3 Leadership Shifts I'm Making in 2026
BY CHRIS CARNEAL
Just a few weeks ago, I was standing on a stage in front of Booster’s top performers at an advance. (NOTE: We don’t “retreat” in Booster, so we rebranded them as “advances” many years ago. We’re going forwards, not backwards.)
I shared with my team three recent learnings and the leadership shifts I’m making in 2026. It’s simple stuff but profound when put into practice.
Here they are…
#1 - Say no faster
As an Enneagram 7, I'm a yes person. I love saying yes, love building consensus, love getting people excited. “Yes” opens the door to opportunity, and I love opportunity. However, there’s an ironclad truth I’ve learned over the years: there's only so much time and opportunity in life, and I'm robbing myself of better yes’s when I delay the no’s. If I fill my calendar with all the small fifteen-minute yes’s, I'm missing out on a BIG YES that may move the needle. Strategy is tradeoffs, and time is finite.
Why are no’s hard for me?
→ I don't want to disappoint people.
→ Everything sounds exciting, and I want to do it all.
But I've gotten great feedback this year when I just give people a fast, respectful no. Something like: Love the event, invite me in the future, but I'm gonna do you a favor and tell you I can't do it right now. That used to be tough for me to say, but now it's one of my best tools. And people really appreciate it when I can close the loop quickly.
ACTION STEP: When you know it’s a no, just say it. Do it today. Be kind, be direct, and free your calendar for a big yes that may change your life.
#2 - Do the easy things first.
This one doesn't make logical sense. It makes psychological sense. When helping people in debt, Dave Ramsey talks about paying off the smallest credit card first (not the one with the highest interest rate). Logic says go after the big one. But Ramsey's point is that humans aren't logical. We're emotional. Pay off the small card, get a quick win, build momentum.
I spent years trying to tackle the most important task of my day, first thing in the morning. That's paralyzing. Now I start with an easy win. Something I can knock out in the first thirty minutes. By 8 a.m., I've already made progress, and I'm feeling like a winner. That small win amplifies the motivation I need to tackle the bigger stuff.
By the way, you can implement this in your personal life too. With your spouse, it may look like a simple date night every couple weeks—just a quick bite to eat. Or even simpler: take a 15 minute walk around the neighborhood. That's an easy thing that builds relational momentum. You can't only live in easy-mode, but it's a great way to build quick momentum. As a former college pitcher and now baseball coach for my kids, you are far more successful with a 0-1 count than a 1-0 count. Throwing that strike on the first pitch changes the entire at-bat and builds early momentum,
ACTION STEP: Pick one easy win you can finish before 8 a.m. Do it every day this week.
#3 - Do hard things — run towards truth.
Here's where it gets uncomfortable. Booster's DNA is my DNA, for good and bad. And one of those struggles is that I love everybody, I want them to love me, and I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings. That means many of us avoid full on truth-telling in both our peer-to-peer relationships and in performance reviews. We delay hard conversations. We stall. We sugarcoat. We hedge.
But clarity is kindness. Because we love and care for people, we've got to tell them the truth — about their performance, about how they come across, about blind spots. What kills us in life isn't the weaknesses we know about. It's the blind spots we don't know about. Surrounding ourselves with loving truth-tellers, personally and professionally, is one of the most important things we can do.
I'm becoming more self-aware of that gut feeling — the ooh, this is uncomfortable moment. For years, when I felt that, I'd take a step back. Now I'm training myself to take a step forward. It's a lifelong process. Courage is the virtue I activate here. When I feel that creeping sense of fear, I quickly reframe it as an opportunity for courage. But here's the thing: doing hard things doesn't mean we can't do them with a smile, with kindness, with compassion. Kindness is clarity. Clarity is kindness. And truth and clarity are basically synonyms here.
ACTION STEP: Choose one conversation you’ve been delaying. You can feel it. You know what it is. Let me enCOURAGE you: Step forward with love, care, compassion, kindness, and real clarity.
Three things:
Say no faster.
Do easy things to build momentum.
And run towards truth, even when it's uncomfortable.
None of this is complicated, but it does require courage and practice. And it’s all part of becoming a Virtue-Driven Leader.
CHRIS CARNEAL is the Founder and CEO of Booster, the nation’s largest school fundraising company. Since 2002, Booster has generated over $1 billion for schools across America. He and his wife, Lyndie, have been married more than 25 years and have four kids.
Chris writes about entrepreneurship, leadership, faith, and family in The Virtue-Driven Newsletter. SUBSCRIBE HERE
