🔥 The Shape of 2026: In Community #107

Your weekly spark centering entrepreneurial leaders, creators, and culture-makers from the rising majority

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🚀 It’s here! I’m launching NO SHADE: Build Your Personal Brand

Sound familiar?

🙌🏽 Welcome to In Community.

I used to shrink myself to fit rooms that weren’t built for me. Adjusting my voice. Softening my presence. Playing by rules I didn’t write.

“Be visible,” they repeated, “but not too visible.” “Share your story,” they said, “but don’t be too much.” “Stand out,” they insisted, “but make sure you still fit in.”

Sound familiar?

Well, I’m done with that playbook. I’ve spent years coaching leaders to reframe their stories, find their superpower, and hit their goals. And I’ve learned what works.

I’m sharing it in my new course, NO SHADE: Build Your Personal Brand. Don’t miss out. The course — which includes live sessions led by me — goes live soon, and the spots are filling up.

What you’ll gain:

👉🏽 Build – and demonstrate – confidence

👉🏽 Understand and see your value in a powerful way

👉🏽 Influence the way that others view you through an external lens

👉🏽 Learn how to position yourself aligned to your values and career goals

👉🏽 Develop a consistent way to articulate your narrative with cultural nuance and clarity

⏱️ Submit your application TODAY and start the year off right.

PRO TIP: Check if your company has a Learning & Development budget you can tap.

🔥 And now, for your weekly spark.

Every cycle shapes the next.

2026 isn’t just another calendar year — it’s the next chapter in how influence, culture, and community intersect.

What we built, learned, and tested in 2025 is already defining the year ahead. To move intentionally, we need something to anchor us — something that keeps us rooted in what actually matters while we navigate trends, opportunities, and noise. 

That’s why I use the ANCHOR framework: it’s how I evaluate every idea, every community opportunity, and every strategy before committing energy or resources.

📌 The ANCHOR Framework™

Evaluate every opportunity, trend, or strategy as you plan the year ahead.

Alignment: Does it resonate with the core values and purpose of your community

Novelty: Is it meaningful enough to capture attention in a crowded, distracted world?

Connection: Does it strengthen relationships, belonging, and collaboration?

Human Impact: Does it positively affect the people who make your community real?

Opportunity: Will it create real strategic advantage for your brand or career?

Resonance: Will it last beyond the immediate moment and contribute to culture?

With ANCHOR as our guide, we can start to see what’s actually shaping 2026 — not hype, not noise, but the patterns that matter for communities, culture, and leadership.

These are the signals I’m watching closely, filtered through the lens of alignment, connection, and long-term impact. Think of them as more than predictions — they’re actionable guideposts for where to invest your attention, your energy, and your influence this year.

Every prediction below has been filtered through ANCHOR.

Before we go further — I’m building a space to explore these frameworks and conversations in real time — where leaders define the future of community together.

📺 I was aiming for 1,000 YouTube subscribers by the end of 2025. It’s now 2026, and I’m still only 30% of the way there. It’s the quick and free way to help support my work. I know it’s easy to believe that others will probably do it, but that’s what others are likely thinking too.

If you’ve gained anything from this free newsletter — a spark of energy, motivation, clarity, insight, or access to new roles — subscribe and share with one person in your community. Community only scales when people participate — and those of us without big funding backing us need it more than ever.

This week, I’m in community with Maryam Banikarim — an Emmy Award–winning storyteller, TED speaker, founder, podcast host, and C-suite leader who's shaped global brands like Hyatt, Nextdoor, Gannett, and more. Maryam opens up about her journey as an immigrant from Iran to leading some of the world’s most influential organizations, sharing candid insights on leadership, community, and personal growth.

🔮 7 Community-Driven Predictions for 2026

1️⃣ Community becomes the default strategy
Brands that treat community as a feature will lag. In 2026, community is the backbone of decision-making, innovation, and growth. If it’s not at the center of your strategy, you’re already behind.

2️⃣ Predictive presence beats reactive performance
Past metrics are table stakes. The leaders who win design experiences that shape future behavior, not just respond to last quarter’s clicks.

3️⃣ Live connection is the new premium
People are done with algorithm-mediated interactions. Real-time experiences — live events, calls, workshops, even micro‑moments in Slack or Discord — are where communities feel seen, heard, and alive.

4️⃣ Influence is collaborative, not transactional
The solo influencer is fading. Shared influence, shared infrastructure, and shared narratives drive exponential impact. Your community is your amplifier — and that amplifier grows when everyone participates.

5️⃣ Culture-first thinking accelerates adoption
Products, campaigns, or ideas that don’t align with cultural truth won’t land. In 2026, leaders who integrate culture into the design of experiences will win faster and with more loyalty.

6️⃣ Metrics shift from vanity to vitality
Reach and clicks are table stakes. Engagement, retention, and co-creation metrics define real success — especially in communities that drive business outcomes.

7️⃣ Leaders lead by listening, not broadcasting
Authority will belong to those who participate, guide, and respond, not those who dominate the conversation. Communities reward curation over command.

2026 will reward clarity, foresight, and courage. It’ll favor those who see community not as a channel, but as a force that shapes outcomes, culture, and influence.

Every cycle shapes the next — the choices we make today, the experiments we run, and the connections we nurture will define what this year looks like.

👉🏽 Make it matter.

✅ Now Hiring

What you asked for, delivered.

Is someone you know considering what’s next for them? Here are a few roles with people hiring across the network. I’ll be adding roles here every week, so stay tuned and make sure to spread the word.

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And before you go, consider who else might value this newsletter and what’s coming up on YouTube. Make sure to fwd this newsletter onward to them too. They can subscribe here for more directly in their inbox. 🔁 

In community,

Fahad