Business Sense: The North Star Every Leader Needs in 2026

We’re not even deep into Q4, and us Product Managers are already buzzing with inquiries about our 2026 roadmaps and trainings to up-skill. If you’re wondering what tops the corporate wishlist next year, it’s Business Sense—hands down. At my current company, where we map and mitigate supply chain risks for the world’s most complex operations, this isn’t just a buzzword. It’s the bay leaf of professional development: that subtle, essential ingredient that transforms good decisions into game-changing ones. It’s the je ne sais quoi that secures your permanent seat in “the room where it happens.”

You might hear it called Business Reasoning, Strategic Decision-Making, or even Helping Leaders Navigate Trade-Offs. But strip away the labels, and it all points to the same core: making choices aligned with what the business truly needs, guided by a clear north star.

Without it? Decisions default to what’s easiest, most appealing, or least disruptive. And sooner or later—whether to your face or in hushed channels—someone labels you “really junior.” Not in tenure, but in judgment. Naive. Myopic. Lacking the full strategic picture. In the worst cases, ego-driven, prioritizing self-preservation over the organization’s health. Ouch.

Pushing Decisions to the Edges—But With Guardrails

You’ve likely read the military-inspired business books preaching “push decision-making to the edges.” Tactical teams on the ground have the best situational awareness. Generals continents away? Not so much.

In a supply chain context like my company, this translates perfectly: Empower the folks closest to the risks—supplier disruptions, geopolitical shifts, demand fluctuations—to act swiftly. They hold the nuance execs can’t see from the C-suite. It prevents bottlenecks, keeps execs out of the weeds, and gives teams real ownership.

It works... until it doesn’t. Imagine a leader deprioritizing a critical risk-mitigation feature to chase a pet project. Who authorized that? On what basis? Heads spin, brakes slam, and suddenly every decision needs boss-and-boss’s-boss approval. Velocity grinds to a halt. In supply chain resilience—and business at large—slow is dead.

The fix? Equip the edges with Business Sense. That’s what gets execs trusting the process, leaders acting with skin in the game, and an organization where most calls are mostly right, most of the time.

Spelling It Out: The Three Patterns of “Really Junior”

“Business Sense” is nebulous because its absence is rarely articulated. When a senior leader says you lack it—whether you’re a fresh hire or a 20-year vet—they’re spotting three telltale patterns:

1. Measuring success by efforts, not outcomes. You ship on time, but did it move the needle on resilience metrics?

2. Prioritizing consistency over impact. “We’ve always done it this way” trumps “This way wins in a volatile market.”

3. Elevating team goals above org-wide ones. Your silo thrives while the broader supply network exposes vulnerabilities.

These aren’t moral failings. They’re symptoms of hyper-focusing on predictability and control within your lane. Nothing wrong with that—until the world shifts. Markets pivot, regulations tighten, black swans strike. My company exists because businesses need people who sense those shifts and adapt accordingly.

Nobody Wants to Be Junior—Here’s How to Level Up

Fairness isn’t the point; alignment is. When feedback says “more scope requires more Business Sense,” they mean: Stop obsessing over how work happens. Start owning what work must happen to win.

As a people leader, run this self-check:

• Does it matter to the business—beyond my team, beyond my department? Would the entire org nod that this drives resilience, revenue, or risk reduction?

• Can we surface all options? Growing teams? Sure. But also rightsizing, reallocating, or sunsetting them. Upgrading tools? Absolutely—including ditching yours if they’re obsolete.

• Can we debate merits calmly, staring at the same data? Weigh trade-offs objectively and land on the most aligned path.

Progress shows when your best ideas involve letting go of turf for greater impact. At my company, Ie’ve seen leaders trade “owning” a segment for orchestrating cross-functional risk strategies that save millions.

Want to be in the room? That’s the price of admission.