Analysis on risk, pressure, and decision-making across systems.
The CORE Series brings together analyses on risk, pressure, and decision-making across sectors. Each piece focuses on how issues emerge, how signals are missed or misread, and why outcomes are often shaped well before they’re publicly visible.
The goal is simple: surface patterns early, clarify what matters, and create space for better judgment before decisions are forced.
Pressure Isn’t Escalating — It’s Embedding
Pressure in 2026 will come from the convergence of governance strain, regulatory drag, tightening public expectations, activist network shifts, and shrinking institutional bandwidth. We look at key examples of this pressure in 2025 — so leaders can map their organizational fault lines before pressure exposes them.
One of the Most Dangerous Risks for 2026: Narrative Vacuums
Narrative vacuums form when leaders leave gaps in communication. Here’s why they’re the biggest reputation risk of 2026—and how organizations can prevent them.
Broken trust breaks brands
First it was shrinkflation. Then price fixing. Record profits. Bloated bonuses. The headlines kept coming — often more than once. Parliamentary hearings turned into political theatre. Then came the latest: meat price gouging.
This grocery story? It’s a case study in how trust erodes — slowly, then all at once. And then it’s gone.
Tone Deaf: When brands lose sight of mission
Businesses exist for a variety of purposes. Some offer products to meet needs in the market. Others provide essential services. Some may focus on social change. But there’s an old saying I learned in politics: you can’t fight for a cause if you can’t feed your family. The same translates to business: you can’t support causes if you don’t make a profit.
Whatever the cause, whatever the reason, it’s critical organizations do their homework first. Does it align with your current customer profile? Does it signal a departure from what you’ve done in the past? How will employees or suppliers respond? How will it impact you.
Breakdown: How the Secret Service’s communications fell short
Not only did the attempted assassination of former President Trump shock the senses, it also appeared to overwhelm the communications capabilities of the U.S. Secret Service. Because of how they’re portrayed in popular entertainment and public relations, we’d expect the Secret Service to handle every aspect of a crisis event like this with relative ease, jumping into action without hesitation and being able to communicate with confidence. But that’s not what we’ve seen play out publicly so far, and it’s not a big leap to significant changes could be in store for this vaunted agency once all the investigations are completed.
Keep reading our tips for how crisis communications should unfold.
Can you get your credibility back?
Planes. Trains. Automobiles. We rely on all of them for many things in our lives. And at times, the companies we rely on in those industries fall far short. On safety, quality, transparency and accurate information.
Not only does it shake public and consumer confidence, it leads to long-term damage for those companies. Sometimes they can make their way back - but the reputation damage is still there. Enjoy reading our look at some of the major reputation crises for brands we all know.