November Reflections: Keeping Your Tools Sharp for 2026

Fall is a time of transition. The light fades quickly, drawing us inside and inward. We gather up what has worked and reflect on what might need to change for next year's harvest. It's a time of year many people celebrate in different forms. When I lived in South Korea, it was Chuseok, when I lived in Mexico, Day of the Dead, and here we have Thanksgiving. In my family, another activity associated with the fall and Thanksgiving is cutting wood.

Recently, I went to visit my parents for my dad's birthday and to help cut, gather, and stack wood. My parents still heat their house with a wood stove, just as we did growing up, and it is a simple pleasure in life to be warmed by such intense radiant heat. Our task was to fill up the remaining gap in the 3rd wood stack so the logs would dry out and cure for the next 1–2 years (no woodchucks were harmed in this process). 😂

Here's a video of me cutting and sorting a pile of tangled apple branches and talking about these reflections:

I didn't know it at the time, but you can definitely see in the video that the chainsaw was dull. Or maybe you can't tell, because you, like me, haven't used a chainsaw in the last 10 years. Go back to the beginning, before I start spending 4-10 seconds cutting through small logs, and you'll see how fast my dad was cutting in the background.

When using the saw a couple of days later, my dad messaged me to ask if I knew how dull it had been.

I laughed when I went back to watch this video. No, I had not. And my forearm and lower back reminded me of that all last week.

The same principle applies in our conversations: when we’re tired, stressed, or unclear, everything feels harder than it needs to.

And just like we spent time sorting the good wood from the bad, I've been thinking about what I want to carry forward into 2026, and what I'm letting go of.

So I'm taking time to sharpen my saw, and sort the wood, so to speak, because, as a solo business owner, you really have to be judicious with your energy. I'm reflecting on what I learned in 2025 and I'm deciding how to best spend my energy in 2026 so I can continue to grow as a person and as a business.

Just like the wood needs a year or more to cure, the things that matter in business, like communication skills, relationships, and clarity, take time to develop. So I've been thinking about what I want to prepare for now to set myself up for the year ahead.

The current 2026 agenda includes:

• Finding more opportunities to speak, lead workshops, and offer training

• Fostering the many new relationships I've built over the last year

• Building content that’s genuinely useful and engaging for you

So tell me, what kind of newsletter content are you interested in?

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November Highlights

Lunch-and-Learns: Advising in High-Stakes Moments

I gave two lunch-and-learns this month! I would like to thank Jenn Barry and Adrianna Stasiuk of Aaron Wealth Advisors, and Ken Orth of CJG Partners, for each inviting me to provide insights and education for their staff. We had lively discussions about how to use listening skills to build trust and de-escalate tension.

If you are interested in exploring a lunch-and-learn or workshop topic that would sharpen your team's communication skills, let's talk about it!

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New on The Groundwork Blog:

• 👀 How to Recognize the Early Signs of Workplace Conflict — The quiet shifts in behavior and energy that tell you something is off.

• 🧭 Mapping Conflict Before It Costs More — How to slow down, see the terrain, and avoid “We need to talk” moments that backfire.

  
  

• 🤝 How to Lead Inclusive Meetings — 11 Practical tips to reduce friction and create space for better ideas.

  
  

New Service: The Mutual Conflict Map

If you are looking to hone your skills for navigating a high-stakes conversation, check out the Mutual Conflict Map. It's a guided process that helps you turn conflict into clarity and chart your own path forward. You’ll leave with a personalized and structured Map you can use to stay grounded and navigate your next steps.

Who can use this?

• Business partners and leadership teams who feel stuck or misaligned

• Managers and individual professionals preparing for an important conversation

• Family businesses balancing relationships, ownership, and change
  

👉 Get your map

As you look toward 2026, what are you sharpening for next year? Reply here and let me know. And if it includes anything in the realm of improving your communication and conflict resolution skills, you know who to call!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Katie