Photo by Ilene Wasserman. Find more photos here.
“Do the best you can until you know better.
Then when you know better, do better.”
Maya Angelou
Goodbye, 2025!
The boundary between my professional life and my personal life has always been semi-permeable. I am fortunate to do work that continually invites me to grow—intellectually, emotionally, and ethically—as I partner with leaders and organizations striving to build more inclusive, humane, and effective workplace communities. What I learn through my work inevitably shapes how I show up with those closest to me, just as my personal experiences deepen the way I listen, coach, and lead.
This year, that interplay has been especially vivid.
This year has been marked by change and tumult at the national and global level that is beyond what might be otherwise imagined. Personally, I have also made changes that for me have had a significant impact. Midway through the year, Mark and I decided to sell the house we had lived in for nearly 30 years and reimagine what “home” means at this stage of our lives. The process was both practical and deeply reflective. We sorted through generations of family collections and I revisited more than three decades of professional files, notes, journals, and correspondence.
Letting go was not about erasing the past; it was about discerning what still carried meaning and where those artifacts might continue to live and serve. Some were shared with people who could carry them forward. Others were released with the confidence that someone else would make better use of it. In doing so, I gained clarity about what to keep, but also about what matters now.
Among my treasures were journals, and books, and articles passed on to me by mentors whose thinking shaped my professional life. Reencountering these relics reminded me that our work is always part of a longer arc. We inherit ideas, steward them for a time, and help prepare others to carry them forward.
That sense of stewardship feels particularly urgent in the broader context we are living in. There are profound forces at play that threaten the social fabric of our institutions and, in many ways, the democratic essence of our country. These realities have affected my consulting work directly, but my concern extends far beyond business impact. This moment has been a call to focus my energy and to help focus our collective energy on what is possible and necessary now.
As I look ahead, I am choosing depth, contribution, and alignment.
In the coming year, ICW Consulting Group and I will be focused on work that strengthens leadership capacity for the long term. I am honored to serve as a Leadership Fellow with the McNulty Leadership Program and Executive Education at the Wharton School as lead executive coach. Together with my colleagues and clients, I am always deepening my own learning while supporting leaders navigating complexity and change. I look forward to continued engagement with the Columbia Coaching Program, contributing to the development with coaches who understand leadership not as technique alone, but as relational, ethical, and systemic work.
A significant portion of my time will also be devoted to my board roles with The CMM Institute and The Lewin Center. Both organizations are deeply committed to advancing thoughtful leadership, dialogue, and organizational learning. My role, as I see it, is to work alongside others to strengthen these institutions so they can continue to serve leaders and communities well into the future. As in prior years, I will make a donation to these two institutes on behalf of ICW Consulting Group
At the same time, I am committed to making space for joy, play, and renewal. Travel, curiosity, and unstructured time are not indulgences; they are essential sources of perspective and creativity. I am learning—sometimes slowly—that sustainability applies as much to people as it does to organizations and environments.
None of this happens in isolation. I am deeply grateful for my family, who ground me and remind me what truly matters. To my husband, Mark, whose partnership continues to be a source of steadiness and adventure; to my daughter and son-in-law, and the gift of seeing the world with new eyes through my grandson; and to my son and daughter-in-law, whose lives and work inspire me in quiet and powerful ways—I carry you with me in all that I do.
As this year closes, I feel both reflective and resolved. Letting go has clarified my commitments. The year ahead is not about doing more, but about doing what matters—with intention, courage, and care.
I wish you all a meaningful and fun holiday – however you celebrate and look forward to joining you for new adventures and possibilities in the New Year. Please know that your colleagueship and friendship inspires me and motivates me to do more. I look forward to continuing this work, in community, in learning, and in hope.
Warm regards,
Ilene
President & CEO
ICW Consulting Group