Abuja, Nigerian business leaders and executives have been urged to migrate strategically from crisis management to structural resilience, on order to survive in 2026.
The United Kingdom based leadership development organization TEXEM UK while making the call in a statement on www.texem.co.uk, added that the leaders should focus more on enhancing strategy, agility and influence.
TEXEM’s Director of Special Projects, Caroline Lucas urged them to change policy and decision making directions to survive ongoing global economic volatility in 2026.
Lucas recalled that in 2025, the leaders managed the politics of reforms that were economically necessary but socially exacting.
She said if 2025 taught Nigerian leaders anything, it was that volatility is no longer episodic but structural.
“The past year was a crucible. Executives across the public and private sectors—from the boardroom to the permanent secretary’s office—spent 2025 navigating persistent price pressures, household strain, and currency fragility.
“But as we look toward 2026, the mandate shifts. We are moving from a period of “survivalist reaction” to one of “systemic improvement.” Nigeria’s 2025 realities exposed where leadership systems were thin.
“2026 will belong to leaders who deliberately enhance those systems through discipline, foresight, and execution,” Lucas said.
Speaking further on the first of the three areas of focus, which is Strategy the director said that in a stable environment, strategy is a map, while in a structural crisis, strategy must be a compass.
“For the Nigerian executive, the era of 5-year static plans is over. The global environment is tighter; borrowing conditions are more demanding, and trade/aid flows are increasingly conditional. To lead through this, your strategy must focus on Anti-fragility.
“Stress-test your assumptions. Don’t just plan for “growth.” Model your strategy against a 20 percent further currency slide or a 15 percent increase in logistics costs.
“Executives should be involved in buffer building. In 2026, liquidity is a strategic moat. Thickening your system means building reserves—of capital, of talent, and of raw materials—to ensure you are never forced to make a decision out of desperation,” she advised.
With respect to the second area of focus, Agility, Lucas described it as the discipline of fast execution.
She said Agility is often mistaken for “moving fast” but added that in the context of a regulator or a CEO, true agility is the ability to change direction without losing momentum.
Lucas lamented that Nigerian leaders often struggle with “implementation leakage” whereby a brilliant policy or board decision loses 60 percent of its efficacy by the time it reaches the front lines.
In order to fix this, she recommended shortening of feedback loops saying leaders should not wait for quarterly reviews.
According to her, in a structural crisis, weekly “Pulse Meetings” are required to pivot resources where they are most needed.
Lucas also called for decentralisation of decision-making, saying CEOs should give their heads of strategy and risk, the autonomy to act within defined guardrails, adding that a centralized system is a slow system, and in 2026, slowness is a terminal risk.
On the third area of focus, Influence, she said the influence of an executive now extends beyond his balance sheet or mandate.
“The “socially exacting” nature of current reforms means that trust is your most valuable currency.
Whether you are a Board Chair or a Permanent Secretary, your influence must be used to manage the expectations of a strained workforce and a demanding public.
“There should be Radical Transparency. Acknowledge the household strain. When communicating with stakeholders, lead with the “Why.” Explain the mechanics of the reform and the projected timeline for the “dividend.”
“Practise collaborative leadership because no organization is an island. 2026 requires “Co-opetition” which is collaborating with regulators, competitors, and civil society to stabilize the ecosystem in which you operate,” Lucas said.
She said the 2026 Mandate for Nigerian leaders should be to thicken the system.
“The “thinness” exposed in 2025 was a lack of depth in our institutional processes, our risk cushions, and our talent pipelines.
“To lead through disruption is to accept that the “old normal” isn’t coming back. The global trade environment is more demanding, and regional growth, while resilient, is hard-won.
“Your role now is to move past the “politics of reform” and into the mechanics of results,” she said.
Lucas announced that between February 7-21 2026, TEXEM will be hosting a virtual programme for Nigerian and African leaders in this regard.
She said the programme titled, Leading through Disruption: Strategy, Agility and Influence will bring together internationally reputable TEXEM faculty expected to deliver it, using TEXEM’s well known methodology.
The faculty includes Prof. Nicholas Cheeseman, Prof. Neal Hartman and Graham Stuart, MP
Cheeseman is a leading scholar of good governance and accountability and former don at the University of Oxford.
Hartman is a Professor and Head of Department in Managerial Communication at the MIT Sloan School of Management. His teaching of management communication and intercultural communication emphasises working in teams, conflict and conflict resolution, leadership, and cross-cultural communication.
Stuart is a British Former Government Minister and businessman and presently serves as the Member of Parliament for Beverley and Holderness since 2005.
He previously served in various ministerial positions under Prime Ministers Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak between 2018 and 2024.
Designed for the time-pressed executive, the programme blends one hour of focused self-study each day with high-impact live sessions across three Saturdays. It is gamified to sharpen thinking, accelerate action, and make the experience engaging, inspiring, practical, memorable, and genuinely enjoyable.
The cost of the programmes is £2,000, with a £1,750 discount and a £1,500 early bird by January 15.
For further enquiries, prospective participants are to contact https://texem.co.uk/leading-through-disruption-strategy-agility-and-influence/
