Since it's the start of a brand new year, naturally as a coach, I start thinking about goals.

However, this year, I've been thinking more about why goal setting doesn't actually work at all.

But before I continue, I'd like to acknowledge that it’s been four weeks since I sent my last newsletter.

It was a tough decision, but I decided to take December off to focus on family and reset before the new year. 2025 was full!

So Happy New Year. I’ve missed writing to you and I’m very glad to be back. My hope and prayer is that 2026 is your year - a year where the roadblocks get removed as you develop the habits to realize your hopes and dreams.

Okay, back to my previous train of thought.

The hard truth is that most career goals fail by February - not because we lack ambition, but because nothing in our day-to-day system actually changes.

Since this first full week back at work is usually filled with goal-setting conversations. Ideas around new roles. New titles. Bigger ambitions. On the surface, that’s energizing.

But after years of working with high-performing professionals, I’ve learned something important: goals rarely drive career change on their own.

Systems do.

There is a well-documented gap between intention and execution - we all know this. Research on behavior change consistently shows that most people abandon new goals within the first month. Not because the goal was wrong or we didn't try hard, but because the habits, environments, and structures required to sustain progress were never designed.

Motivation fades.
Systems endure.

Career growth works the same way.

It’s easy to say you want to move into a Director, VP, or executive role. It’s much harder - and far more predictive - to ask whether your current systems are preparing you for that role or reinforcing your current level.

Here's the truth: Senior roles are recognized, not awarded.

Leadership teams don’t promote based on future potential alone. They look for patterns over time: how you think about the business, how you communicate under pressure, how you influence without authority, and how you navigate ambiguity and trade-offs.

Those patterns are not built in the year someone is promoted. They’re built years earlier, often without much visibility.

This is where many high performers get stuck.

They work harder, but inside the same environment.
They wait for clarity instead of creating momentum.
They treat senior leadership as a future problem instead of a present practice.

When I look across hundreds of careers, I see three systems that consistently determine whether someone moves forward or stays stalled:

Habits. Accountability. Environment.

Let’s talk about each.

Habits determine how you show up.

Senior roles demand a different operating rhythm: clearer thinking, stronger synthesis, better framing, and more intentional preparation. These are not skills you switch on when the title changes. They are habits built through repetition.

Accountability keeps progress moving when motivation dips.

Left to our own devices, most of us default to what is familiar and comfortable. Growth usually requires external challenge and perspective.

Environment shapes what you see, what you learn, and how you think.

If you are rarely in rooms where strategic decisions are discussed - if you’re brought in only once decisions are made - it’s very difficult to develop senior-level judgment, no matter how strong your execution skills are.

If your goal for 2026 is meaningful, money-rewarding career growth, the most useful exercise right now isn’t refining a vision board. It’s assessing whether these systems are aligned with where you want to go.

Here’s what that looks like in practice.

I worked with a Senior Manager in a large organization who was widely seen as capable, reliable, and hardworking. On paper, he was doing everything right. He took on complex projects, worked long hours, and consistently delivered.

And yet, year after year, promotions passed him by.

If you’re a Senior Manager who keeps being told “you’re doing great,” but nothing actually changes, this will sound familiar.

The issue wasn’t effort. It was his habits.

He approached leadership meetings reactively rather than strategically. His updates were detailed but unfocused. He explained what had happened instead of framing what should happen next. He focused on proving competence instead of exercising judgment.

We didn’t change his role. We changed his system.

He rebuilt how he prepared for meetings. He learned to lead with synthesis, not data. He practiced making clear recommendations and articulating trade-offs. Over time, how leaders experienced him shifted.

He wasn’t just reliable anymore.
He was trusted.

Within a year, he was leading initiatives he previously wouldn’t have been considered for. The promotion followed shortly after.

Nothing about his intelligence changed.
His habits did.

Another pattern I see often has nothing to do with skill and everything to do with accountability.

Many high performers spend years circling the same questions. Should I make a move? Am I ready for the next level? Is this the right role? They read, reflect, and wait for clarity.

If you find yourself endlessly preparing instead of deciding, you’re not alone.

One client had been doing exactly this for years. Thoughtful, self-aware, and deeply capable - but stuck.

The turning point wasn’t a sudden insight. It was structure.

Once she committed to regular accountability, everything changed. Clear priorities. Real timelines. Someone challenging her assumptions and pushing her to act before she felt fully ready.

She stopped over-researching.
She made decisions.
She moved.

The difference wasn’t clarity.
It was a system that required forward motion.

These stories aren’t exceptional. They’re common.

People who make meaningful career moves tend to have one thing in place long before the outcome appears: systems that support growth even when motivation fluctuates.

So here’s what I’d encourage you to do this week.

Instead of adding another goal to your list, pause and assess which lever matters most for you right now.

Is it habits - are you showing up in ways that signal readiness for your next level?

Is it accountability - are you trying to do this alone?

Or is it environment - are you too far from decision-making?

You don’t need to fix everything at once. Trying to do so usually stalls momentum. Pick one lever. Take one deliberate action.

If you want a simple way to start, reply to this email with the word ENVIRONMENT, HABITS, or ACCOUNTABILITY - whichever feels most relevant right now. I read every reply, and it gives me a clear signal of what support or insight might be most useful to share next.

From time to time, readers also ask what it looks like to work together more closely. If that’s something you’ve been considering, you’re always welcome to reach out. Even a short conversation can help clarify where your systems are supporting you - and where they might be holding you back.

Career growth isn’t driven by a single bold decision in January.
It’s shaped by systems that compound over time.

This year, focus less on what you want and more on what you’re building to support it.

I’m cheering you on, and I’m excited to see what 2026 makes possible for you.

Until next week,

Beckie

PS Want to jump on a call to talk about your career? Reply to this email and I'll send you the link to book a time - on me. I have 10 spots open this month and I'd love to meet you.

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