ExecutiveEDGE December 2025: AI ROI, the state of M&A, our ’26 outlook

Welcome to our monthly recap of ExecutiveEDGE, the EndeavorB2B newsletter that helps leaders make informed decisions by giving them a macro view of what’s essential and a micro focus on key takeaways and actionable steps.

We started off December focused on one of the biggest business stories of 2025: How quickly businesses of all sizes are getting their arms around AI. The beginning phase, one of experimentation and “let’s see what this is all about,” is rapidly winding down. It’s time to make AI pay off.

Also covered during the month: Dealmakers finally got their rebound in 2025 after several false starts in previous years. So what should you expect now from the M&A market? And how might you best line up your business and your team for a sale? We had you covered from all M&A angles in our Dec. 11 and Dec. 18 editions. Those two newsletters also took smart looks at the role of case studies and why customer loyalty should be a board-level priority, respectively.

To wrap up the month and year, we looked at just what it means—and what it should mean—to have your organization be resilient as well as how to balance legacy and innovation in IT planning. Then we digested a big family dinner’s worth of economic prognostications to write up our 2026 economic outlook featuring inflation that’s stickier than expected and a job market that might be mending.

You can check out all that ExecutiveEDGE is about—and subscribe, of course—right here.