3 Effortless Ways to EXPLODE Your Leadership in 2026

YouTube Version (If you'd rather watch) 👉 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSJDtpAnmY4

Let's talk about three effortless ways to EXPLODE your leadership potential this year.

And no, that’s not an exaggeration.

When I reflect on my leadership journey so far, the most significant leadership growth wasn’t from my college or graduate school years. It wasn’t from reading a special book or taking a special class. It wasn’t even from my years of experience and leadership reps.

No, the most significant leadership growth came from the three things we’re discussing today.

And if you’re serious about growing YOUR leadership, you need to incorporate these three things, as well!

Okay, no time to waste, let’s dive in.

#1 FIND A MENTOR

Studies find that 75% of executives credit their success to mentors, and recent research shows that 90% of employees with a career mentor are happy at work.

It’s interesting to me how we grow up with all sorts of mentors.

We have parents, coaches, teachers, all sorts of mentoring going on.

But then somehow it all stops.

Many of us naturally drift away from our mentoring relationships once we leave school and enter the workforce.

This is particularly true of entrepreneurs.

It’s even more true of anyone in leadership.

Why?

Why do we do this?

There’s no good reason for this.

And yet, we wonder why leadership can feel so confusing, challenging, and lonely.

Well, it’s because we no longer have anyone in our corner to teach us, encourage us, and show us the way.

Now, there are a few reasons why people lose sight of the importance of having a mentor.

First off, we’ve got to address the pride issue.

Some people think they know everything.

You think you’re the hottest thing since the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Let me tell you something: if you don’t address the pride issue, you’ll never find a mentor who would even want to mentor you.

Mentoring relationships require you to submit yourself humbly to the instruction of someone who has gone before you.

This doesn’t mean that you have to agree with everything they say or do everything they say.

But you need to be humble.

Think about how prevalent this is in modern media.

Rocky had to learn humility from his boxing coach, Mickey.

The Karate Kid had to be humbled before he learned from Mr. Miyagi.

Luke Skywalker had to be humbled before he could learn from Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda.

Heck, I was even watching Pixar’s Cars with my kids the other day.

Lightning McQueen was a little punk car that was too arrogant to learn from good ole' Doc Hudson.

I could go on and on.

Guys, we can’t be little unteachable punks.

We’ve got to submit ourselves humbly to mentorship.

Because here’s the truth.

We don’t know everything.

We need people in our lives who are ahead of us to help mentor us in our current season.

You never outgrow the need for mentorship.

And we don’t need just one mentor, I think we need many.

Personally, I have mentors in just about every area of my life.

I have financial mentors, I have mentors for my health, I have mentors who speak into my marriage and parenting, and I have mentors for leadership.

Some of these mentors are close family and friends, but probably the majority of my mentors I pay for.

Now, a lot of people think about mentors, and they picture someone in their 60s, 70s, or older.

Don’t get me wrong, that’s certainly a type of mentor you should have.

But age and tenure aren’t necessarily the best criteria you should be using to pick the right mentor for you.

Here’s the criteria I would use to pick a mentor:

First, you need to look for someone successful in the specific area that you’re trying to develop.

Just because they’re successful at staying physically healthy doesn’t mean they’re going to give you sound financial advice.

This is why you need multiple mentors. Find individual mentors for the specific things they’re qualified to speak on.

Second, you need someone who is ideally 5-10 years ahead of your current season.

This is the sweet spot.

It’s far enough out that you get great advice, but not so far out that they’ve forgotten your unique struggles or the unique nuances of the season.

Things are still fresh for them, but they’ve already learned the lessons you need to know.

This kind of mentor is the best positioned to get you the results you need.

Also, the more removed you get, the more technology, culture, and practical know-how change.

For instance, if you’re getting startup advice from someone who started a business 30 years ago, you’re only going to be able to use the principles of their mentorship.

However, if you find someone only 5-10 years removed, there is much more practical knowledge to be gained.

You may already have someone in your life who meets the criteria to be a great mentor for you.

That’s amazing. I would advise you to start with that person.

I would argue that leaders need mentors the most.

Because here’s the thing…

Leadership is often described as lonely, and I think it’s because we don’t take advantage of mentors.

Having a mentor reminds you that you’re not alone.

They’ve walked before you, they understand your struggles, and they’re willing to walk with you so that you don’t have to go it alone.

That’s powerful.

Mentorship alone is one of the best things you could do this year to grow your leadership.

But that’s not all.

Here’s the second thing you should do.

#2 TAKE A PILGRIMAGE

Now, what do I mean by this?

Well, I’m not necessarily talking about some spiritual journey to a holy place, as many people think.

Although I am, ironically, leading a team to Israel this year to tour the Holy Land.

That IS one of the pilgrimages I’ll be taking this year.

But in any case, what I’m talking about is taking a trip to a place associated with someone or something well-known or respected that would serve you in your leadership.

For instance, over the years, I’ve taken numerous trips to destinations in the U.S. and even overseas that offer valuable insights into what I’m trying to do as a leader.

I’ve visited venues, businesses, cathedrals, museums, churches, historical landmarks, the list is endless…

With each experience, I accrue more and more vision for what it is I’m trying to do as a leader.

Think of it as input.

As leaders, we have so much output.

At some point, we have to get out in the world and fill our tank back up with experiences that refresh our vision.

Let me explain what this might look like for you on a practical level.

Let’s say you own a lawn company and you’ve built it up to about 50 clients, but for whatever reason, you feel stuck.

You’d love to double your business from 50 clients to 100 clients, but you don’t have a vision for what that looks like, let alone how to get there.

Here’s my suggestion.

Visit a lawn care business with 100 clients and see how they operate.

Or better yet… Visit three different lawn businesses that are running 100 clients and see how they operate.

Ask questions and take note of their systems and dynamics.

I guarantee you’ll walk away with a vision for how to get 100 clients in your business.

You’ll literally see it in action.

What better way to catch a vision?

Or let’s say you’re in the tech industry.

Have you ever taken a trip to Silicon Valley?

Have you ever visited the headquarters of Apple, Google, or Meta?

Let’s say you’re in the entertainment industry.

Have you ever been to Vegas, Disney, or Broadway?

Let’s say you’re having a hard time leading with depth. Maybe your “why” feels shallow.

Maybe you should consider visiting a place to gain perspective or be inspired to lead with depth.

You could visit the holocaust museum in Washington.

The WWII museum in New Orleans.

You could go to Europe and see some of the most incredible history.

You could visit cathedrals and churches.

You could visit one of the great wonders of the world.

You could visit a national park.

Now, these are obviously big ideas.

But you can also go small.

You could go on a camping trip, you could go to the movies, or you could find a local coffee shop you haven’t been to.

You see, if you can get outside of your current environment and experience other ways of doing things, your vision expands.

The best experiences are those directly related to your field or where you want to be in the future, but every experience counts.

The main reason leaders get burnt out is that they lose their vision.

Our experiences are like fuel for our vision.

If all we do is output and never work on our input, our vision might shrivel up and start to look pretty small.

I’m sure you’ve heard the classic leadership maxim, “Vision leaks.”

Well, it’s not just the ones we lead that vision leaks from.

It usually dries up in the leader long before it dries up in the organization.

So, consider taking a pilgrimage.

Just do it.

Put it on the calendar.

Book it.

Make it happen.

Okay, here’s the last component.

#3 PROCESS THE PROCESS

Henry Ford said, “Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is probably the reason why so few engage in it.”

It is remarkable how difficult it is to find time to think.

We live in a noisy world.

There are distractions everywhere.

I’m willing to bet that you are deficient in think time.

When was the last time you sat down with a pen and paper with the agenda of just thinking and writing down those thoughts?

I think it was John Dewey who said, “You don't learn from experience; you learn from reflecting on experience.”

That always stuck with me.

What good is having a mentor and taking pilgrimages if you don’t take the time to process the learnings?

If you don’t take this final step, then you won’t get the benefits of the first two.

I’ll be transparent with you.

This is very difficult for me in my current season of life.

I have four kids, and I’m very involved in their lives.

With four kids comes a great deal of noise and distraction.

From the moment my kids wake up until the moment they lie back to sleep… I can’t think.

I can’t.

This is why I need to wake up at 4:30 am.

It’s the only time of day that there are no distractions, no noise.

That’s when I do my thinking.

I’ve tried to fight this; I don’t love getting up that early.

But I’ve learned that there’s no other way.

I can only check this box if I rise early.

90% of the problems I face are solved between 4:30-7:00 am.

You might find yourself in a similar boat.

Here’s the thing.

You’re smart.

Seriously, you’re a smart person.

Your problems are not a result of you not being smart.

Your problems likely still exist because you haven’t set aside time to think about the solutions.

As the leader, you need to prioritize thinking time over all other tasks.

You need to process the process.

As information comes in from your mentoring experiences and pilgrimage experiences, carve out time to process it.

Think.

Remember, “You don't learn from experience; you learn from reflecting on experience.”

So, there you have it.

Three ways to grow your leadership this year.

Find a mentor, take a pilgrimage, and process the process.

That’s about as simple as it gets.

But here’s the thing.

Do it.

I’m serious.

Find the mentor.

Plan the trip.

Schedule the time to think.

Make it happen.

As always, keep fighting the good fight.

I’ll see you again real soon.

- Zach

P.S. If you're interested in mentoring. Feel free to explore my mentoring program on this website. I hope it serves you!