As uncertainty accelerates – from AI disruption to geopolitical volatility – the instinct for many leaders is to search for the next solution: a new framework, a new tool, a new way to make the chaos feel manageable. And it makes sense. History has countless examples when innovation helped organizations push through turbulence.
But what if today’s disruption calls for something more enduring? What if the strongest response isn’t chasing the next answer, but returning to what too often gets overlooked: the human fundamentals of leadership?
This was the throughline of Ivey’s Impact Live webinar, Are you ready to lead in 2026? Moderated by Dusya Vera, Executive Director of the Ian O. Ihnatowycz Institute for Leadership, the webinar brought together Rahul Bhardwaj, President and CEO of the Institute of Corporate Directors; Molly Edge, Executive Coach in Ivey Executive Education; and Candice Faktor (HBA ’00), Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Disco.
Leaders from around the world tuned in to the event looking for the newest strategies to navigate what comes next. What emerged instead was a powerful reminder: in times of disruption, leadership isn’t sustained by trends, but by timeless principles.
Here are three of those principles to carry into 2026 and beyond.
1. Embed resilience into your culture, not just your messaging
At the outset of the event, Bhardwaj offered a blunt assessment of today’s leadership landscape: uncertainty itself isn’t new. What’s different, he noted, is that today’s conditions feel less like a passing transition and more like sustained disruption.
So how should leaders respond? Bhardwaj argued that the way forward is to build a “culture of resilience,” beginning with what leaders can control. Rather than being consumed by external volatility, he urged leaders to strengthen the trusted habits and systems that help teams absorb shocks, adapt quickly, and stay aligned through sustained disruption.
Edge added an important reminder: resilience can’t simply be a buzzword. Leaders must define what it means for their people and create the conditions that support both well-being and long-term performance.
2. Leverage technology to build a more human organization
Faktor, a pioneer in the virtual learning and AI space, has often spoken about the technology’s potential to make organizations feel “more human.” When Vera pressed her on what that really means, Faktor offered a candid explanation: too often, AI is introduced in ways that generate anxiety and resistance across teams.
“A lot of people are very afraid of AI,” she said. “It’s a very existential technology… and it has real consequences in organizations.” Chief among them is the fear that efficiency will come at the cost of jobs – replacing people rather than supporting them.
But Faktor urged leaders to adopt a different frame. AI, she argued, should not be seen as a substitute for human work, but as a capability builder; one that frees people from tedious tasks and creates more space for what humans do best: meaningful conversations, creative problem-solving, facilitation, relationship-building, and sound judgment.
In other words: AI can help organizations reclaim time and energy for human connection, but only if leaders implement it with that intention.
3. Practice courageous curiosity – and stay humble enough to learn
Given the Ihnatowycz Institute’s pioneering work on the Leader Character framework, it was no surprise that character emerged as a central theme of the conversation. Of the framework’s 11 dimensions, two rose repeatedly to the top: humility and courage.
Edge championed the concept of “courageous curiosity,” which she described as the willingness to keep learning and to ask the questions others hesitate to voice. For her, probing deeper isn’t just intellectual; it’s how leaders grow, build trust, and form stronger partnerships.
Bhardwaj echoed the importance of humility and self-awareness, quoting David Goggins: “…the further you go in your leadership, the less you know.” Leaders stumble, he suggested, when they assume they understand more than they do. In a world defined by rapid change and competing inputs, humility then becomes a strategic advantage and not a soft trait.
Faktor extended the idea further, arguing that leadership today requires moving beyond reflection toward rapid adaptation and continuous learning. This is how organizations become “anti-fragile” – not by avoiding disruption, but by using it to strengthen decision-making and capability. That kind of growth, however, depends on leaders who are willing to experiment, take ownership, and learn in public, with the courage to act and the humility to be wrong.
Watch the full Impact Live webinar, Are you ready to lead in 2026?, on Ivey Impact or Ivey’s YouTube channel.
