I’ve read multiple 2026 outlooks for Life Sciences and much is unknown.

But one thing is clear: complexity is accelerating faster than organizations can comfortably absorb it.  

In her 2026 outlook, Aimee Raleigh of LifeSciVC describes the past year as a “constant sensation of vertigo.”

If 2025 was the year of vertigo, 2026 may be more of the same, just faster.

J.P. Morgan, Deloitte, and PwC describe an environment of complexity, speed, and compressed decision windows.

Deloitte quotes William Phillips, CCO at Terumo Neuro, “AI is out of the box, and the speed at which innovation is moving will only accelerate.” The complexity will result from whether or not everyone can “catch up.”

Raleigh says the winners will “act early” and make rapid decisions without having all the data. PwC agrees saying, “winners will be those who deploy capital with precision, speed, and foresight.”

Of course, when I read the outlooks I’m asking, “what does this mean for communication inside and outside the organization?”

An increasingly complex environment with shorter decision windows creates tension for experts who want time and certainty before they move forward.

For many experts, this environment feels genuinely disorienting. They’re being asked to make recommendations with incomplete information, across functions they don’t control, and under timelines that feel tighter than ever.

In this world, experts who excel do two things:

First, they value clarity over thoroughness.

This week an HR Biotech leader said to me, “Are you noticing that there is less time to make a point than ever before? What used to be an hour-long conversation is now forced to be a 10-minute update.”

It’s not that leaders are impatient nor that they dislike details. But as judgement windows compress, tolerance for unclear, overly detailed communication disappears.

Explanations must land points quickly, or miss their window.

Second, they present as advisors, not informers.

We hear this skill termed “data storytelling,” or defining the narrative. The key is successful communicators clearly present why information matters and give recommendations on next steps that can be taken based on the information.

Opportunities in turbulent times go to those who maintain a level head, interpret the chaos clearly for others, and offer a way forward with only 80% of the data (or less!)

How should you be thinking about communication?

Yesterday, I spoke to an SVP leading a Global Product Team. He said (I’m paraphrasing), “The GPT needs to be able to tell the story of the molecule and quickly adjust the complexity based on the audience. When the story is developed at the functional level the function inevitably becomes the hero of the story. If we are going to communicate clearly across the organization the story needs to be developed at the GPT, with the molecule as the hero, and each function clearly playing a supporting role. The telling of the story then can be adjusted to the listener.”

This is it.

Many experts I talk to:

• Believe more detail will increase credibility.
• Assume others understand how their work contributes.
• Want 100% clarity before they make a recommendation.

I help them:

• Build credibility by selecting details most helpful to leadership.
• Clearly state why their work matters and how it furthers the mission.
• Make recommendations on next steps based on trends, and differentiation.

Because when judgment windows compress, clarity becomes a necessary leadership skill, not a presentation preference.