Episode 83: Leading insight in 2026
A new year, and a new season of the Transforming Insight podcast! We begin Season 12 with Episode 83, and we’ve called it Leading Insight in 2026. Eagle-eyed IMA members will see that unusually I’ve decided to start this year with the same topic at the Insight forums and on the Transforming Insight podcast. I’ve done it because I think that irrespective of the size of our Insight team, its level of maturity, or our level of seniority within it, we all need to lead Insight’s transformation this year with purpose, right from the start.
How are you feeling about the environment within which your Insight team will work this year? Do you work in a market sector that is thriving? Is your company growing its share of that market? And is the Insight team recognised as a key contributor to your organisation’s growth?
Or do you see challenges all around you – challenges for your market, your company and your Insight team? Are you expecting restructures, budget restrictions or headcount reductions?
Whether you feel optimistic, pessimistic, or somewhere in the middle, we can only manage the things we can manage, and having a written plan drastically improves our chances of making intentional, well-considered decisions.
In my 2025 book, The Insight Leader’s Playbook, I suggested a 9P framework for anyone who wanted to become a more transformational Insight leader and help their team, their colleagues and their organisation to succeed.
But we can’t all focus on all 9Ps at the same time, so which will you prioritise in the first few months of 2026? And which do I think that none of us should ignore?
Please listen to find out more!
Topics Discussed
- As the sun rises on 2026, do you see opportunities or challenges? (2.05)
- How transformational are you feeling? (6.00)
- A recap on the 9Ps of the Insight Leader’s Playbook (7.49)
- Which aspects of Insight leadership are essential now for you? (12.12)
- How can we all lead Insight with a clear purpose? (13.43)
- You are not alone! We have so much to learn from each other (19.40)
This is episode 83 of the Transforming Insight podcast.
If you have the ambition to transform your Insight team and the role it plays in your organisation, please tune in to future episodes. Not only will we explore the 42 secrets of successful corporate Insight teams as outlined in the Transforming Insight book, and the 9Ps of The Insight Leader’s Playbook, we will also talk to senior corporate Insight leaders, delve into books that have inspired us, and discuss new best practice research carried out with the IMA’s corporate members.
You won’t want to miss this! So please subscribe - and thank you for listening.
About James Wycherley, the author of Transforming Insight
James Wycherley was Director of Customer Insight and Analytics at Barclays Bank from 2005 to 2015 when he became Chief Executive of the Insight Management Academy (IMA).
He published his first book, Transforming Insight, in 2020, and his second, The Insight Leader’s Playbook, in 2025, and he hosts the Insight forums and the Transforming Insight podcast.
An entertaining keynote speaker, he has presented over 50 times at Quirk’s events, a global record, and has provided thought leadership in the UK, USA, Europe, Canada, Australia, India and the Middle East.
The Insight Management Academy is the world’s leading authority on transforming corporate Insight teams, and its vision is to inspire and support every Insight leader to transform the impact of Insight in their organisation.
Resources:
If you would like more information on any of the ideas discussed in this episode of the Transforming Insight podcast, please visit www.insight-management.org
Disclaimer
The Transforming Insight podcast is published by the Insight Management Academy and produced by Zorbiant.
All rights reserved.
