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People are the driving force of organizations<\/p>\n
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Uncertainty and volatility dominate today\u2019s business environment, creating a challenging backdrop for leaders looking to grow their organizations. Yet while PwC\u2019s 29th Global CEO Survey<\/a> highlighted that CEOs \u201csee a world beset by challenges\u201d, they are also looking toward \u201cmultiyear opportunities\u201d and reinvention.<\/p>\n Artificial intelligence<\/a> (AI) is widely seen as a potential driver of business growth, but it requires a high level of investment while the likely returns are not always clear. So, which other levers can leaders deploy to deliver results in 2026 and beyond? <\/p>\n 1. Empower your people<\/p>\n For most organizations, people are their driving force. But research<\/a> by information provider Gallup has found that only 20% of global employees are engaged with their work, costing the world economy an estimated $10 trillion in lost productivity. <\/p>\n How can leaders improve employee engagement<\/a> to drive better outcomes for their organizations? According to Helen Beedham, organizational expert and author of People Glue<\/a>, it\u2019s setting people free that paves the way for individual and business success.<\/p>\n \u201cIn an increasingly uncertain and competitive world, agility is fundamental for uncovering innovative ideas, new processes and better ways of serving customers,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s the freedom to explore that gives your teams the opportunity and desire to unearth the unexpected and come up with creative ideas and solutions.\u201d<\/p>\n Too many constraints and boundaries can quickly alienate employees. Instead, Beedham advises giving people increased autonomy to use their judgment within day-to-day decisions. She also says it\u2019s important to give them the freedom to grow their skills in ways that motivate them through formal and informal opportunities. They must have the ability to express themselves and their opinion, and be heard, while doing work feels that feel meaningful. Expectations should be clear. <\/p>\n Beedham argues that increased freedom supports engagement and retention, driving business growth and boosting the bottom line. <\/p>\n 2. Lead across functions<\/p>\n Modern organizations don’t struggle to grow because of a lack of ideas. They struggle to grow because those ideas sit in silos, says Edward Rowe, governance expert and author of The Standard Model for Business<\/a>.<\/p>\n Most leaders are trained to operate deeply within a single function, but growth rarely emerges from within one function alone. It comes from the intersection of product, commercial, operations, capital and risk. “The issue is not capability, it’s perspective.,\u201d Rowe suggests. \u201cLeaders are optimized for functional excellence, not for understanding the enterprise as a system.\u201d<\/p>\n A key driver of performance and opportunities in the current business climate is being able to connect the dots between functions and create space for effective collaboration across the organization. According to the O.C. Tanner Global Culture Report 2023<\/a>, when generalists are empowered to apply their breadth, companies see 114% higher revenue growth.<\/p>\n “Growth is a cross-functional outcome,\u201d notes Rowe. \u201cIt requires alignment across the whole system, not just optimization within individual parts. When leaders spend time understanding how every function operates and how those functions shift in importance as their business grows, they are better equipped to spot new markets, manage risk and scale effectively.” <\/p>\n 3. Harness user insights for product development<\/p>\n If you want to drive sustainable business growth in the current environment, you must keep the user at the center of your product development, argues Sally Kemkers, co-founder of Untapped Innovation and co-author of Untapping Innovation<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cBringing users into the process isn\u2019t just about qualifying products and ideas,\u201d Kemkers says. She encourages bringing in consumers early so teams can identify unmet needs and test with users before products become expensive failures, reducing the risk of late-stage rework and improving long-term return on investment.<\/p>\n Deep qualitative research techniques and observing user behaviors in their day-to-day environments as they interact with products are vital ways to gain insights into users so you can assess their habits and feelings. Kemkers also stresses this process should not end once a product has been developed. \u201cDeveloping a technically superior product is no longer enough to secure success,\u201d she says. \u201cR&D teams need to cultivate the ability to tell the story behind their science, so consumers know why the product was made for them.\u201d<\/p>\n The ability to extract consumer insights, test prototypes, and craft compelling product narratives must be embedded across teams, according to Kemkers. She adds: \u201cWith this shared understanding, companies are better positioned to create products that are both technically robust and commercially meaningful, essential in a competitive marketplace.\u201d<\/p>\n 4. Lean into traditional marketing<\/p>\n After the first fully AI-generated ad<\/a> appeared in the NBA finals in June 2025, conversations grew around the potential to drive businesses forward using cost-saving AI marketing campaigns. But Pat Murphy<\/a>, founder and CEO of global advertising consultancy MurphyCobb Associates, argues that traditional marketing remains an integral driver of business growth.<\/p>\n \u201cIn a world where there\u2019s growing fatigue from the constant barrage of AI slop, it\u2019s well-established marketing methods that can still really cut through to consumers,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n TV remains the most effective means of brand building, with the medium accounting for 54.7% of total advertising-generated profit<\/a>. \u201cGreat TV ads never went away \u2013 they have always been so powerful for storytelling and forging emotional, human connections between brands and consumers in a way that you don\u2019t get through other media,\u201d Murphy explains. <\/p>\n