Tired of the endless stream of “expert” advice that all sounds the same? High-Stakes Leadership Mentor, Sally Henderson, offers something different, practical, grounded, and designed to help you step into 2026 on your own terms.

Is your inbox and LinkedIn overflowing with well meaning (but still grating!) advice from a plethora of coaches, experts and advisors? I find it all rather overwhelming if I am honest, and my brain stops reading as it all starts to sound the same; Eat less, exercise more, 7 steps to become the authentic you, drink this magic tea and all your world is going to sparkle...

So, my hope is that what I am sharing with you today offers you something different. Something practical and genuinely useful to help you set up for a strong 2026, on your terms, whatever opportunities and challenges come with it. 

January's already moving fast, and with it comes a flood of requests, expectations and commitments that feel urgent simply because everyone else is also scrambling to get their year started.

What leaders don't realise is that the next two weeks will define your year. Not through grand strategy sessions, but through the small decisions you make without thinking. The commitments you agree to because the moment demanded a quick answer, and the expectations you absorb because no one explicitly said 'no'. 

Most leadership regret doesn't come from 'bad' decisions. It comes from decisions made too early, too fast, or from habit, rather than astute judgement.

The Four Questions every Leaders Should Ask before saying, YES.

Before you agree to anything that shapes the next six months, run through the four questions below. Each one tests a pressure point where I see senior leaders leak energy, clarity or control...

Q1) Does this belong in my actual role?

When did you last define what you're there to deliver? Not the vague brief from when you started, but what success looks like now, with these stakes. I ask this question every first mentoring session, and capable leaders go quiet because they realise they cannot answer it clearly.

If a commitment doesn't sit within your core remit, you're taking on work that will drain you without creating the impact you're there for. And, no one will thank you for it, even if it feels easier and less stressful to just suck it up in the urgency of the new year. 

Q2) Does this feed my drive or drain it?

Energy is finite. Some work energises you, even when it's hard. Other work depletes you, no matter how important it looks. Before you commit, ask yourself whether this will fuel you over the next six months or whether you're already resenting it before you've even started? If it's the latter, either say no, or accept that you'll need to protect your energy elsewhere. The reserves you're spending here won't be there when pressure rises in March and you need them most.

Q3) Does this move me forward or just keep me busy?

Some work advances your leadership and some just fills your calendar. High performers know the difference well enough to disappoint people by saying no to things that don't serve what they're truly there to deliver, even when those things sound important or look good on paper.

If you can't name how this commitment moves your role forward in a way that matters to you and delivers for them, you're saying yes to busyness, and busyness feels like progress in January but by April it just feels like weight you're carrying for no clear reason.

Q4) What does this cost me that isn't on the invoice?

Every commitment has a stated cost: time in meetings, budget, headcount, deliverables. But the real question is, what will it take from you and what will it give you back? Before you say yes, map both sides.

- What will this demand from you? Mental load, split focus, energy you won't have for strategic thinking when you need it most.

- What will you gain that's worth that price? Credibility with a key stakeholder, a result that positions you for what's next, space to build something valuable.

If the cost outweighs the gain, or if you can't name what you're gaining beyond 'it needs doing', you're making a decision that will drain you without moving you forward. Once you commit, you own both the cost and the gain.


The leaders who thrive this year will be the ones who chose deliberately what they carried and had the discipline to let the rest go.

Choose now, or 2026 will choose for you...