How to Grow in 2026 Without Losing the Team That Got You Here

What a year.
Seriously, what a year.

As we closed out 2025 this week and are now looking ahead, I’m willing to bet that if you’re reading this article, you had an outstanding year—maybe even your best year yet.

Revenue increased year over year.
Organic growth expanded.
Your client roster grew.
You may have added new services and raised fees in ways that finally reflected the value you deliver.

Most importantly, I’m willing to bet that the work you and your team did made a real difference for the clients you serve.

So, let’s pause there for a moment.

This work is noble work. And building an enduring team means that the impact your team has on individual lives creates a lasting ripple across the families and communities you serve.

Congratulations. That kind of year is earned.

When success forces a new leadership question

When high-performing teams come off a year like this, the conversation almost always turns to the future.

What’s next?

For most high performers, that question quickly leads to a discussion about expanding the team in 2026. Adding capacity. New hires. Supporting more clients. And alongside that, thinking seriously about how artificial intelligence will improve efficiency and help firms scale.

These are smart conversations. Necessary ones.

While AI will continue to shape how work gets done, that’s not where I want to spend our time here.

Another issue surfaces quietly during periods of strong growth, and too many leaders don’t pause long enough to address it.

Growth like your team has just experienced does not just change the numbers on a dashboard.
It changes the lived experience of the people doing the work.

Client growth does not just mean more revenue.
It means more meetings.
More decisions.
More emotional load.
More complexity.

And that is where capacity often becomes strained long before headcount catches up.

From scaling the business to sustaining the team

At this stage, the leadership question shifts.

It is no longer simply “How do we scale?”
It becomes “How do we scale without eroding the experience of the team that made this growth possible?”

That question led me, over the past few months, to deeper reading, reflection, and conversations with many of the advisory teams we coach that are experiencing rapid growth.

I kept asking leaders and team members the same question.

How is your team actually experiencing this growth?

I was not interested in how busy people were or how productive they appeared to be.

I wanted to understand whether the work still felt meaningful, sustainable, and worth doing.

That is not a soft question.
It is a predictive one.

And that is why I have been studying happiness in the workplace as this year draws to a close.

Not because it sounds nice.
But because the data says it matters.

That path led me back to the work of Arthur C. Brooks and Adam Grant, as well as research published by Harvard Business Review, Korn Ferry, and Gallup.

Different disciplines. Same conclusion.

If you want to grow well in 2026, you have to pay attention to how growth feels within the organization, not just how it looks on a dashboard.

What the research actually shows

Arthur Brooks is clear about this.

Perks, convenience, or mood do not drive happiness at work. It comes from two primary sources.

Earned success and service.

People want to know they are making progress and earning their success. They also want to know who they are helping and why their work matters.

In a widely viewed conversation published by HBR, Brooks notes that despite spending roughly half of our waking hours working, only about 16 percent of employees report being very satisfied with their work. That gap is not explained by pay or title. It is explained by how people experience their work.

Adam Grant’s research reinforces this from a different angle.

Grant has repeatedly shown that meaningful work predicts persistence, performance, and retention more reliably than incentives do when compensation is deemed fair.

In one of his most-cited peer-reviewed studies, call center employees raising money for scholarships saw a dramatic increase in productivity after spending just a few minutes meeting the students they were helping. Compensation, targets, and hours did not change.

Only the connection to impact changed.

Grant’s work also shows that burnout is not primarily driven by long hours. It is driven by futility. Working hard without progress. Without voice. Without connection.

This matters because leaders often assume burnout is solved by adding more benefits or time off. The research points elsewhere. Meaning and effectiveness are the real levers.

Why this matters as you expand in 2026

Now layer in the talent data.

Gallup estimates that replacing an employee costs between 50 percent and 200 percent of their annual salary, depending on role and seniority. For managers and specialized professionals, replacement costs typically range from 1.5 to 2 times compensation when recruiting costs, onboarding time, and lost productivity are factored in.

Korn Ferry’s research heading into 2026 reinforces this reality. Skilled talent remains in high demand. Hiring is taking longer. Preventable turnover is increasingly costly.

But here is the most important data point.

Gallup consistently finds that a majority of voluntary turnover is preventable and that people most often leave because of managers and cultures, not jobs or compensation alone.

Which brings us back to advisory firms.

You can hire faster.
You can invest in AI.
You can add systems.

But if people lose connection to the impact of their work as the firm grows, disengagement quietly follows.

This is where advisory firm leaders have a powerful, underutilized lever.

The most practical, research-backed move leaders can make

If you want to strengthen workplace happiness in 2026, do not start with perks.

Start by strengthening the connection between your team and your clients.

This is where Brooks’ concept of service and Grant’s research on meaning come together in a very practical way.

Many team members in advisory firms do extraordinary work and never hear the client say thank you.

They prepare plans.
They coordinate.
They solve problems.
They absorb stress.

And the client relationship often lives almost entirely with a lead advisor.

From a happiness, engagement, and retention standpoint, that is often a missed opportunity.

Here is what this looks like in practice:

First, rethink how you use case studies internally.
Frame these reviews around human impact, not just technical precision. Highlight the family meeting that brought clarity, the tax strategy that eased anxiety, and the transition plan that built confidence. In some cases, invite clients to share their story directly with the team.

Second, expand who is in the room.
Be intentional about inviting team members to client meetings, not only for efficiency but also for exposure. Let them hear clients describe what the firm has meant to them and experience appreciation firsthand.

Third, prompt reflection directly with clients.
Ask questions such as, “What is the one thing you found most valuable about our work together this past year?” Invite clients to describe what they believe they have accomplished in partnership with your team.

Finally, design shared experiences.
Plan social and philanthropic events that foster natural interaction between clients and team members. Not networking events. Human ones.

Grant’s research shows that when people see the beneficiaries of their work, motivation and commitment rise without additional incentives. Brooks’ research shows that this deepens happiness through service.

This is not soft. It is strategic.

It reinforces earned success.
It reinforces service.
And it creates meaning that compensation alone cannot replicate.

Looking ahead

As we head into 2026, this is an optimistic moment.

You are growing because clients value what you do.
AI will help you work more effectively.
The firms that win will be those that help people feel the impact of their work, not just measure it.

Growth without connection is fragile.
Growth with meaning is durable.

That is how you expand without losing what made this year great.
And that is how you build a team that wants to grow with you.

Once again, congratulations on a terrific year. As you look to the future, I wish you continued success.

With each episode and article, I offer a few coaching questions for reflection. I encourage you to share these with your team and invite them into the conversation.

Coaching Questions

1. As you look ahead to 2026, how intentionally are you creating opportunities for your team to directly experience the impact your clients say you have on their lives?
2. Where could a deeper client–team connection strengthen meaning, energy, and retention within your firm beyond what compensation or incentives alone can accomplish?
3. If your firm continues to grow its client roster next year, what will need to change so your people feel more effective and less stretched as complexity increases?
4. What specific practices could you implement in 2026 to make service and earned success more visible across the team, not just for lead advisors?

Questions Financial Advisors Often Ask

How can advisory firms grow in 2026 without losing their team?

Advisory firms can grow in 2026 without losing their team by paying attention to how growth is experienced internally, not just how it looks financially. Sustainable growth requires maintaining meaning, effectiveness, and connection for team members as complexity and client volume increase.

What actually drives happiness at work according to research?

Research cited in the article shows that workplace happiness comes primarily from earned success and service—not perks, convenience, or mood. People are happier when they feel they are making progress and clearly understand who they are helping and why their work matters.

Why is employee retention especially important heading into 2026?

Replacing employees is costly, often ranging from 50 percent to 200 percent of annual compensation depending on role and seniority. With skilled talent in high demand and hiring taking longer, preventable turnover creates significant financial and operational risk for growing firms.

How does client connection affect team engagement and retention?

When team members see and hear directly from the clients they serve, their sense of meaning, motivation, and commitment increases. Connection to client impact strengthens engagement without requiring additional incentives.

What is the most practical way leaders can improve workplace happiness?

The most practical, research-backed action leaders can take is to strengthen the connection between their team and their clients. This reinforces earned success and service, which are the primary drivers of happiness at work.

Why are perks and benefits not enough to sustain engagement?

Perks and benefits do not address the underlying drivers of happiness and engagement. Research shows that meaning, effectiveness, and connection to impact matter more than incentives once compensation is considered fair.

What makes growth durable instead of fragile?

Growth is durable when people feel the impact of their work, not just see performance metrics. Growth without connection leads to disengagement, while growth rooted in meaning strengthens teams and supports long-term success.