The Decisions Leaders Can No Longer Avoid

In 2026, the decisions leaders can no longer avoid are coming into sharp focus—from how trust is built and maintained, to when judgment should remain human rather than automated. As conversations at Davos and boardrooms around the world make clear, these choices are no longer theoretical. They are already shaping talent strategy, crisis communication, and the balance between human authority and artificial intelligence in daily leadership decisions.

---

This week I’m in Davos, Switzerland for events around the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting.

For leaders responsible for building trust and guiding their organizations, this moment matters deeply.

The Decisions Leaders Can No Longer Avoid

In 2026, leaders stand at an inflection point. Questions keeping them (and me) up at night include:

Micro:

• How do I maintain the trust of my team, constituents, and external stakeholders?
• What does the future workforce look like in my company?
• How will we remain competitive?

Macro:

• What does the future of work look like?
• Who bears the responsibility to shepherd society through this transition—avoiding riots and “end-of-days”-style revolution?
• How do we protect human agency in an era of superhuman persuasion?
  (I explored this in a recent article for the World Economic Forum, now translated into Spanish and Mandarin Chinese.)

Why Leadership Judgment Matters More Than Ever

These questions are already showing up in board conversations, talent decisions, crisis messaging, and how leaders decide when to delegate to people, and when to AI.

I’ve been following AI for eight years and using it actively for five. I wrote AI for the Authentic Leader not because leaders were asking me about AI—but because not enough of them were.

The decisions we make in the next two years will determine whether AI elevates all of us, or leaves most people behind. Whether it makes us better leaders or quietly erodes trust, judgment, and credibility.

While I originally trained as an opera singer, my work has always focused on helping leaders become more effective through their communication. I don’t approach AI as a technologist; I approach it as a leadership communication advisor who specializes in human connection —watching how tools shape presence, authority, and trust in subtle ways.

The framework I use is simple:

Communication → Connection → Trust → Action → Impact

I’m heading to Davos to:

• Connect with leaders thinking seriously about the future of business and society
• Learn from global perspectives we don’t always hear in the United States
• Study how power and influence can be exercised for the good of humanity

This is the first of two notes—what I’m watching before Davos, and what I learn after.

I look forward to sharing practical guidance and big-picture vision into how this impacts you, your communication, and your leadership legacy.

Until next week,

Allison

---