Dear Change Leader,
Janus, the Roman god of doorways and transitions, possessed something most gods lacked: two faces, looking in opposite directions. One gazed backward, at the path traveled. The other looked forward, toward the road ahead.
The Romans weren’t being whimsical. They understood something essential about transitions: you can’t move forward well without first looking back honestly. And you can’t make sense of what’s behind you without some vision of where you’re heading.
As leaders standing between a challenging 2025 and an uncertain 2026, we need Janus’s dual perspective now more than ever.
The Year That Tested Us
Let’s be honest about what many of us experienced in 2025: sustained uncertainty, budget pressures, team exhaustion, strategic plans that required repeated revision, and the constant need to adapt while maintaining operations.
You’ve been leading through conditions that demanded resilience without offering much respite.
If you’re ending this year feeling more worn than triumphant, you’re not alone. That weariness doesn’t mean you failed—it means you kept going when the terrain was difficult.
But here’s what matters as we approach the threshold: What has this challenging year taught you? What has your team learned about itself? What assumptions got tested and what new capabilities emerged?
These aren’t comfortable questions. They require Janus’s backward-facing perspective—the willingness to look squarely at what actually happened, not what you hoped would happen.
Closing the Year With Intention
The Harvard Business Review recently published guidance on finishing the year strong that aligns beautifully with this Janus principle. Rather than simply letting December dissolve into holiday chaos, high-performing teams create deliberate closure.
This means:
Naming what you accomplished — Not just the official wins, but the quiet persistence that kept your mission moving forward despite obstacles.
Extracting the learning — What insights emerged from this year’s challenges? What will you approach differently because of what you now understand?
Acknowledging the effort — Your team has carried a heavy load. Before asking them to shoulder 2026’s demands, recognize what they’ve already borne.
Finishing well isn’t about manufactured celebration. It’s about honest accounting that creates solid ground for what comes next.
The Forward-Facing Perspective
Janus also asks us to turn and face the other direction—toward 2026.
Not with naive optimism that pretends the challenges have disappeared. Not with elaborate strategic plans that assume certainty where none exists. But with grounded confidence that the work you’re doing matters, and that you’re better equipped than you might feel to navigate what’s coming.
Starting the new year strong requires different practices than closing the old one:
Identifying your true priorities — Not everything on your list can be equally important. What are the 2-3 anchors that will guide your decisions when urgency threatens to overwhelm importance?
Understanding your rhythm — The year ahead will have natural seasons and phases. Where will the pressure peak? Where might you have space for strategic work? When will your team need support versus challenge?
Building alignment — Your team needs to begin January on the same page, with shared clarity about where you’re heading and why it matters.
These aren’t grand strategic exercises. They’re practical disciplines that help leaders maintain direction when conditions remain uncertain.
An Invitation to Begin Well
If you’re ready to move from simply surviving to leading intentionally, I’m offering a new workshop specifically designed for teams at this threshold: Building Team Alignment for the New Year.
This intensive 2-hour working session helps your team:
- Reflect honestly on 2025’s lessons without getting stuck in what went wrong
- Identify true priority anchors for 2026 (not just long wish lists)
- Map the realistic rhythm of your year ahead
- Create concrete first-quarter commitments that everyone owns
This isn’t strategic planning theater. It’s practical alignment work that produces a plan you’ll actually use.
I’m offering a special rate for workshops booked before January 15: $1,000 for virtual sessions.
Learn more and register here. Or contact me with your questions.
Standing at the Doorway
The Romans placed Janus at the threshold of their homes for good reason. Transitions require both perspectives—honest backward assessment and realistic forward vision.
You don’t need to have all the answers for 2026. You don’t need to pretend 2025 was easier than it was.
But you do need to step through this doorway with both eyes open—learning from what’s behind you while moving toward what matters ahead.
That’s not optimism. That’s leadership.
Until next year,
P.S. The Janus principle applies to your own leadership development, too. If you’re looking for support as you navigate 2026’s challenges, I’d welcome a conversation about how executive coaching might help you lead with greater clarity and confidence. Simply send me a note!
Recent Articles
Read other editions of this newsletter for further insights:
Why Your Team Watches Your Calm, Not Your Answers—leading with presence when you don’t have all the answers
Recalibrating When Everything Feels Urgent—building a discipline of stepping back to look ahead
Navigating the Estuary: Leadership in Ever-Changing Terrains—guiding your team through constantly shifting landscapes
EFFECTIVE CHANGE RESULTS FROM INTENTIONAL LEADERSHIP
We’re a leadership and organization development consultancy. My team and I work with leaders like you to prepare for and lead successful change processes.
Here’s why our clients call us:
- Leadership Coaching: I support leaders as they navigate transitions into new roles or expanded responsibilities.
- Group Coaching and Learning Programs: Bringing groups of leaders together, I facilitate learning experiences and months-long programs that equip people to be effective change leaders.
- Effective Teams and Stronger Organizations: I work with leaders and their teams with tailored processes that increase their effectiveness, building layers of aligned teams that transform organizations.