People Predictions for 2026: The Future of Leadership and High-Performing Teams with Amplified Group’s Sophie Matthews, Nat Falconer, Mikael Nilsson and Logan Black

What does the year ahead really hold for leaders, founders and people teams? In this special 40 Minute Mentor roundtable, James Mitra is joined by Amplified Group’s people experts, Sophie Matthews, Nat Falconer and Mikael Nilsson from Foundation Partners, and Logan Black from Unleashed, to explore the biggest people and talent trends shaping 2026. From leaner organisations and the rise of fractional talent, to more focus on high-performing cultures, the team unpack what high performance will actually look like next year, and why middle managers may become the most influential layer in your organisation. If you’re looking to scale your team, embed new technology or simply want no-BS guidance on hiring and retaining top talent, then this episode is for you. 📚Episode Chapters: ➡️ The rise of leaner and more efficient teams [05:10] ➡️ AI hype vs reality [12:00] ➡️ Defining high performance [25:45] ➡️ The biggest people challenges heading into 2026 [31:00] ➡️ What top candidates are really looking for [35:00] ➡️ Bold people predictions for the year ahead [40:00] 🔍 Find out more: ✨ Find out more about Foundation Partners ✨ Find out more about Unleashed ⭐Enjoyed this episode? ⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm 🎧 You may also like: Murvah Iqbal on scaling one of Europe’s fastest-growing startups and disruption a billion dollar industry with Hived Tamara Lohan MBE on scaling the iconic Mr & Mrs Smith travel brand from idea to exit Andrew Richardson on building high-performing businesses & leadership teams with Amplified Group Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices