As we navigate the closing months of 2026, the business community is at an inflection point. To cross the finish line strong and lay a powerful foundation for 2027, local leaders must resist the temptation to simply coast.
Deb Muchmore, president and founder of Deb Muchmore Consulting and the 2026 board chair for the Michigan Chamber of Commerce, has ideas on how to navigate this pivot. For nearly four decades, Muchmore has served as a trusted strategic adviser to corporate leaders, economic development teams and civic organizations.
Today, as a solo practitioner, her focus is highly hands-on: Helping organizations make creative but constructive, forward-looking decisions; navigate conflict; and act as a “fixer” when complex development projects go off course.
For businesses, resetting often requires a healthy dose of realism. While the Greater Lansing area has a rich history of grit and innovation, holding too tightly to legacy achievements can cloud our vision of current challenges, such as lagging educational outcomes and per-capita income.
“We see ourselves better than we are,” Muchmore said. “The flip side of our optimism is that we can sometimes have our head in the sand. We need a dose of realism so that it motivates us to be futuristic and responsible to our communities, employees and future generations.”
Planning for 2027 means being willing to shed what is familiar but limiting. Muchmore stressed that holding fast to the old ways is often the very thing preventing us from leaning forward with gusto.
“We have to be OK with letting go a little bit,” she said. “Proactive, decisive and transformational change has to be the nonnegotiable leadership core.”
When mapping out corporate strategy for the coming year, Muchmore advised leaders to focus heavily on organizational culture and stakeholder relationships. Trust is not a static milestone; it is a dynamic, continuously earned asset built on daily behavior.
“I’ve sort of let go of the idea that trust is necessary, because I think it really comes with connection and consistency of words and deeds,” she said. “Trust builds itself, but it’s always earned and always up for negotiation.”
For leaders managing high-profile or controversial development projects, Muchmore views empathy as a strategic imperative rather than a soft skill. She encouraged businesses to view themselves as “guests” in the communities they enter, treating locals with the same respect you would show a dinner host.
Additionally, Muchmore encouraged leaders to look to emerging technologies, like AI, not only to automate tasks but as a genuine “strategy partner” to clarify vision and stress-test assumptions.
“When you see the things that AI can do, and you learn its capabilities, the ‘aha’ moments start coming like crazy,” Muchmore said. “It presents ideas and options for really good strategy in ways that you may not have divined on your own. Using it as a strategy partner and incorporating the ideas it can develop with data behind it is really game-changing.”
Even as organizations aggressively adopt AI to analyze market trends or refine messaging, Muchmore maintained that human relationships remain the ultimate anchor of brand equity. Technology should enhance, not replace, consistent and honest deeds.
As we prepare to transition into 2027, Muchmore has a clear, energizing charge for Lansing-area businesses: Step on the gas.
“Our biggest opportunity lies in embracing our region’s future, continuing to very aggressively diversify our economy and accelerating it with enthusiasm,” she said. “Look beyond our borders for models of rapid transformation, never be afraid to improve upon them, and let’s move forward.”
Stacy Bogard
Stacy Bogard is a senior content and PR strategist at M3 Group and is a writing and editing contributor for 517 Business. A native of East Lansing, she’s active with the Junior League of Lansing and Central Michigan chapter of the Public Relations Society of America. She also loves watching sports and traveling.
