Six strategies to set yourself up for professional success in 2026
Whatever direction you wish to take, from planning a career change to developing your skills in your current role or taking steps into business ownership, six experts have shared their practical advice for how you can place yourself in the strongest position for professional success in the year ahead.
Prioritise recovery for energy management
Kicking off the year with strong foundations can make a real difference to how you feel and perform at work. Now is the perfect moment to set a positive, sustainable tone, one that supports both wellbeing and productivity, says Lesley Cooper, founder of consultancy WorkingWell.
A good starting point is to focus on simple habits to sustain energy: regular movement, nutrition, hydration, and maintaining a consistent sleep schedule. But just as important is the practice of intentional recovery during your working day.
“Recovery should not be confused with rest,” Cooper explains. “It involves consciously choosing an activity that breaks the linearity of work. Take regular recovery breaks, at least 10 minutes every 90-120 minutes, to shift your focus and body position.”
Practical ways to do this include moving the major muscles by taking a short walk or using the stairs instead of the lift, taking time to connect with a colleague ‘human to human’, switching attention to a pleasant but possibly less focused task like reading an article, or listening to your favourite music. “Time spent recovering is far from unproductive; it fuels you and keeps you performing at your best,” Cooper concludes.
Invest in your network
Emma Maslen, founder and CEO of sales strategy consultancy inspir’em and author of The Personal Board of You Inc., highlights the value of having a ‘Personal Board’ in 2026. “Much like a corporate board, it’s a group of people you can consult on key decisions in your life. Building a diverse Personal Board gives you access to a wide range of experiences and perspectives to learn from.”
Even in 2025, many continued to overlook the importance of networking and how thinking strategically about the people they engage with across their career can be used to their advantage. Maslen emphasises how those connections shouldn’t be seen only as a gateway to job opportunities, but as a source of guidance and advice.
“The right people can help you develop the skills and knowledge needed to succeed,” she says. “Asking for structured feedback can provide new insight into your strengths and weaknesses, which you can use for further development. It’s always worthwhile taking time to check how others perceive you, so use your network as a routine sounding board and engage with them regularly to grow professionally and personally,” she sums up.
Flex your courage muscle
“Courage might seem like an ordinary concept, but it’s surprisingly absent in our everyday lives,” notes Christopher O.H. Williams, business transformation consultant and author of C.O.U.R.A.G.E.
Now more than ever, courage deserves a central place in our professional toolkit. Unprecedented technological change and macroeconomic volatility demand openness to innovation, new choices of action, and principled positions. At the same time, business and social priorities are converging, requiring leaders to make clear, values-based decisions – and to stand behind them.
In this environment, courage becomes a critical enabler of success, and for professionals looking to excel in 2026, it’s paramount. “But courage isn’t a one-time act; it’s a discipline – a muscle to be trained, and a choice to be made again and again. Ultimately, courage is defined by action in spite of risk and fear,” Williams says.
To be ready when big opportunities arise, he recommends saying “yes” a little more, beginning with small, lower-risk choices. This approach builds skills, confidence, and intuition in a low-pressure way – so that when the stakes (and the fear factor) rise, taking action feels more natural. By consistently exercising courage, you develop a durable ability to step up and make the decisions each moment demands – a recipe for success this year and beyond.
Build personalised AI tools
To give yourself the edge in 2026, award-winning coach and CETfreedom founder Dr Lisa Turner suggests developing personalised AI mentorship tools – not generic chatbots, but expert-system AI encoded with proven methodology. Just as businesses without websites seemed unprofessional by 2005, individuals without their own AI mentor suite will appear fundamentally behind by 2027.
“The real advantage comes from real-time pattern recognition,” Turner explains. “AI tools can surface your microaggressions as they happen, identify your imposter syndrome language patterns, analyse communication breakdowns in everyday conversations – with friends, family or colleagues – and mirror your blind spots before they become crises.”
This approach doesn’t replace human coaches; instead, it democratises transformation, freeing human capacity for the work only humans can do: transmission, presence, and holding space for genuine breakthrough.
Ground yourself in your values
Cassie Davison, author of Stand Out Hospitality, industry veteran, and business coach, believes that values are the emotional thread that runs through a business. “They show up in the way customers are greeted, the choices made under pressure, the things that are protected, and the way people behave when nobody is watching. If purpose is why a business exists, and mission is how it delivers on that purpose, then values shape how it feels.”
Grounding yourself in your values can support long-term professional success. “This means getting clear on what you care about most, what you will never compromise on, and how you want people to feel when they engage with your work,” she continues. Davison encourages individuals and teams to articulate these values, talk about them openly, and use them as a guide for everyday decision-making.
When values lead, alignment follows. “They help you attract the right customers, recognise what fits, step away from what doesn’t, and build trust that lasts. That’s when a business stops being just an option and becomes something people return to, recommend, and feel genuinely connected to,” Davison concludes.
Original Article: HRnews
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