2026 Isn’t a Year to Presume, Guess or Believe – It’s The Year Where You Have To KNOW

This is an excerpt from an article written by Dix & Eaton CEO Chas D. Withers on January 26, 2026.

As we move into 2026, companies and organizations of every shape and form are navigating a marketplace shaped by rapid technological shifts, geopolitical tension, economic “murkiness” and a media ecosystem saturated with data, opinion and misinformation. We’ve got access to much more information than we can actually digest, but the paramount challenges are interpretation, prioritization, and judgment.

For leaders – those making essential decisions every day, with an extraordinarily long tail on ramifications or outcomes – this moment in time demands a different posture. We all know what happens when you assume.  Presumptions are dangerous. Guesswork is insufficient. And belief or hunches – without being tethered to fact and reality – are a liability. The organizations that will outperform in 2026 are those that build disciplined ways of knowing: How they are perceived, what is changing around them, and which signals – be they loud or quiet – truly matter. Oh, and aside, you need to be able to do that with leaner budgets and staffs pushed to capacity.

Real forward vision is no longer optional. It’s the line of demarcation between owning your future or having that future decided for you and your team.

So how to get an accurate picture?  A few ideas…

Read more here.