As CEOs, we do not have the luxury of viewing our businesses only through a distant macro lens. We sit at the intersection of strategy and execution, of people and performance, of risk and opportunity. When I reflect on 2025, it was not merely a difficult year—it was a revealing one. It exposed structural fragilities, tested leadership judgment, and forced accelerated decisions that many organizations had deferred for far too long.
2025 was a signal where the global business environment was shaped by three converging forces. Geopolitical instability prolonged economic uncertainty, dampening growth confidence and elevating risk premiums across markets. At the same time, the rapid acceleration of AI and digital transformation pushed organizations beyond experimentation into the uncomfortable territory of accountability and return on investment. Overlaying this was a decisive shift—from globalization toward regionalization and, in some cases, nationalization—forcing a fundamental rethink of supply chains, sourcing strategies, and operating models.
For service-led and people-centric industries such as Facilities Management, these macro forces were compounded by an intensifying People’s management from Attraction, retention, reskilling, to people’s management all converged into a single question: are our people in our organizations prepared for the future, or merely coping with the present?
The answer, for many, required restraint, recalibration, and above all, clarity of purpose with a new resolve to transcend and transform.
Why 2026 Will Separate Resilient Enterprises from Reactive Ones
Resilience in 2026 will not be defined by cost-cutting or defensive postures. It will be defined by the ability to anticipate scenarios, move decisively, and institutionalize agility across the enterprise.
From a CEO’s standpoint, operational agility must evolve beyond crisis simulations and quarterly reviews. True resilience is built when organizations stop managing exceptions and start redesigning the core. Efficiency programs, budgeting discipline, and productivity initiatives are necessary—but insufficient—unless they translate into repeatable operating advantages.
In people-heavy service models, resilience is not about shrinking the organization; it is about sharpening it. It is about clarity of roles, productivity benchmarks, outcome ownership, and intelligent deployment of resources at scale.
Digital agility will be the most decisive capability of the coming cycle. AI, data, and automation are no longer innovation projects or pilot initiatives; they are foundational infrastructure. Organizations that treat technology as a resilience engine—enabling real-time decision-making, predictive insights, and disciplined cost governance—will outperform those that deploy it tactically or defensively.
Stakeholders Management, Reframing Value for Shareholders, Employees, and Clients
For shareholders, 2026 demands a more transparent and adaptive approach to value protection. Static financial models are rapidly becoming obsolete. Scenario-based planning, flexible capital allocation, and disciplined cash-flow governance will distinguish credible leadership from hopeful forecasting as the need to build a transparent partnership with shareholders on realistic forecasts underlying risks. Resilience must be visible in the balance sheet and financial results, not just articulated in boardrooms.
Efficiency through automation is no longer optional, especially when faced with margin squeeze. We are witnessing, in real time, how resilience elements like agility, efficiency, and innovation have delivered profits. The AI-enabled workflows, process optimization, and machine-assisted decision support lower structural cost bases while improving service quality, predictability, and compliance—particularly in regulated and mission-critical environments.
For employees, the narrative must change decisively. The future is not about AI replacing people; it is about AI extending human capability, and the mantra is to embrace it. CEOs must champion human-centric AI adoption—investing in learning pathways, mentorship, and succession pipelines that convert technological progress into career longevity, not anxiety. In service businesses, people remain the differentiator; technology simply amplifies their impact.
For clients, the era of transactional engagement is giving way to outcome-based partnerships. Fixed-cost and input-driven models are losing relevance. Value must now be demonstrated through measurable impact, gain-share mechanisms, transparency, and shared accountability. The future belongs to “phygital” service models—where physical reliability is seamlessly integrated with digital visibility, performance dashboards, and predictive insights that build trust and long-term alignment.
A CEO’s Call to Action
The defining leadership question for 2026 is simple but daunting: Are we designing organizations to cope with volatility, or to capitalize on it? By leveraging opportunities unravelling therein.
The enterprises that will lead the next cycle are those that embed resilience into their operating DNA through people, processes, and technology-enabled platforms rather than treating it as a reaction to disruption. Moving from cautious to proactive mode, where you don’t just attend to but transcend to transform, this is no longer a strategic choice; it is a leadership obligation.
I believe 2026 will expect us to transform. It will reward clarity, conviction, and the courage to redesign for the future into what I call a resilient mode. I believe this transformative mindset is quite essential for a much longer period of sustainability, as the geo-economic dynamics are at a crossroads that require long-term preparedness to address the mid- to long-term challenges in the offing, not just 2026.