As uncertainty accelerates and leaders face forces increasingly beyond their control, the instinct is often to look for something new: new tools, new frameworks, and new answers. But what if leading through disruption requires something different? What if the path forward is less about looking ahead and more about returning to the human fundamentals of leadership?
These questions sat at the centre of Ivey Business School’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, and featuring panelists Rahul Bhardwaj, President and CEO of the Institute of Corporate Directors; Molly Edge, Executive Coach in Executive Education; and Candice Faktor (HBA ’00), Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Disco, the timely discussion explored habits and practices that leaders can employ to effectively navigate – and lead their teams through – geopolitical volatility, rapid change, and ongoing disruption.
Rather than pointing to a new playbook, the panelists reframed the leadership challenge ahead: effectiveness in 2026 may be less about control, confidence, and staying out in front, and more about human connection; cultivating the relationships that underpin stronger teams, more resilient systems, and a more hopeful path forward.
