Six Leadership Trends Shaping the Rest of 2026 (And How to Navigate Them)

Braden Smith: Equipping people to be successful right now is going to be critical if you want them to stay engaged and be successful tomorrow. This is the Leadership Foundry podcast. I'm, um, your co host today, Braden Smith. And joining me is my partner and founder of Leadership Foundry, and fellow co host, Randy Hayne. Randy, how are you doing, my friend?

Randy Hayne: I am doing great on a beautiful Friday morning. Good to see you.

Braden Smith: Good to see you, too. Good to see you, too. Well, Randy, we've kind of hit this midpoint in the year. We're getting close to that, and I think it's always a good time to stop and reflect and notice what are some of the patterns, themes, behaviors that we're seeing going on today in the world. Not just in terms of, uh, the companies and organizations we work with, but also in terms of the leaders and individuals inside those companies and organizations. Uh, and let's maybe spend a little time taking a little bit of an inventory. I've got a few that I've come up with. I think you've got a few you've come up with, and let's share those today for our audience. And most importantly, as we always try to provide practical advice, what can we do as leaders or aspiring leaders given some of these challenges? So with that, with that, it's kind of a setup. I think I'm going to pass the baton to you, my friend. Do you have one that you'd like to kick us off with?

Randy Hayne: Yeah, I'll take us out of the gate on this one. I think it is good that we're doing this at the midpoint. Uh, we traditionally do it once a year, but I think it's great to kind of do it now. You know, you and I are just so committed to not only working with our clients, coaching them, guiding them, you know, being part of their growth and success and their teams as well. But, uh, we're. You know, it's funny, you and I are constantly interviewing people and watching and observing. So I think today will likely be just, uh, first six months of the year. What are we hearing in the trenches? And I think that's kind of where our talk will likely go. Um, you know, I would be remiss if I didn't touch on just how most of the leaders I'm encountering right now are dealing with change, uh, specifically dealing with change influenced by AI. Uh, lots of kinds of change out there, lots of disruption. But right now, just watching my clients as they engage in figuring out their strategy, some of them have a very established, uh, strategy, and they're implementing it. But just what are the individual leaders and their teams dealing with? So if you don't mind, Brandon, I'm going to comment on that.

Braden Smith: Of course.

Randy Hayne: You know, my individual coaching clients range from national, uh, nonprofits to Fortune, uh, 20 companies, as do yours. So I've got a pretty broad spectrum of people that I'm encountering. So I'm running into a couple of camps, maybe two distinct camps. They're the organizations where the leaders have been wrestling with and thinking about and implementing AI strategy for quite some time. And I think primarily they're using it as a cost cutting strategy. Uh, it certainly is attractive to Wall Street. Um, you know, but I think as I, as I look at those individual leaders, what are they saying and thinking? I think a lot of them are just, uh, sipping from the fire hose. I think it's so much, so much rapid change in AI. And, uh, I'm no expert, but just listening to them talk, it just seems like they're trying to keep pace of all the evolving changes which seem to happen weekly. I think they're also, um, you know, trying to figure out what does this mean for me, what does my future look like. So there's a lot of angst and stress and, and just worry about their futures. Um, and I think they're absolutely wrestling with how do I, how do I effectively lead, uh, more junior members of the team and maybe even, uh, obviously push down through them to the front line of our organization. They're the ones who are most at risk in the age of AI. So my leaders are, um, you know, really just very tense and stressed right now about how they deal with all this. So what's the formula? What's the recipe? How do you guide leaders like that? And if you're listening to the podcast, you may very well be one of those leaders or you may be in the other camp where you kind of have it figured it out. You figured out, uh, an approach and you're comfortable and things are going well. Or maybe you haven't even tackled this yet. But let's talk, let's start with the camp that's struggling a bit. So as I work with these individual leaders, it's always good to, uh, step back and just take a breath, just take a moment and pause. You want to definitely, as you're thinking about where you are in all of this, if you're one of those leaders who's feeling stressed and angst and concern, let's be reflective about what's really going on. Um, make sure that you're taking care of yourself. Let's not ignore self care. Let's be mindful to make sure you're getting rest and exercise and your diet and you're doing the things that you need to do to take care of your mind and your body. So definitely do that in any period of disruption. I think the second element of this is I don't think any of us are ever going to master the pace of AI and growth and change. Uh, it's almost a futile exercise. But I do think we can step back and decide how are we going to show up as leaders? What kind of leader do I want to be in this disruptive period? Do I want to be a leader who is still actively coaching and developing my people? Uh, how am I interacting with them? Am I making time for them, am I preserving, uh, those precious one on ones and making sure that they feel listened to, uh, that they feel like I'm investing in them. Uh, am I that kind of leader? And I hope you are. And I think also always being mindful that nothing's guaranteed in the business world. Uh, remember businesses are um, agnostic when it comes to people and careers. Let's just be honest. So you need to be, make sure, you need to make sure as a leader that you're being a good steward of your own career. Uh, what can I do to be successful here? But potentially you may have to look and say maybe down the road this isn't the right environment for you may need something else. So Brandon, I come back to lots of disruption. My clients are frustrated, angst ridden, all of that. I think self care, being mindful to keep investing in your people and just being mindful that you have to be a good steward of your career. That's the advice I'm giving the leaders I encounter.

Braden Smith: Yeah Randy, I love that and I want to just add one little comment to that and then I'll add my first one. So you know AI is a wonderful tool. It gives us lots of things. Um, so I'm going to use the right over here if you can see behind me. Author editor. We want to use author editor when we think about AI. Perfectly appropriate to use AI either in the author seat and you're in the editor seat or in the editor seat and you're in the author seat. So for example, maybe you're trying to accomplish some ideas to use AI to author some things and you edit or perhaps you have a bunch of reports and you need AI to synthesize that for you and so you're authoring Those, and then AI is going to, and then AI will edit where we go wrong. And where I heard my leaders complain is people just abdicate, uh, authority completely and they let AI author and edit. So I have a leader of a, of a non profit and he complained, he was complaining to me. He said, you know, my marketing director, I asked her to put together a marketing plan and she sent me an AI generated marketing plan. She just put it into. AI generated it, she sent it to him. She didn't edit it, she didn't offer it. She just had AI do it all. So I think that's also important as we think about AIs making sure that you don't completely abdicate your, your role in that. Um, and I think that's partly where everyone's trying to figure out exactly how do, how do we use this new tool? So I want, I want to throw that in there too. Randy.

Randy Hayne: Love that. Listen, I think that's a great perspective. Um, and it's a great add to what I said, a, uh, great one. Tell me what your, what your first of three big trends is.

Braden Smith: So, um, here's kind of what I'm, what I'm seeing in terms of, um, trends. And then I've got some thoughts for leaders as you're kind of navigating this. Uh, so I'm not saying anything that isn't obvious. We're still in an economic cycle that's not as bullish as we might like. And so a lot of companies are struggling, uh, and because we've got, uh, a lack of movement, frankly, in the market. And literally in some cases, the housing market's pretty flat. And that drives so much of our economy, at least in the US and so when no one buys and sells houses or does renovations, a lot of folks don't have a lot of work. Um, and so that causes problems. Okay, so that's not the actual issue. The issue is it seems like Fortune 500 companies don't want to acknowledge that. So they are releasing new aggressive growth plans for the next three years with 10, 15% increases in revenue. Uh, and you're doing it in a climate where people, the companies are barely making it right now. And then, so we're kind of, you're almost ignoring that and you've got these unrealistic expectations. And the idea is, again, we're going to push stretch goals. And I get all that. But there comes a limit where if you go too far, people just say that's not possible, and they quit, they give up. So it's Kind of like hot sauce or urgency. If you put too much of it on, people just say this isn't even possible. And I'm hearing some of that stress, anxiety, and frankly, just wanting to just kind of quit and give up, uh, from a lot of my clients because they're being told to hit these aggressive targets, uh, in a climate where, um, they're barely kind of keeping their head above water. So as a leader, just be cautious to not go so far. When you go from stretch goal to unrealistic goal, and then you can't get buy in, and then you're going to lose your team. So that's going to require courage because it might mean you've got to push back against your leader or push back against the board or push back against analysts and attend to what's real. So I do think we're in a bit of. I'm, um, seeing some of that as a challenge with a lot of my clients is not only are they trying to kind of, um, face the currents that are going on right now in the market, but then they're being told, oh, no, just ignore all that. We're actually going to hit all these incredible new targets we've never hit before in the next two years that founded in, frankly, nothing. So there needs to be some kind of a realistic level setting that I'm not seeing. And so I would challenge leaders today to try and find a way to make your targets as realistic and achievable. Or another way to say, this is, let's get old school and go back to smart goals. It's got to be specific, it's got to be measurable, it's going to be actionable, it's got to be realistic, and it's got to be timely. We seem to have lost all that in an effort to please the market. So, um, just my. That's kind of my. That's my caution and that's my. That's my first one, Randy. So I would love your thoughts on that.

Randy Hayne: I love that and, uh, agree with everything you said. I think there, if there was one little piggyback I would make. Do you remember over all the years that we've been working together, certainly been doing the podcast. Occasionally we talk about the talent wars, and the talent wars are still raging. They haven't gone away. So tying this back to what I said earlier about AI and transformation and change in these businesses, and I know exactly what you're talking about with unrealistic goals and people eventually checking out and there's churn at the top, because we are moving more and more towards AI kind of in the entry level ranks of companies. We're going to struggle to develop the next generation of leaders because typically, you know, they come from the trenches. We promote them from within, or we find people that have experience. We need to be very thoughtful. And I'm not sure we're being thoughtful enough about how do we build the next generation of leaders. It seems like that's being missed in the big discussions right now. So I see exactly what you're seeing about unrealistic targets. But if executives and boards are thinking there's ample talent, you and I both know there is a finite supply of talent and it's shrinking. And I think that's just something I would add on to what you said.

Braden Smith: Yeah. And I think your A players are going to be the first that are going to go. And they're not going to go right now. They're not going to go right now. So you think, you think everybody's happy and fine? They're not. So if you've got these unrealistic targets, you've got to be prepared that as soon as the market turns and these folks get offers, they're going to move and then you're going to have a problem. So, you know, uh, equipping people to be successful right now is going to be critical if you want them to stay engaged and be successful tomorrow. Uh, frustrating them now means you're just creating that exit ramp for them for tomorrow. So, again, again, caution. Ah, cautionary tale. So, Randy, let's go to your second one.

Randy Hayne: So my second one is one that, um, we don't talk about a lot on the podcast because obviously our audience, our clients are typically maybe more senior leaders in their team. So that's kind of our core audience. But every one of our clients typically has children or nephews or nieces, uh, or friends who are in Gen Z. And you and I are both parents of Gen Z young adults. So I want to talk a little bit about something that I've observed because in my book last year, Practical Virtue, which I wrote for early career professionals, I'm investing a lot of energy on college campuses. I'm working with young career professionals. You do some of that as well. So in those conversations and my reading, I was, I've been studying this, uh, over the last couple of weeks. I'm really concerned about what Gen Z is finding in terms of new jobs. Um, let's be thoughtful and not just say, oh, it's all AI. I think that is certainly A big part of it. But I also think there's another thing that I just want to point out. I think that Gen Z is not well equipped to navigate, um, finding a job in today's world. Um, I don't think they're being equipped necessarily, uh, in their schools. I don't think they're being taught this. And then you add on top of that, you know, Covid, and then we had this like two year freeze where nobody was networking, building relationships and a lot of people, uh, especially Gen Z, their social skills were impacted. So as I look at this dilemma of Gen Z, finding new jobs, getting opportunities, this is some advice that I have been giving to the people that I mentor. When I'm in front of students, when I'm in front of early career, uh, just last week I was in front of a group of early career professionals. This is what I'm telling them. It's critical. It's critical that they not just try to go through the front door of a company to look for a job. Applying online can feel like the abyss. So if that is your strategy, if you're just applying and not getting anything and feeling really frustrated, or again, you've got children or nephews or nieces that are doing that, the advice I'd give you is really back up and say, all right, I've got to either activate or build from scratch a network. I've got to really focus on who do I know, who do my parents, who do my relatives know, uh, who are people I can connect with from my school. But you know, LinkedIn is a great tool for this. But you've got to start expanding your network and, and investing in relationships. You've got to start getting introduced in the, into the back door of a company, not necessarily the front, front door. The people that I know, my own children, Brandon, your children, uh, you know, people that I think are the most successful in finding jobs today are getting actively introduced. They're bypassing a lot of AI bots and, and screening systems that are maybe not letting you through, but they're going through the back door because someone is advocating for them, recommending them. So this idea of really doubling down and focusing on relationships and networking, uh, is critical. And also for an early career professional, let's say you've got a job and you're still nervous and struggling with your career. You've got to find advocates. You know, Brandon and I sometimes talk about the necessity of finding career advocates. Find, find those more senior leaders that will invest time in you and they will, if you ask respectfully and you've got an agenda and a plan. But sitting down with them and asking for, uh, them to open doors for you to, you know, talk about you when you're not in the room, that's what a great advocate does. So my advice to Gen Z is really double down on networking, relationships, finding advocates. My book Practical Virtue, um, definitely deals with that. My new book, A Different Take, has a whole section dedicated, uh, to relationship building and another one dedicated to managing your career. So there are lots of resources, not just ours, but others out there where you can get the help you need to start to really bypass a system that is probably frustrating a lot of Gen Z. And again, Brandon, I bring this up only because I'm running into it almost every week. I think you see it and hear it as well, but that's my identification of the problem and just a few solutions.

Braden Smith: Randy, I love it. I'm going to actually add a, um, Gen Z example for my second one as well. But let me, let me piggyback on that. So I think about my kids when they have been successful. So I've got a, I've got a, uh, so be a sophomore in college, then a senior in college. And then, uh, my oldest daughter, she's, she's out and she's been working a couple of years. And when they've been successful, they've done exactly what you said, they dissolve relationships. So like Noah, who's my, he'll be a senior in college. He's, you know, he's trying to find it. He was trying to find an internship. He said, dad, I can't tell you how many online applications I filled out. Nothing happened. Crickets. Mhm. Because now AI is scanning all the, uh, resumes and then they're using AI to generate all the resumes. So AI is just talking to itself. It's, it's. But he said when I went to career fairs and actually met people at tables, he's like, dad, he's like, that's how I'm going to do this. It's meeting people and actually having those relationships. Same thing for Abby, my daughter. She's in a big consulting firm. When she wanted to change from one area to the other, she built relationship with a partner who was in the other area. She helped him with a project, she flew to a city he was in to support something that he was working on. And he said, abby's great. I want to move Abby over. That could not have been done online. So I think you're making some great points. That investing in relationships. So m. I'm going to build on this a little bit. So first let me add a caveat to this. You know, generations are funny things because you can have variety of different differentiation in a generation. So when Randy and I talk about Gen Z, if we're talking about millennials or Gen X or boomers, there's always going to be some variation. So I don't want you to come across thinking that we're putting a, an overall blanket on everybody. Um, that said, one of the patterns that I'm seeing with Gen Z and this, they're kind of in the, in the workforce you sort of call 20 somethings. Um, they're wanting to treat their career as a job, which is perfectly fine. Uh, they want to come in at 9, they want to leave at 5. Uh, and they want to have that extra time for all the things in life that fulfill them, whether that's hobbies, extracurriculars, relationships, travel. And that's great. But I think they also have an expectation that they're going to get promoted every three years. They're just going to keep on going up. And so my challenge and my theme that I'm seeing in this is just a level set invitation to folks in that generation to say if you want to treat it as a job, treat it as a job. But understand that means you're not going to be on the fast track to promotions. Uh, I think we've done somewhat of a disservice because we talk a lot about kind of unpaid labor. That's been a big theme that everyone's railing against. How dare you ask me to do something and not pay me for it. And everyone's up in arms. You know, if you're a Gen Z and you're hearing this, you're probably up in arms about this too. Folks, this is, this is how you get promoted. I want to be honest with you this, you get promoted by going above and beyond and doing stuff you weren't asked to do and doing stuff you weren't paid to do. That's how folks historically got promoted. Because you want to show them that you can be a manager. Well, how are you going to show them that by taking on stuff and managing it or managing people when you don't have the title. So, uh, you're going to grow where you're going to grow in the areas where you invest the most. And so if you want to grow in your career and you want to make it a vocation and something you're passionate about, it means Going above and beyond, it means staying late, it means doing some of those things, which is typically kind of shunned. Shunned against, uh, right now, um, in those kind of circles that talk a lot about work to 20 somethings. Um, so I would want to offer that as another kind of thought, uh, for folks in that, in that area. It's okay to dial it back, but just know you're not going to be fast tracking it if you, if you do that. So Randy, I'll leave that to you if you have any, any of your thoughts around that.

Randy Hayne: Yeah, it's, I love the way you frame that up and I'll be very careful because I recognize how wildly unpopular the phrase pay your dues is. But you know what, it works. And one of the things I would just say is a, as uh, a note of caution and uh, an encouragement to be patient to uh, Gen Z and maybe even younger millennials sometimes putting in the effort, the time, uh, maybe not getting compensated for every minute of your day, doing the little extras, it gets you into a position, a leadership role, a more significant role where those choices to have a, you know, do the things you love, maybe, uh, you know, um, make more money, uh, do more things you want to do in your life that comes with later, but you have to get there first. And what Brandon just said is a ticket to entry to do all of those wonderful things that you probably want to do in your life. And we have to just be objective and say maybe at 21, I can't necessarily have all that, but I'm going to have a goal in the next five to six years to put in the effort to get to the place, uh, maybe like your daughter Abby or my son Ryan, where they've earned the right to be able to get to a better level, to make those choices and do the things they like to do. So um, sometimes you do, you do have to go in and lean in really hard and it's not always going to be fun, but eventually you get to a place where you can make different choices. And that's kind of what I think Brandon's saying.

Braden Smith: Yeah, and the last thing I'd add to this Randy, is when you do that, when you go above and beyond, and some of you listening to this right now are saying, I do that, it's great. I mean, uh, some people, some, uh, there's always going to be folks that do that. Uh, but when you do that, you go above and beyond and do something you're not getting paid for, you're showing Two things. You're showing you care and you're showing commitment. And those are things that leaders look for when they're looking for talent that they want to promote. Here's, uh, somebody who's really committed and they care. It's not just about the paycheck. They want to see the team win. They're willing to sit on the bench. They're willing to play any role that we need them to play because they want the team to win. Uh, and that's what you're conveying when you do that. So there may not be kind of a monetary value that comes along with that, but you're getting, instead of, instead of monetary capital, you're getting relational capital and political capital, which Randy and I would argue may be even more valuable than money. So just a, just a thought there. Um, so, Randy, let's wrap up and move to our third one. So you've got a third, I think.

Randy Hayne: I do. I do. And I'm, uh, going to date myself, and I may wind up losing half our audience with what I'm about to say.

Braden Smith: Say.

Randy Hayne: But if anybody remembers, uh, late, uh, night host Johnny Carson, he used to have a character he played every now and then called Carnac the Magnificent. And he would put on this huge turban, and he would put a card on in the front of his head that would have something that basically the answer to a question he would then ask. So here's the. I'm Carnac, and I've got this card up. And here's the answer. The answer is all. It's all about effective business relationships. Here's the question. That's the answer. But here's the question. What is one thing aspiring and existing leaders can do to positively increase their effectiveness and advance their careers? It comes back to, and we've been talking about it a little bit today, building, nurturing, effective business relationships. Let me tell you where this is coming from again. Brandon and I both promised to make this very practical and grounded in what we're dealing with every day. I cannot tell you how many conversations, Brandon, I have with other executives, uh, with their teams. And we're wrestling with problems around trust, lack of clarity, poor communication, poor collaboration. And I hear my leaders and their teams talk about these things. And sort of my default question is, so, you know, tell me a little bit about, you know, how much time you all invest in relationships with each other. If it's just an individual coaching client, you know, you said you're having a really hard time trusting so and so when's the last time you had coffee or lunch with him or her, and how did it go? And what I am learning, which is not a surprise because I think I've known this trend for, uh, quite a while now, is leaders that don't invest in relationships. Like I'm talking about an intentional investment every single week, two to three coffees a week, two to three lunches a week. They keep their one on ones with their directs and don't reschedule them. And they look at every one of those time investments in another human being as an incredibly valuable piece of their overall leadership strategy. So the leaders that do this, well, the ones that really invest in relationships have trust. They've got clarity because they've taken the time to get to know people and explain their message. Their communication is very, very solid because they're constantly talking and exchanging ideas and thoughts. And then they collaborate really well because they built trust, clarity, and great communication. So the answer is effective business relationships. The question is, if you want to be a leader that is more effective, uh, and advance your career, you need to invest in that answer. Effective relationships, is it? I could go on and on, Brandon, but that's my quick take.

Braden Smith: Randy. I love that. So, uh, I want to add one quick, quick thought to that, because we're going back to this idea of relational capital, right? I talked about political capital, relational capital, almost be more valuable than monetary capital. And it really is in so many ways, because I know people, you do too, that will tell you, they said, I've never interviewed for a job in my life, uh, because they had relationships. And then people just said, we want to promote you to this. And they just got promoted because all the relationships they had. So here's the analogy I like to use. So in the southeastern part of the United States, where we live, there's a tree called a Leland cypress. And if you've ever planted a Leyland cypress around your house, you know it because they grow like three feet a summer. And pretty soon it's like crowding into your house, you got to remove it. I mean, these things grow incredibly fast and they grow vertically. The problem of Allen cypress is, um, they have very narrow root systems. So as soon as you have any kind of heavy tornadoes or winds or storms, they just topple like that. I mean, you can just push them over, frankly. I mean, their root systems aren't very, very, very broad. Vertical. Nothing, nothing horizontal. So the simple summary is, don't be a Leela in Cyprus. Invest more time in your root system. Right. Which is what Randy's saying, have all those lunches, build those relationships with other leaders across the company and peers. And so you're building those in that network because that's going to serve you well, uh, both in the short run. But all those folks you build those relationships with, they may find other homes at some point, and they may be the one to open the door for you. Um, so it's really an insurance policy, and it's not only helping you be successful now, but it's going to help you later. So I would add that in there, too.

Randy Hayne: I love that analogy. And, uh, listen, my first house was surrounded by Leland Cypress, thanks to the builder, and I hated them because they all fel. So I've lived it. Um, but, you know, one of the things that, you know, again, just to piggyback on what I said and what Brandon brought up, is you've got to be very intentional about this. Relationship building is not a, uh, nice to have. It's a necessity. If you want to be an effective leader with a growing career and a thriving team that's effective, efficient, and getting things done and winning all the awards and getting all the goals made, you've got to be a leader that invest in this. So my challenge to you, our challenge to you is, as you look at your calendar next week, ask yourself, where am I being intentional about relationship building? And if you're not, begin. Start to schedule it. If it's not scheduled, it will not happen. It doesn't happen by just walking the halls. That could be a little helpful, but you've got to be super intentional about it. You should treat relationship building as one of your most important, important business meetings, because it is. So that's. I'll get off my soapbox, but I think this is really critical.

Braden Smith: Okay, Randy. So I've got my third. Well, we'll. I'll hit my third. And I'm curious to your thoughts. So, yeah, this one's maybe a little. A little. A little touchy. Um, but I. I feel like I still need to share it. So in all the clients I'm working with, one of the challenges that I'm seeing right now, if we kind of go back to the kind of leadership ranks and executive ranks, because the economy's not so good, because there's a lot of uncertainty, leaders are frankly avoiding decisions. Avoiding decisions. So people are coming to them saying, hey, we really need to make this. We need to close this office, or we really need an investment over here. And the leaders just. He's like, well, let's think about it. Let's just put that on hold. They don't want to put out their political capital. They don't want to put their neck on the line and make a decision that probably needs to be made. In many cases, the case is being made. And often, um, when I'm coaching those folks that are going to those executives, I'm coaching them to make sure that they've done everything Randy just said. They created alignment with all their peers, all the players affected. They've done all the pre work and pre wiring. There's a whole group has come together and said this is what needs to happen. Then they take that up the flag pole up to the senior executive and say, we need to do this. And they say, well, let's just kind of think about that. There's a lack of courage, uh, and there's fear, and, uh, that leader doesn't want to put their neck out on the line. And so it's really more of a call than anything else. What the world needs today probably more than ever, and what executives, uh, are frankly responsible for is making courageous decisions. So my challenge to everyone today is don't be afraid to make the tough decision that's the right decision, even though it's going to cause some political challenges, perhaps because you're going to ask for resources in a time when there aren't much, um, but if it's the right thing to do, make it so. I had a leader who shared with me a few years ago, um, she was challenged by someone who was kind of working with her. Uh, what would it look like if you were a 20% braver next year? I love that idea. And so I'm going to throw that out there to everyone listening to this. What would it look like in 2026, in the remainder of 2026, if you were 20% braver? So the solves for this is really make sure you're responsive to your teams and to their ass. And if they make a strong case on, um, resources or support, they need be courageous enough, brave enough to support them and provide them that air cover, even if it means you're going to take the heat. Um, but that's what makes a good leader. Uh, and you're going to gain all that commitment and that loyalty from your team and then engagement, and it's going to pay off down the road. But if you do what all, what I'm seeing today from other leaders and you just kind of avoid, avoid, avoid and run and hide, um, the folks that I'm working with that are having that Experience with their leaders. They're telling me, you know, I always thought I would stay with this company forever. In fact, I thought one day maybe I would want to be CEO. I'm rethinking that now. So that avoiding is absolutely killing not only engagement, it's killing commitment. So it feels like you're not doing much damage. You're doing incredible damage when you do that. So I'll throw that out there. Randy's kind of my last one.

Randy Hayne: I love that I see exactly what you're talking about. I think the only thing I would add is just giving a name to what may be driving some of those decisions to not be decisive. Um, I think sometimes it's. It's self preservation. We're just holding on. We don't want to rock the boat. I want to. I want to get to my retirement. I want to. I want to get that next bonus. And because of that, we kind of just hold on to what we've got with Dear life and we don't want to rock the boat, don't want to make the courageous decision. I don't know if you ever read Dr. Uh, Jack Sheth's book Clients for Life, but in one of the chapters, he talked about the three types of independence. And his point of reference was, if you've got these three types of independence, it was really will help you be objective and make those tougher, more courageous decisions. And if you're a leader listening to this, I'll tell you what they are. Um, intellectual independence, emotional independence, and financial independence. If you can find a way to work this year and beyond at being independent in those three buckets, when these decisions that Brandon's talking about come round to you, you're going to feel like, hey, I am independent. I know the right thing to do. And you know what, Even if it costs me, and it may, I'm okay, because it's the right thing to do. So you have to put in the groundwork to maybe be able to get to that place where you can make those tougher decisions. So. Great point, Brandon. I'm glad you brought that up.

Braden Smith: Yeah. Well, Randy, we've covered a lot of ground today, my friend. Is there any closing thought you might have for our listeners today?

Randy Hayne: No, it's more of a. Hopefully not a philosophical thought. But so much of what we've been talking about, really, every. Everything we've been talking about requires you, the listener, to back up and just reflect a little more. Think about where you are, what you're doing, how you're doing it. How you're feeling about how you're doing it. Take a look at your self care, take a look at the impact you're having on the people on your team. Think about how you're viewing, um, you know, that Gen Z contingent that may be under you or around you. So a lot of what doing we're, what we're talking about, Brandon, to me is about stepping back and looking in the mirror and maybe at the midpoint of the year, which is where we are, this is a great time for you to listen to what we've talked about and step back and just do a little reflection and then maybe do some course, uh, correction maybe. That would be my advice today.

Braden Smith: Yeah, beautiful. And what I would, I would add if I think about kind of some of our conversations and the points I made, I'm, uh, going to go back to what now is an old school book. Um, uh, so Good to Great Jim Collins, kind of, kind of famous book, Good to Great back in the kind of early 2000s. And in there he's got a book, he's got a chapter, um, and it's called, um, kind uh, of. I think it's called Level 5 leadership. And in there they talk about Admiral Stockdale and the Stockdale Principle. And yes, part of what, what Admiral Stockdale was kind of known for was just attending to reality. He didn't sugarcoat it. He didn't say, no, we're going to ignore that the economy's horrible and have all these stretch goals. He didn't do that. He's like, here's the situation, folks. He just came out and acknowledged what was real and then had the courage to move forward within that. And I think all the points I made kind of wrap within that. Don't ignore reality and have the courage to make some of the tough decisions that need to be made today. I mean, that's what we want from our leaders and that's what our people need from us. So to be able to kind of honestly attend to what's real and then move courageously within that. I know what I'm asking for sounds so simple and I know it's not. I know it's hard because being courageous in the face of fear is always challenging for us as humans. But we need that. So more than anything else, it's kind of a call to step up to make this world a better place today. So, Randy, thank you, thank you, my friend, for your thoughts today. It's always a good conversation. We get together and hopefully for you as a listener, you heard something from our observations that you find helpful. And, uh, as always, we always encourage you to pick something off that sampler platter that you want to put into practice. Something you either want to start doing, stop doing, or continue doing. Um, so you can do that today, so tomorrow you and your team around you can thrive.