Hot takes and tips to make you a better manager in 2026
2026 won’t wait for you to catch up. It’s coming fast, with new rules, new tools, and new expectations for what “good leadership” means.
At The Modern Manager’s Summit, more than 5,000 people leaders got candid about burnout, boundaries, and the role of AI in how we lead, listen, and act.
Here’s what they taught us and how to turn those lessons into action for the year ahead.
Hot take #1: The biggest problem isn’t resignation—it’s quiet disengagement.
“Many employees aren’t quitting—they’re checking out.” —Eric Johnson, CEO, SurveyMonkey
Turnover isn’t your biggest threat. Tune-out is.
Your team might still show up, but mentally? They’ve left the building. They want growth, clarity, and proof that their voice matters.
Our top workplace trends of 2025 report says it all: Ambition is high. Opportunity feels scarce. And managers are caught in the middle, trying to meet executive goals while keeping teams energized.
The managers who win in 2026 will be the ones who listen often, act fast, and close the loop.
Try this:
- Run a quick team pulse survey to check your team’s energy and clarity. (We’ve got a ready-made template to make it easy.)
- Use AI summaries to spot early signs of disengagement.
- Close the loop, share with your team what’s changing and what’s next.
Takeaway: Listening isn’t a one-time act. It’s a system that keeps people tuned in, motivated and moving forward.
Hot take #2: Not every problem needs fixing. Some just need hearing.
“Are we venting or are we solving?” — Ashley Beebe, DAT Freight & Analytics
Every manager’s been there: a one-on-one that turns into a venting session. You want to listen, but the conversation stalls instead of moving forward.
Ashley’s question is the perfect reset. It signals care and boundaries. It helps you meet your team where they are—emotionally or tactically—without taking on every burden yourself. Use it to guide conversations so you can improve how you show up, ready to listen deeply or ready to help take action.
Try this:
- Coach your team let you know during conversations: “Today I need you to…” (help / listen)
- Use a team health survey to spot the issues that spark the most “venting” moments.
- Follow up with timely small actions or updates that show you heard them.
Takeaway: You can’t fix every feeling, but you can help people move through it with purpose.
Hot take #3: Boundaries are the new leadership muscle.
“Rest is part of employee performance.” — Ryan Yuke, Fullscript
Managers are modeling how work gets done and when it stops. Our research shows 85% of workers receive work-related messages outside their hours, and nearly 60% respond at least a few times a week. That’s not sustainable.
The best leaders are normalizing rest, focus time, and quiet hours. Because when leaders model balance, teams feel safe doing the same.
Try this:
- Add a note to your email signature: “If you’re offline, reply in your working hours.”
- Check your team’s work-life balance with a Work-Life Pulse Survey.
- Block focus time on your calendar and encourage your team to do the same.
Takeaway: Protecting your energy protects the team’s performance. Rest isn’t a reward for hard work. It’s part of it.
Hot take #4: The teams that learn AI together outgrow everyone else.
“AI won’t take your job, but someone who knows how to use AI will.” — Sara Dowling, Vercel
AI isn’t replacing managers. It’s multiplying them. The leaders who lean in, who learn with their teams, are already moving faster, making sharper calls, and freeing up time for what really matters: people.
Here’s what’s wild: 1 in 5 employees already use AI at work without telling their manager.
That means innovation is happening, just quietly.
Don’t get left out of your own team’s progress. Bring AI into the open. Make it something you explore together, not something people hide.
Try this:
- Gauge your team’s comfort with and use of AI with a quick AI readiness survey.
- Host a 30-minute “AI Power Hour.” Ask: What could AI do to make this easier for us?
- Use Analyze with AI to turn comments into clear, usable themes in minutes.
- Build your next employee feedback survey with AI to save hours of setup time.
Takeaway: Don’t compete with AI, coach your team to use it. Because when everyone levels up, so do you.
Hot Take #5: Feedback is your management superpower.
“You can’t manage what you can’t see and don’t hear.” — Geet Chopra, SurveyMonkey
The best managers don’t wait for performance reviews to find out what’s working.
They build feedback loops that keep clarity constant. No one leads well in the dark and you can’t fix what no one will say out loud.
Continuous feedback isn’t noise, it's direction. It replaces guesswork with insight, and silence with trust. And the best leaders don’t just listen; they act fast and share what’s changing.
Try this:
- Run a Manager Feedback Pulse survey to check how your team really feels.
- Use AI-powered summaries to see patterns at a glance and share takeaways in your next team sync.
- Share one action you’re taking based on that input. Always close the loop.
Takeaway: When people see change, they speak up again. That’s how trust compounds.
The modern manager’s playbook
The best managers in 2026 won’t lead with control, they'll lead with curiosity.
They’ll use feedback as fuel, AI as an amplifier, and clarity as culture.
Because leadership isn’t about knowing it all. It’s about asking better questions and having the courage to act on the answers.
The entire Modern Manager’s Summit is available on demand. Watch every conversation, demo, and takeaway on your own time.
What’s next
Stay tuned for deeper dives into standout sessions or explore the most popular questions from our sessions (and the answers!) plus resources to help you continue to grow as a manager.
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