January 2026 - Shaping Decisions

Before You Take Another Step, Check Your Orientation

January 15, 2026

Aloha, Peripheral Thinkers™,

January is loud.

Everywhere you look, someone is telling you how to start the year strong. Move faster. Set bigger goals. Lock in momentum. Execute with clarity and conviction.

And for many entrepreneurs, executives, and founders reading this, the plans are already in place.

The priorities are set. The budgets are approved. The calendar is filling itself in.

So let me be clear about what this is — and what it isn’t.

You don’t need permission to move. You don’t need another plan.

What matters now is how you’re oriented while you’re already in motion.

Because direction without orientation doesn’t lead to progress. It leads to speed in an uncertain direction.

And that’s far more expensive.

Plans Don’t Determine Outcomes — Orientation Does

Most leaders don’t stall because they lack discipline, intelligence, or ambition.

They stall because they’re interpreting new situations from an old position.

Orientation is the invisible positioning you take before information arrives.

It determines:

What you notice
What you prioritize
What feels urgent versus irrelevant
What you label as “a problem” or dismiss as “just noise”

Two capable leaders can look at the same data, the same people, the same market conditions — and reach very different conclusions.

Not because one is smarter.

But because they’re oriented differently.

Orientation shapes interpretation. Interpretation shapes decisions. Decisions shape outcomes.

Yet orientation is rarely examined — especially in January.

The January Paradox

January feels like a beginning.

But much of what’s influencing your decisions right now was shaped last year.

Your expectations. Your reflexes. Your definitions of normal, acceptable, and risky.

Even your sense of urgency.

Planning doesn’t reset orientation. More often, it reinforces it.

That’s the paradox.

January is when many leaders unknowingly accelerate — while still positioned for last year’s conditions.

Familiarity can masquerade as clarity. Momentum can mask misalignment.

And once velocity takes over, orientation becomes harder to adjust.

A Peripheral Truth Most Leaders Miss

When leaders experience friction, they tend to adjust at the center.

They refine the plan. They optimize execution. They add pressure, resources, or urgency.

But the real constraint is often sitting at the periphery — outside the center of what they’re focused on.

The periphery is where:

Weak signals appear before trends are obvious
Assumptions begin to crack
Friction shows up before failure
Opportunities form before they have names

Orientation determines whether you notice those signals or dismiss them because they don’t fit the current narrative.

January is your best opportunity to recalibrate orientation before speed makes that difficult.

Signs Your Orientation May Be Ready for Adjustment

This isn’t a diagnosis. It’s a recognition.

Leaders often experience a misaligned orientation as:

Surprise — Situations catch you off guard more than they used to.
Recurring friction — The same types of issues show up in different forms.
Over-explanation — You find yourself explaining signals instead of questioning them.
Misaligned effort — You’re busy, but the effort feels heavier than it should.

These are not execution problems.

They’re interpretive ones.

They suggest the environment has shifted, and your orientation is in the process of catching up.

Orientation Is Not About Answers

It’s About Positioning

Many leaders assume clarity means answers.

But clarity doesn’t start with answers. It starts with positioning yourself to see accurately.

Orientation is not something you figure out. It’s something you establish.

It’s the stance you take before information arrives. Before data demands interpretation. Before decisions demand speed.

The most effective leaders don’t wait for certainty to adjust their orientation. They use uncertainty as a cue to look differently.

Not because they’re unsure, but because they understand how easily certainty can lock in the wrong position.

A Simple Orientation Check

These questions aren’t meant to produce action items.

They’re meant to help you notice where your perspective is already shifting — even if your language hasn’t caught up yet.

What am I reacting to more strongly than I would have a year ago?
What feels heavier, noisier, or more complicated than expected?
What patterns am I explaining instead of questioning?
Where do I sense misalignment before I can articulate why?

That gap between feeling and articulation isn’t a problem to solve.

It’s a sign that orientation is taking shape — quietly, ahead of execution.

And when orientation begins to settle (before decisions demand speed), something important changes.

What Happens When Orientation Comes First

Leaders who recalibrate orientation before accelerating execution experience a subtle but powerful shift.

They don’t just see more clearly.

They see more.

New perspectives from the periphery expand the field of what’s visible — while also sharpening discernment within it.

That combination matters.

Seeing more reveals options you didn’t know existed. Seeing more clearly confirms which plans deserve confidence — and which assumptions deserve another look.

As a result, these leaders:

Stop solving the wrong problems faster
Recognize opportunity earlier
Reduce friction without force
Make fewer reactive decisions
Create momentum that actually compounds

Not because they worked harder.

But because they were better oriented.

One Final Thought Before You Move On

You don’t need new goals right now. You don’t need more motivation. You don’t need another framework telling you what to focus on.

You need to be honest about how you’re positioned to see — before everything demands that you move.

January doesn’t reward urgency.

It rewards orientation.

Get that right, and the rest of the year unfolds very differently.

Let’s Rock On 🤘🏽