Welcome to Week 2 of my 4-Week Year-in-Review + Predictions Series.

Last week, we talked about The Great Unbundling of Careers — how the ladder collapsed and careers became modular.

This week, we go one layer deeper.

Because once careers unbundled…
value concentrated.

2025 made one thing painfully clear:

The workplace is no longer built around fairness.
It’s built around leverage.

And leverage belongs to A players.

The middle got squeezed.
The top pulled away.

This isn’t harsh — it’s structural.

Leaders don’t reward effort.
They reward judgment, ownership, and impact under uncertainty.

A players:

B players wait for direction.
C players wait for protection.

In 2026, waiting is no longer neutral — it’s a liability.

Here’s what I’m seeing across boardrooms, search mandates, and leadership conversations:

Translation:
If leadership can’t see your value — they won’t infer it.

Fortune published a follow up article that spotlights the real cost of having too many B players in an organization — slower innovation, lower ceilings on growth, and a performance dynamic that holds everyone back.

And guess whose voice is in that conversation? (You guessed it…yours truly!)

👉 https://fortune.com/2025/11/24/b-players-sinking-your-company-block-talent-slow-innnovation-lower-ceiling-deepali-vyas/

This isn’t corporate clickbait.
This is the real reason leaders are paying attention to performance tiers — and why A players command disproportionate influence, compensation, and opportunity.

This article isn’t about harsh labels —
it’s about the impact of behaviors and contribution patterns that shape organizational outcomes.

Read it. Internalize it.
Then ask yourself:
Which player am I showing up as — and how do I signal the other leaders in my orbit that I am the value creator they need?

If you’re applying late — or following up — do not apologize. Signal value.

Use this instead:

No begging.
No over-explaining.
Just A-player posture.

A-player economics aren’t about ego.
They’re about agency.

The market doesn’t reward effort.
It rewards people who can decide, deliver, and adapt when the rules change.

2026 will widen the gap between those who wait…
and those who move with intention.

I’ll keep giving you the frameworks, the data, and the truth.
Your job is to step into your value — visibly and unapologetically.

You’ve got the Edge. Now sharpen it.

Until next week,
— Deepali Vyas
Your Elite Recruiter
Doing the research so you don’t have to.

I’ve gone live twice in the past two weeks, and the DMs, comments, and questions have been incredible.

Thank you for:

I’ll be doing more lives, more Q&As, and more deep dives — especially as we head into the new year.

I’m rolling out two high-impact career webinars this month:

Book your spot here 👉 https://careergameplan.youcanbook.me

These are deep-dive strategy sessions designed to help you reset, reposition, and get ahead of the competition.

These openings are under the radar — not on LinkedIn, not on job boards. I’m sharing them here first, straight from my insider network.

Your dream retirement isn’t going to fund itself—that’s what your portfolio is for.

When generating income for a comfortable retirement, there are countless options to weigh. Muni bonds, dividends, REITs, Master Limited Partnerships—each comes with risk and oppor-tunity.

The Definitive Guide to Retirement Income from Fisher investments shows you ways you can position your portfolio to help you maintain or improve your lifestyle in retirement.

It also highlights common mistakes, such as tax mistakes, that can make a substantial differ-ence as you plan your well-deserved future.

Download your free copy today.

Your résumé and LinkedIn are no longer paperwork — they’re economic assets.

My Resume Fix, LinkedIn Overhaul, and Power Presence Package are live — built with my elite recruiting team to help you show up as an A player, not blend in as a B.

I know my personal calendar is limited — that’s exactly why I’m bringing in an elite coaching team trained in the same frameworks and standards.

👉 All services + coaching info here:
https://www.deepalivyas.com/products

I’m giving away 3 Free 1:1 coaching sessions with me — so tell me your story and you might be the lucky winner 😃

I want to help as many people as possible — and this is my way of giving back to the community that continues to grow with me.

I would love to know what you thought of this newsletter and any feedback you have for me. Do you have a favorite part? Wish I would add something? Felt confused? Please reply and share your thoughts!