What are you seeing coming down the pipe in 2026? How many times have you been asked for your 2026 business predictions, for resolutions that business leaders should make, and for the top trends we are going to see?
Not an easy question to answer, especially after a year like 2025 that just exited. A year where the business impacts we anticipated were not nearly as harmful as we expected. A year where the human destruction caused by societal hate was even worse than we could have imagined. A year where the climate reminded us we haven’t seen the worst yet. A year where the rich get richer and those in need get needier.
The backdrop of 2025 could provide us with some firm clues and direction for what will occur in the coming year. Why do I say could versus should? Perhaps I am taking a defensive stance rather than being bold, forthright, and making a few predictions?
I am happy to be bold. However, I am not so delusional as to believe I could somehow make accurate predictions for 2026. Can anyone?
I will embrace a different type of boldness by suggesting, or even manifesting, what I would love to see 2026 bring to the business world, in particular, and society at large. Consider this my personal wish list for 2026 of my hoped-for priorities for enterprises, large and small, along with some areas for change.
Given all the talk about AI and the broader arms race, I believe enterprises that wish to remain or become innovative should double down on team development. It is time to bring the classroom into the boardroom, the lunchroom, and the virtual meeting room. Distracted employees, worried about losing their jobs, are more harmful to an organization than no employees at all. As an employer, the arms race for talent who understands the difference between an agentic agent and a chatbot (is there any?) is going to be expensive and brutal. Why not invest in your own current talent pool?
Related to the talk of AI, can we please ask major investors to look beyond the five leading AI-first startups, beyond the significant tech firms, and beyond the major AI players for all investment and purchasing decisions? Maybe one or two of these leading AI firms are going to be in it in the long run. Ever heard of the second-place search engine market share holder? Me either! There was a time when multiple search firms were battling for supremacy. Now, how many remain? The second, less obvious outcome is that somewhere out there are the hidden gems of AI firms that will create platforms that are useful, human, less harmful, and more democratic than what we are seeing today. Those platforms will be the tools your team wants to work on, the places your customers want to shop on, and the channels society intends to rely on.
This is purposely a short wishlist. Perhaps my subconscious desire to be personally more focused in 2026 is creeping in. In addition to pitching business leaders to educate, upskill, and retrain their teams, all the while imploring them to look beyond the traditional tech bros for investment opportunities, I would encourage corporate leaders to double down on community building. Communities are powerful in ways no brand, business, policy, process, or campaign could ever be.
Within an organization, communities of practice, interests, and mission can turbocharge project teams, innovation, employee satisfaction, belonging, and productivity. Externally, communities of collaborators, influencers, super fans, loyal customers, and commentators can virally amplify product launches, loyalty, trial conversion, and profitability. A corporation cannot force a community on its stakeholders. Still, it can create a welcoming environment that signals to advocates and adversaries that they are welcome to assemble, align with open-minded individuals, and share their collective voices. Your openness to their needs will influence transparency in their approach.
Open and inviting communities will not only drive your business success but also repair a society that, frankly, needs repairing. Vitrol and violence are not enablers for successful business. NIMBYism is not good for city planning. Denial is not suitable for the hungry or homeless. Greed is not ideal for our planet.
This three-part wishlist can easily fit on a recipe card, in a tweet, or as a morning mantra. Now is your opportunity to be an Educator, an Advocate, and a Champion. That sounds like an inspiring 2026 to me.