New Year's Resolutions ...from global experts to make 2026 your best year yet

As an entrepreneur, the turn of the year represents a strategic moment to reassess, re-energise, and recommit to the habits that will shape your next stage of growth. Whether you're scaling a thriving venture or taking the first steps on your entrepreneurial journey, the right resolutions can sharpen your focus and amplify your momentum.

With the above in mind, we've spoken to a number of globally renowned business leaders, best-selling authors, and leadership experts, all of whom have offered New Year's resolutions designed to inspire change that actually sticks and empower you to start your 2026 off with a bang.

Look beyond the "day job"
One of the major benefits of being an entrepreneur is the freedom to pursue your passion in a field of your choosing, which can be a tremendous source of joy in our working lives.

Steven D'Souza, author of Shadows at Work: Harness Your Dark Side and Unlock Your Leadership Potential, urges us all to take this thinking one step further, arguing that this act of boldness can fulfil deeper longings we may have sacrificed for security or prestige in our early career.

Steven's resolution for us all is to "Make a list of all of your early life aspirations and career choices before your parents, careers teacher or society told you to be sensible! Did you want to be a journalist, teacher or even an astronaut? How could you bring the essence of that desire into your life now. e.g. writing short articles, volunteering as a mentor reader for young people, visiting an Observatory. Choose one, and go do that thing this month."

Looking back to your younger self can help you identify passions that still have a place in your life. According to our next expert, Sara Daw, author of Strategy and Leadership as a Service, may even pave the way for your next career move. Sara implores us all to "Test out your next career as a side-hustle to your existing one", arguing that entrepreneurial ventures need not always be dived into head-first, and that "You can't intuit your way into a new career - you need to try it out."

Find the joy in meetings
We've all experienced it - the "urgent" meeting that could have been an email, or the slide-heavy session that saps what little focus we have after the holiday break. But meetings don't need to be energy drains. Paul Boross MBE, author of Humourology and The Pitching Bible, offers a much-needed resolution for us all to "Begin every team meeting with one laugh before one slide", swearing by this tip because "Laughter lowers defences and raises performance. A team that laughs together lasts together - and probably listens to you longer too!"

How to stimulate innovation
In light of continued business uncertainty, it is those that can innovate, and spot opportunities missed by their competitors, that will continue to survive – and even thrive – amidst an increasingly volatile market. We've spoken to a number of leading experts on innovation and leadership, who shared their most effective strategies for driving powerful change.

Barbara Salopek, author of Future-Fit Innovation, suggests running one small, low risk experiment every month with your team. This practice, she says, "builds a culture where learning matters more than perfection. Teams become more confident, more curious, and more willing to test new ideas rather than wait for certainty."

Guy Lubitsh, Professor of Leadership & Psychology at Hult Ashridge Executive Education, organisational psychologist and co-author of The Leader's Guide to Collaboration, in turn highlights the power of failure as a learning experience, reminding us all to "Fail fast, learn faster, bounce back stronger! Entrepreneurial spirit is inseparable from failure. It's the secret sauce of success. The best entrepreneurs don't fear failure. Instead, they mine it for gold. Treat failure as fuel, not shame, and watch innovation sparkle."

Charlie Curson, author of Be More Strategic, highlights the importance of looking outside our industry when searching for inspiration, urging us all to "have one conversation each month with someone (new) outside your industry", pointing out that "Innovation often comes from unexpected places. Speaking to people with different experiences sparks new thinking, challenges founder blind spots, and opens up opportunities you wouldn't otherwise see. It's a low-effort, high-impact creativity booster."

Finally, according to Angela Cox, founder of the National Coaching Conference, sometimes the best way to boost innovation is to disconnect: "Most teams aren't overwhelmed by workload; they're overwhelmed by constant interruption. Choose one day each week to run a digital detox, no Teams pings, no unnecessary emails, no random 'quick questions'. Give people protected space to think, create, and regulate. The nervous system steadies, cognitive load drops, and real work finally gets done."

Ethics and human-first leadership are key
Particularly in the age of AI, the leaders that thrive will be those that let their humanity show through at every opportunity, and commit consistently to doing business the right way.

Dr Samantha Hiew, founder of ADHD Girls, lived experience scientist and author of The Tip of the ADHD Iceberg, makes the case that "In 2026, to lead in a future-proof way is to build from your humanity, not your hustle. Lead from alignment - body, heart, mind, as embodiment creates better decisions. Real growth happens when every neurotype feels listened to. That's how cultures innovate, teams thrive, and genius actually gets heard."

Looking at the field of ethical entrepreneurship more specifically, Jean-Paul Fonteijn, author of Bring Down the Billionaires!, said "In 2026, commit to ethical entrepreneurship by pushing for fairer rules. Ethics can't thrive in a system that unfairly favours the super-rich, so use your voice, networks, and influence to support structural change."

Master your money to drive maximum value
Amidst an ever-more competitive marketplace, pricing your services according to their value, while remaining appealing and accessible to your target audience, is integral.

Professor Stéphane Garelli, author of World Competitiveness: Rewriting the Rules of Global Prosperity, advises "In 2026, the cost of doing business will increase due to a fractured global economy characterized by tariffs, industrial policies, political interference, and stubborn inflation. Cost-cutting and productivity gains will be essential. In addition, price increases will step in. Pricing power will be tested through greater reliability, efficiency, and by adding value to a business relationship.

Professor Stéphane Garelli's comments are echoed by Jenny Millar - pricing expert, CEO of Untapped Pricing, and co-author of The Pricing Sprint, who draws attention to the incredible power of pricing psychology. She says that "As budgets tighten and scrutiny rises, the organisations that thrive will be those that recognise a simple truth: customers don't evaluate price rationally. They respond to framing, context, anchors, and the story your price tells. Make 2026 the year you design those moments deliberately. Test how people actually choose, not how you assume or hope they will. When leaders apply behavioural insight to pricing, they reduce risk, improve retention, and create value that feels intuitive to customers."

Looking beyond pricing, Gary Ashworth, author of Double Up Money Mastery, also had sage advice for those investing, either personally or professionally: "Stop falling in love with your investments. Management fatigue is real. After a few years of running hard to transform an asset, you're exhausted. The easy gains are extracted. You've pulled most of the levers to make the changes that will make the most difference. This is why most people hold on for too long. Remember, they are investments, they're not your children. Sell within 3-4 years, lock in your gain."

How to use AI wisely
And finally, given that AI is only likely to continue to dominate the working world this year as adoption surges, Chetan Dube, an AI Pioneer and founder and CEO of Quant, urges us "to make 2026 the best you've ever had as a professional you must embrace the greatest technological evolution of our lifetime: Agentic Artificial Intelligence. If you aim to grow, increase speed, and overall operational efficiency, agentics will be what separates you from the herd. It makes you a better company, and a company more appealing to potential partners and investors.

But, agentic AI isn't a gadget you can simply deploy at will and watch from your office as those on the floor grapple with its uses. You must commit yourself to learning it as if your future depends on it, because it just may. Block your calendar for significant portions of time and get back to being a student. Agentic AI is not a blunt instrument, it is a powerful, revolutionary, and nuanced tool that takes complete understanding from you to achieve its highest potential."

Chetan's thoughts are echoed by Mehdi Paryavi, CEO and founder of The International Data Center Authority (IDCA), who leaves us with this crucial reminder: "AI adoption is a must. The later you embark on it the less you earn and the more you must work to catchup. However, do it with wisdom and carefully differentiate human tasks vs machine tasks and, as a leader, bridge the two for complete success."

Overall, the year ahead will reward leaders who stay curious and courageous, while embracing innovation and purposeful action. Consider experimenting with the ideas above that resonate, experiment boldly, and commit to small shifts that compound over time. By doing this, you'll both build a stronger business, and make 2026 a year defined by growth, energy and impact.