Why builders matter more than commentators

Jan 05, 2026

At the start of every year, there is pressure to explain yourself. What you are focused on. What you believe. Where you stand. This year, I am choosing not to add to the commentary. Not because the moment is not serious. It is. But because ideas travel easily. Institutions do not.

Over the past few years, I’ve watched how quickly conversations move and how slowly systems change. Panels end. Declarations circulate. Headlines fade. Meanwhile, the daily work of building institutions - the kind that hire people, make decisions, enforce standards, and outlast personalities - remains largely invisible.

That work is quieter. It’s also harder.

Building requires sitting in unresolved tension. Choosing structure over applause. Making decisions that don’t trend well but hold under pressure. It means showing up to rooms where the outcome is uncertain and staying long enough for trust to form.

This year, my focus is simple: build what must exist.
Not everything that can exist.
Not everything that photographs well.
Only what is necessary.

That includes enterprises that can operate without donor dependency. Civic platforms that function before they are popular. Local systems that don’t wait for national permission to work properly.

It also means saying no - often.
No to rushed expansion.
No to borrowed language that doesn’t match lived reality.
No to visibility that comes at the cost of coherence.

I have learned that builders do not announce every step. Much of the work happens out of view, in long meetings, revised structures, and partnerships that require patience rather than publicity. When there is silence, it is usually because something is being made more solid.

There will be moments this year when I share what the work is teaching us, particularly where it may be useful to others building in complex environments. These notes will not be a running commentary. They will be shared sparingly, honestly, and with respect for the work itself.

Because progress is rarely driven by those who speak most about change, but by those willing to stay long enough to construct what must endure.