Blog - Tom Talks

7 Mistakes Leaders Should Avoid in 2026

Staying on top means staying self-aware. As we enter 2026, the challenges facing leaders—especially those in tech and consulting—are evolving fast. AI is reshaping how we deliver value, hybrid work is no longer novel, and clients are expecting more transparency and results than ever.

Below are seven leadership missteps to watch out for this year—along with a few ideas on how to avoid them.

1. Relying on Gut Over Data

In 2026, instinct is no longer enough. With AI-driven insights, customer analytics, and data-rich environments, leaders who continue to make key decisions based on hunches risk falling behind. The leaders who win will be the ones who blend their experience with real-time insights.

Tip: Tools like Intertech’s UnifiAI can help make sense of project data, customer behavior, and risk signals across your ecosystem.

2. Ignoring AI Literacy

AI is no longer optional. Leaders don’t need to be engineers, but they must understand how AI works, where it fits, and how it impacts both their team’s output and their customers’ expectations.

Tip: Invest in AI training for yourself and your team. Even a 60-minute session on prompt engineering can pay off fast.

3. Micromanaging a Hybrid Workforce

The days of “management by walking around” are over. In 2026, micromanaging remote or hybrid teams erodes trust, kills morale, and signals that you don’t trust your people.

What to do instead: Set clear goals, track outcomes, and check in with curiosity, not control.

4. Saying Yes to Everything

This one hasn’t changed in decades, but it’s even more dangerous today. Saying yes to every meeting, project, or proposal spreads your team thin and leads to burnout—or worse, underdelivery.

Smart leaders in 2026 are ruthless about priorities. If it doesn’t move a key needle, it’s a no.

5. Skipping Structured Communication

In the age of Slack and “quick Zooms,” communication can become reactive and chaotic. That’s why structured communication—like daily huddles, monthly all-hands, and weekly project updates—is more valuable than ever.

At Intertech, our daily huddle keeps everyone aligned and accountable in under 15 minutes. It’s a staple of how we operate and scale clarity.

6. Overlooking Culture During Growth

Growth is exciting—but it also hides cultural cracks. When the pipeline is full and the team is growing fast, it’s easy to forget the things that made your culture great in the first place.

Remember: Culture doesn’t scale on autopilot. Protect it, promote it, and hire people who fit and elevate it.

7. Failing to Communicate the “Why”

Teams want more than tasks—they want meaning. Leaders who don’t tie projects to purpose will lose the hearts and minds of their best people.

Tie each initiative back to how it serves the customer, supports the team, or moves the mission forward. Especially with younger team members, the “why” matters more than ever.

Final Thought

Leadership in 2026 isn’t about being perfect—it’s about being present, intentional, and adaptable. The mistakes above aren’t new, but the stakes are higher. If you can spot them early and course-correct, you’ll set your team—and yourself—up for a strong year.

What CIOs Are Prioritizing in 2026: A Forecast from the Trenches

2026 is the year enterprise tech strategies go from experimental to essential. CIOs are setting clearer expectations, cutting through buzzwords, and demanding solutions that actually move the business forward. It’s not about trying everything—it’s about doing the right things well. Here’s what we’re seeing CIOs prioritize this year, based on what they’re asking for in our conversations at Intertech.

1. AI That Actually Delivers Value

The GenAI gold rush has matured. In 2026, CIOs aren’t exploring—they’re implementing. They want AI models that connect to their data, automate real tasks, and create measurable outcomes. At Intertech, we’ve seen demand surge for integrating AI directly into software development workflows—not as a bolt-on, but as a core capability. That’s exactly why we created UnifiAI—to help teams embed generative AI into the dev process itself, from architecture and design to deployment and optimization.

2. Legacy Tech: Simplify or Sunset

CIOs are done paying for bloated, redundant systems. The mandate this year is clean architecture, consolidated tooling, and platforms that scale without dragging down innovation. We’re working with several clients to rationalize their software ecosystems—sunsetting old apps and refactoring others—because leaner tech stacks aren’t just cheaper. They’re more resilient, more secure, and easier to evolve.

3. Security Is the New Differentiator

Cybersecurity isn’t just IT’s problem anymore. Boards and regulators are watching closely, and smart CIOs are investing in “secure by design” practices from day one. For Intertech clients in healthcare, finance, and other regulated industries, this has meant proactively baking compliance and threat mitigation into every project. Trust is now a feature—and it better be included at launch.

4. Outcomes Over Output

The days of measuring value by hours worked are fading. What clients really want is impact. Did we help users move faster? Did support calls drop? Did we help unlock new revenue? These are the metrics that matter. That’s why we always define success metrics early in every engagement—and revisit them constantly. It keeps us and our clients aligned on what actually moves the needle.

5. No Room for B-Teams

CIOs are being blunt in 2026: they don’t want to pay for learning curves, fluff, or consultants who can’t handle ambiguity. They want talent that’s smart, experienced, and collaborative. At Intertech, we hire for technical strength, yes—but also for emotional intelligence, curiosity, and the ability to operate as a true consulting partner. That’s what makes our teams different—and why so many clients keep coming back.

The Gift of Stability: Why Consistency Beats Flashy Perks

Holiday bonuses, flashy parties, and gift cards get attention—but what most employees remember is how their company made them feel all year long.

Stability is the ultimate benefit: Predictable expectations, steady communication, and leaders who show up.

Culture isn’t seasonal: BBQs, dart tournaments, and happy hours are great, but they only matter if they reflect a deeper respect for people.

Clear values matter most during chaos: When economic pressure or project shifts happen, employees watch how leaders behave.

Consistency builds trust: That’s the real gift employees take with them into the new year.

This season, give your team the gift of clarity, consistency, and genuine appreciation. The ROI lasts longer than any end-of-year bonus.

What Leaders Should Reflect On Before the Year Ends

The holidays are a natural pause point. Before charging into Q1, it’s worth taking a step back—not just to celebrate wins but to reflect on lessons learned, team dynamics, and what kind of leader you want to be next year.

Assess your leadership: Did you grow this year? Delegate more? Communicate better? Drop the ball somewhere?

Team wins and resilience: Recognize the people who made success possible—especially in the hard months.

Culture check: Does your culture still match your mission? Or did habits shift under pressure?

Make space for gratitude: Send a note. Say thank you. Handwritten still beats typed.

Look ahead: What’s one thing you’ll do differently as a leader next year?

Leadership isn’t just about planning; it’s about being present. And the holiday season gives us a rare moment to do both.

Software Isn’t a One-Time Thing: Why the Best Applications Keep Evolving

If you’re building enterprise software and expecting to “set it and forget it,” you’re setting yourself up for disappointment.

The truth? Great software is never really done.

Why Software Needs Ongoing Investment

The market shifts. Your users shift. Even your business goals evolve. What worked when the app launched may no longer serve the needs of the business a year—or even six months—later.

Some of the key drivers for continued evolution:

New business processes require new features.
Security patches and updates are non-negotiable.
User expectations continue to rise with every new consumer-grade app.
Integrations with other platforms and tools constantly change.
AI and modern tools open up new efficiencies worth integrating.

Your software is part of your business DNA. If your business is growing, your software needs to grow with it.

How Smart Organizations Handle This

At Intertech, we encourage our clients to think beyond the launch and embrace a software lifecycle mindset. That means planning for:

Ongoing enhancements based on real user feedback.
Quarterly technical reviews to keep the stack modern and maintainable.
Regular backlog grooming to keep priorities aligned.
Performance monitoring and scalability checks as usage grows.

And when AI is part of the conversation (as it increasingly is), we look at how to continuously tune models, prompts, or workflows to maximize value.

A Better Way to Budget

Instead of a one-time capex mentality, shift to a continuous value delivery model. Allocate budget for ongoing improvements the same way you do for marketing or operations.

Small investments over time prevent the kind of big, scary rebuilds that happen when software is neglected for too long.

Keep Software Aligned with Business Goals

Software should never be a sunk cost—it should be a strategic asset that adapts with your business. The most successful companies treat it that way.

If your software is starting to feel like a bottleneck instead of a business enabler, it may be time to revisit your roadmap. And if you’re not sure where to start, that’s exactly where we can help.