What if the biggest leadership problem in 2026 isn’t a lack of knowledge—but losing touch with ourselves?
As organisations navigate constant transformation, overwhelmed leaders can become focused on tasks, metrics and objectives while forgetting the human beings behind them. For leadership coach Carroll Macey, that disconnect is one of the defining challenges of modern leadership.
Speaking with Humans of Fuzia (HOF), a global thought-leadership platform exploring leadership, entrepreneurship, coaching, women empowerment and socially conscious business, Macey offered a powerful reminder: sustainable growth begins with understanding the person behind the role.
Leadership Development Starts With Self-Connection
“Losing that connection with themselves, which means that they lose the connection with what’s actually real in leading, which is people.”
Macey believes leadership development cannot simply be reduced to frameworks and models. Her consulting practice is deliberately bespoke, beginning with the individual or team rather than forcing everyone into the same system.
“Everyone’s unique. We should treat them as being unique.”
That philosophy has become central to her work, including her emerging concept, Remember Who You Are, which brings together her psychology, psychotherapy and coaching experience.
Her course Collective Ascent similarly encourages people to revisit the experiences, skills and strengths that shaped them—and use those lessons to move forward.
Entrepreneurship, Business Growth and Scalable Systems
For entrepreneurs, Macey identifies a surprisingly universal challenge: time.
Managing multiple projects, maintaining visibility, serving clients and handling business governance can quickly overwhelm small-business leaders. Her solution is not necessarily building a large permanent team, but using trusted resources strategically.
For larger projects, she collaborates with experienced coaches; when capacity becomes limited, she delegates work to trusted professionals.
This flexible approach offers a practical lesson for scaling coaching businesses: build capacity before complexity becomes a bottleneck.
Client acquisition is another important consideration. Macey generates much of her business through referrals, while using LinkedIn, social media and collaboration to maintain visibility. For entrepreneurs dependent on referrals, developing additional channels—including speaking opportunities, authority-building content, clearer ICP messaging and structured sales funnels—can make growth more predictable.
AI, Authenticity and the Future of Leadership
Macey sees AI as a valuable “thinking partner”, helping her explore ideas, design programmes and clarify approaches.
But she warns against treating AI as a replacement for human judgment.
When leaders stop thinking critically and simply accept AI-generated answers, she argues, the quality—and authenticity—of their thinking can suffer.
That connects directly to her broader philosophy: leadership in 2026 requires leaders to rethink outdated assumptions.
Her proposed theme says it all: “Rethinking Leadership.”
Execution Tip
Tomorrow, take 15 minutes away from your metrics and ask: “Who am I being as a leader right now?” Identify one behaviour that reflects your values—and one that needs to change.
Connect with Carroll Macey
- Instagram: Cm2c.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carroll-macey-85715011/
