Stability, Agility, and Clarity: What 2026 Will Demand from Leaders

https://www.workiva.com/What does leadership look like when volatility becomes the norm?

Workiva CEO Julie Iskow joins Steve Soder and Alyssa Zucker to unpack what 2025 taught executives and how to prepare for 2026. This conversation goes beyond headlines to explore how leaders can stay grounded while moving faster, make data a strategic asset, and meet rising board expectations with confidence.

In this episode:

Redefining resilience: Why stability and agility must coexist

Data integrity as strategy: Turning trusted data into a competitive advantage

AI readiness: Why governed, audit-ready data is the foundation for safe AI adoption

The evolving boardroom: How expectations are shifting toward deeper, more frequent engagement

Chapters 0:00 Defining resilience for 2026 3:15 Stability vs. agility in volatile markets 7:40 Data integrity: From compliance to strategy 11:20 When bad data becomes AI risk 15:00 The new expectations of the boardroom 18:30 Julie's word for 2026: Clarity

Enjoy this episode? Explore more conversations at the intersection of finance, risk, and sustainability at workiva.com/pre-read-podcast.