivity.
• Reducing waste: Time, resources and cash.
• Customer and client service: Building loyalty and advocacy.
• Growing nationally and internationally.
• Staff resourcing: Employees, subcontractors, outsourcing functions or offshoring.
• Technology: How it can be used to support growth.
• Personal and team development.
• Improving the top and bottom line.

Throughout the year, we will highlight how we can support businesses on their growth journeys, challenging thinking, sharing insight and celebrating success. We would also love to hear from you: How have you and your business challenged established thinking, changed the way you work and unlocked growth?

To discuss your growth ambitions for 2026 and beyond, get in touch with us to explore how we can support your business.