Looking Back To Look Forward

A Janus reflection on uncertainty, leadership, and what this moment is asking of us.

Janus, the Roman god of thresholds and doorways, is often depicted with two faces—one looking back, one looking forward. It’s no accident that January takes its name from Janus, marking a moment of reflection as we step into something new.

That image has been sitting with me as I look back on the past year of writing, listening, and working alongside people leaders across generations.

I didn’t begin the year with a master plan. I began with questions—and a growing awareness that something fundamental had shifted in how we live and work.

What I See When I Look Back

Looking back on 2025, one truth stands out more clearly than anything else: uncertainty became the water we are all swimming in. Pretending it’s temporary no longer works.

That realization shaped much of what I wrote and facilitated this year. Conversations about resilience, future-proofing, and leadership weren’t about bracing for a passing disruption—they were about learning how to lead within ongoing ambiguity.

I also noticed how often generational tension surfaced. Not as a problem to fix, but as a signal. Beneath disagreements about pace, technology, authority, or expectations were deeper questions: Who gets heard? What knowledge matters now? How do we decide what “good work” looks like when the rules keep changing?

At the same time, leadership itself began to sound different. Quieter. Less performative. More human. Some of the most meaningful moments came from leaders willing to say, “I don’t have this fully figured out yet—and I’m willing to think it through with others.”

The common thread across all of this wasn’t generational labels or frameworks.
It was the belief that we don’t move forward unless we do it with—and because of—our differences, not by flattening them.

Janus, Generational Intelligence, and the Work Ahead

Janus reminds us that the future isn’t launched by discarding the past. It’s launched by knowing what to carry forward—and what to release.

Isn’t this, at its core, what Generational Intelligence teaches us?

Throwing away the wisdom of elders in the rush to create the “next new thing” rarely takes root. At the same time, clinging to tradition without adapting it won’t carry us forward either. We need honored experience and emerging insight working together.

If uncertainty is our context, then leadership has to evolve. And if leadership evolves, the way generations collaborate must evolve with it. We won’t adapt to change as a fact of life unless leadership becomes more relational—and generational strengths are allowed to merge.

What I’m Looking Toward

As I look ahead, I feel less interested in stopping at naming problems—and more committed to helping people leaders and organizations practice what comes next.

That means focusing on a few important shifts:

• From dialogue to capability
  Building shared capacity to decide, act, and adapt together, rather than leaving good conversations on the table.

• From inclusion as a value to inclusion as a strategy
  Generational inclusion isn’t a “nice to have” in uncertain times. It’s how teams sustain knowledge, build trust, and stay resilient.

From certainty to capacity
Supporting leaders as they build the relationships, confidence, and structures needed to move forward thoughtfully—without having all the answers upfront.
A Personal Commitment

As we step into the year ahead, my commitment is simple: to keep creating spaces where people of different generations can think together, challenge assumptions, and design what’s next—without rushing past the hard parts.

I’m also saying no to over-explaining, over-proving, and chasing clarity before it’s ready.
Less chasing. Less proving. More cultivating.

Looking Ahead to 2026

As I’ve been mapping what’s next for my work in 2026, I’ve been asking a practical question:

What are people leaders actually being asked to hold right now?

Across conversations and follow-ups, I hear the same themes—generational tension that’s hard to name, uncertainty that won’t resolve on a tidy timeline, knowledge walking out the door faster than expected, and growing pressure to integrate AI without losing trust or cohesion.

To stay grounded in what’s most practical, I’ve pulled together a short 2026 Programming Snapshot that reflects where my work is heading and the challenges leaders and organizations are navigating right now.

👉 Download the 2026 Programming Snapshot (PDF)
A concise overview of how Generation IQ is supporting people leaders and organizations through generational complexity, change, and what’s next.

If these reflections resonate, I hope you’ll stay in conversation with me this year—through roundtables, conversations, workshops, or simply shared curiosity here.

January Roundtable

This reflection is only the beginning.

As we stand at this threshold—looking back while stepping into what’s next—I’m inviting leaders to continue the conversation in our January  Generation IQ Roundtable - How Do We Lead Through Change When Every Generation Experiences It Differently?

This session will offer space to work with many of the questions raised here, together and across generations: how uncertainty is reshaping leadership, how generational tension can become a source of insight rather than friction, and what this moment is truly asking of us as people leaders.

If this piece resonated, I invite you to continue the conversation and sign up below.

Wishing you a very happy New Year,

Mary