January is when many businesses rush into planning. Targets are set. Roadmaps are drafted. Initiatives are lined up neatly on slides.

Yet by mid-year, many of these plans quietly lose momentum — not because teams failed to execute, but because the direction was never truly clear in the first place.

In the age of AI, this problem is magnified. When execution becomes faster and cheaper, poor direction becomes more expensive.

This is why 2026 calls for a strategic reset. Not more plans. Not more tools. But clearer direction.

Planning Creates Activity. Direction Creates Impact.

Planning answers the question: What will we do?
Direction answers the harder question: What truly matters?

Without direction, planning becomes a long list of activities. With direction, planning becomes selective, focused, and intentional.

AI does not replace the need for direction. In fact, it makes direction more important — because it removes friction from execution.

When execution is easy, strategic choice becomes the real advantage.

Direction Must Come Before AI Decisions

A common question leaders ask is, “Where should we apply AI this year?” A better question is, “What direction are we actually committed to?”

AI should serve your direction — not define it. Without clarity, AI initiatives tend to:

• Optimise processes that no longer matter
• Increase output without increasing value
• Create movement without meaningful progress

Direction acts as a strategic filter. It helps you decide what deserves attention now — and what should wait.

The Three Anchors of Strategic Direction

1. Intent
   What outcome are you truly aiming for — and for whom?
2. Focus
   What deserves priority, and what must be deliberately deprioritised?
3. Leverage
   Where should human judgment lead — and where can AI responsibly support?

A Simple Direction Check Before You Plan

Before committing to plans, budgets, or AI tools, pause and ask:

“If we could only do three things exceptionally well in 2026, what must they be — and why?”

If the answer is unclear, planning will only create noise. Direction must come first.

Use AI to Clarify Direction — Not to Rush Decisions

This is where AI can play a powerful role in January — not as an automation engine, but as a thinking partner.

If you’d like structured help assessing your current direction, priorities, and AI readiness, you can start with the DigitalAI Future Compass.

It is designed to help leaders:

• Assess strategic clarity before planning
• Identify focus areas and blind spots
• Understand where AI can add real leverage — and where it shouldn’t yet

Start Your DigitalAI Future Compass Assessment

Direction creates clarity. Clarity makes every AI decision easier.

— Jane Chew
AI Strategy Coach & Founder, DigitalAI Business Club