Welcome to 2026. Your biggest growth risk rolled just over from last year.
Here's the thing nobody wants to admit in January: Most teams don't stall because they move too slowly. They stall because they move fast on the wrong assumptions.
Those assumptions aren’t coming— they’re here. Hard-coded into your roadmap, validated by familiar dashboards, and protected by the comforting belief that you already know your customers.
Meanwhile, the market is doing cartwheels.
The Proximity Problem
Inside-out thinking isn't a mindset issue—it's a proximity issue. And it creeps in fastest when you think you're already customer-led.
When I run Customer Advisory Boards for growth-focused teams, I see the pattern play out on repeat: Teams are customer-led in intent, but fragmented in perspective.
Insight lives everywhere—sales calls, NPS scores, product feedback, exec opinions. But none of it forces shared decisions. None of it creates the kind of proximity that actually matters.
You know what does? Getting close enough to catch the conflicts, constraints, and chaos before you go to market.
The AI Reality Check
Right now, clients are rolling out AI features at warp speed. The enthusiasm is intoxicating: We need this. Customers are demanding it. AI is the future.
But here's what customers are actually saying inside CAB discussions:
Those "must-have" AI features? They're smashing into internal AI policies, compliance walls, and risk frameworks. What buyers wanted six months ago is now what their systems, teams, or policies won't support.
You can't out-build a market you're not listening to.
What 2026 Actually Requires
The advantage this year won't be speed to market. It will be finding out sooner when what we believe no longer matches what customers experience.
That's what well-run customer advisory boards actually do. They don't collect feedback. They challenge assumptions—together, in real time. Not just "what do you want?" but "what's happening in your org right now?"
Because proximity beats assumptions. Every single time.
The Question You Need to Answer
Companies don't lose to competitors. They lose to assumptions.
So here's your 2026 gut-check: Are you entering this year with assumptions—or active customer advisors?
Fewer assumptions. Faster truth. Better decisions.
If you want to move at the speed of the market, you need to listen at the speed of your customers.
New year. New proximity. Let's go.
Ready to challenge your assumptions before the market does it for you? Let's talk about how a Customer Advisory Board can transform your 2026 strategy.