Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming how leaders and managers access information, interpret trends, and make business decisions. But even as predictive models and automated insights become standard, these human decision makers remain the critical link between data and execution. AI can accelerate analysis, but only the skill of business acumen enables decision makers to understand what the data means, how it connects across the business, and what decisions will support short-term and long-term performance.

The Advantexe research team presents and asks essential questions that show how AI and business acumen work together in today’s workplace.

So much is being written about how AI will displace millions of jobs, reshape entire functions, and eventually automate large parts of how companies operate. But I’d rather look at the other side of the story, the positive side.

Like a final box score, the Income Statement tells the truth about how well your business decisions performed.

The Friday after Thanksgiving has quietly become one of my favorite new traditions, not just because of leftovers, but because this year, my Philadelphia Eagles are now part of the NFL’s post-holiday lineup. As usual, I’ll be glued to every snap and coaching decision… all of it pointing toward one thing: the scoreboard.

It has been a wild and volatile year in business, and as we head toward the holiday season, most companies expect the usual mid-December slowdown. This year, I think it’s going to arrive early. Economic caution, delayed budgets, and a growing “let’s revisit this in January” mindset are kicking in before Thanksgiving.

But while the pace slows, leaders have a rare window to step back from short-term pressures and think strategically about what’s next. And when it comes to AI, it is still very much in its early innings; two major shifts are coming that will reshape how organizations compete in 2026.

Halloween used to be simple. A few pumpkins on the porch. A string of orange lights. Maybe a couple of wicked witches at the end of the driveway to scare visitors.

Now? People are spending hundreds of dollars on 12-foot skeletons, fog machines, synchronized light shows, and animatronic zombies that could give Disney Imagineers a run for their money.

I saw a TikTok the other day where someone asked, “Where do people store all this stuff the other 364 days of the year?” Great question.

But beneath the jokes lies something interesting: Halloween has become a big production. And when expectations rise, costs follow, especially for the one thing every trick-or-treater actually cares about: the chocolate!