(Seriously. Don’t Bring These Into 2026.)
We spend a lot of time inside our clients’ businesses, sitting in leadership meetings, working alongside founders, and helping teams untangle things that feel way more complicated than they need to be.
Here’s what we see often: Most companies aren’t struggling because they’re doing too little.
They’re struggling because they’re carrying too much that no longer works.
As the year wraps up, everyone’s thinking about goals, plans, and what’s next. Before you add anything new for 2026, it’s worth asking the question:
What toxic business habits do we need to stop doing? Here are a few ideas from Work Heartily.
Being Busy All the Time and Calling It Progress
If your team is constantly slammed, meetings fill every open space, and Slack never quiets down, that’s not momentum. That’s exhaustion.
Busy usually means:
- Too many priorities
- Not enough clear decisions
- Everyone doing a little bit of everything
In 2026, fewer meetings and clearer ownership will get you further than working harder ever will.
Everything Running Through One Person
You’ve seen this before:
“I’ll just handle it.”
“Send it to me.”
“I’ll decide.”
Sometimes that person is the founder. Sometimes it’s a long-tenured leader. Either way, the business slows down because of these toxic business habits.
Founders (or the executive team) don’t need to step away. They need to step out of the middle.
If the company can’t move without one person, that’s not leadership. That’s a bottleneck.
Turning Great Employees Into Managers With No Support
One of the fastest ways to burn out good people is to promote them and then wish them luck.
We see a lot of managers who:
- Care deeply
- Want to do a good job
- Were never taught how to lead people
Leadership isn’t intuitive. It’s learned. If you want stronger teams in 2026, your managers need tools, not just titles.
Avoiding the Conversations Everyone Knows Are Coming
There’s always something:
- A role that doesn’t quite fit anymore
- A leader who’s struggling
- A performance issue no one names out loud
Pushing these conversations off doesn’t make things better, it just makes them harder. The healthiest teams handle hard things sooner, not perfectly, but honestly.
Waiting for the “Right Time”
After the holidays.
After the next hire.
After revenue improves.
After things calm down. (They usually don’t.)
The companies that make real progress don’t wait for perfect conditions. They make small, clear changes and build from there.
A Better Way to Start 2026
A strong year doesn’t come from adding more goals.
It comes from removing friction.
Clear roles. Better habits. Fewer handoffs. Stronger leadership at every level.
Before you write your 2026 plan, ask:
What are we done carrying forward?
That answer might matter more than any goal you set.
Need help?
At Work Heartily, we work alongside leadership teams to bring clarity, structure, and practical leadership tools into the business.
If you want 2026 to feel more focused and less chaotic, let’s talk.