The McKinsey Podcast

If you have an ambition but no plan behind it, you’re probably not going to get the results you’re looking for. According to recent McKinsey research on the UK economy, the highest-performing UK companies have grounded their ambitions in a set of five conditions—looking at investors, incentives, sources of growth, partnerships, and people. And the results speak for themselves. On today’s episode of The McKinsey Podcast, senior partners Andrew Goodman and Tunde Olanrewaju speak with editorial director Roberta Fusaro about this research. In our second segment, we look at the role of the CEO during an M&A transition with senior partner Mieke Van Oostende, from our CEO Insights series. See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

It’s easy to fall in love with gen AI—but recent research suggests that realizing its value is harder than the hype. Rewired offers a playbook that can help. In this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, Rodney and fellow senior partners and co-authors Eric Lamarre and Kate Smaje join global editorial director Lucia Rahilly to talk about their book Rewired: The McKinsey Guide to Outcompeting in the Age of Digital and AI (Wiley, 2023)—which, a year and a gen AI disruption post publication, continues to offer leaders a play-by-play guide for outcompeting in a fast-changing era. In the second segment, senior partner Wesley Walden talks about the time he went to a client meeting instead of his son’s first concert. The client’s reaction taught him an important lesson about open communication. See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Optimists, pessimists—who’s right? On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, McKinsey senior partner Humayun Tai, partner Mekala Krishnan and global editorial director Lucia Rahilly discuss new research that takes stock of the physical realities shaping our trajectory toward net zero, as well as what needs to happen to address these challenges—and hasten progress—successfully. In our second segment, we hear about how to improve the CEO–board relationship with senior partner Celia Huber, from our CEO Insights series. Theme music composed and performed by Joy Ngiaw See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

The greatest CEOs are necessarily driven, decisive, and confident. But McKinsey senior partner Ramesh Srinivasan, senior partner emeritus Hans-Werner Kaas, and coauthors of their new book, The Journey of Leadership: How CEOs Can Learn to Lead from the Inside Out, say CEOs must weave in a layer of soft skills like self-awareness, humility, and compassion to inspire their workforce. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, Srinivasan and Kaas speak with editorial director Roberta Fusaro about taking on the challenge of reinvention for the greater good of the company. See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Innovation and interest in the tech sector remain strong, despite market challenges and dips in investment. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, McKinsey technology experts Lareina Yee and Roger Roberts share findings from the McKinsey Technology Trends Outlook 2024 report. They talk with editorial director Roberta Fusaro about where innovation is exploding, interest is deepening, and investment is flowing. In our second segment, from our CEO Insights series, McKinsey partner Blair Epstein explores how successful CEOs organize their yearly communication plans, including how to manage comms through crisis. See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Bogged down, bothered, beleaguered: Many middle managers have it bad—and they can also have a bad rap. In Power to the Middle: Why Managers Hold the Keys to the Future of Work (Harvard Business Review Press, July 2023), McKinsey talent experts Bryan Hancock and Emily Field sought to correct that misperception, clarifying the vital role the best middle managers play in competitive outperformance. In this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, originally aired on McKinsey Talks Talent, the authors revisit the book one year on, talking with global editorial director Lucia Rahilly about the downside of leadership programs, how to identify and understand different managerial styles, and how middle managers can use gen AI to support their teams more effectively—and update their image while they’re at it. See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

While AI continues to influence the way we work in exciting new ways, it is crucial for organizations to apply guardrails to keep it safe. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, McKinsey senior partners Alexander Sukharevsky and Lareina Yee dig into McKinsey’s latest report, with editorial director Roberta Fusaro. In our second segment, how do you muster the courage to speak up at work? Senior partner Sherina Ebrahim has two tips. See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Consumers say they want experiences over goods. As always, they are looking to get the most value for their dollar. Even when it comes to sustainably produced products and services, the price must be right. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, McKinsey senior partner Sajal Kohli speaks with editorial director Roberta Fusaro and outlines recent research on today’s consumer: who they are, what they’re buying, and where they purchase - plus the influence of the East. In our second segment, from our CEO Insights series, McKinsey senior partner Joydeep Sengupta explains how the best CEOs use storytelling as a way to build energy, excitement, and inclusion in their organizations. See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Gen AI has rightly seized leaders’ attention. But is it also eclipsing lower-profile digital imperatives? On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, McKinsey senior partners Rodney Zemmel and Kate Smaje, with global editorial director Lucia Rahilly, talk about ideas leaders risk overlooking with gen AI in the spotlight, and how to ensure your digital initiatives—including gen AI—work in tandem to drive meaningful value. See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Labor productivity over the past 25 years has been a success story for some, a tale of stagnation for others. Investments and digital transformation can boost productivity for all economies. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, McKinsey senior partners Chris Bradley and Olivia White join editorial director Roberta Fusaro to discuss how best to measure productivity, what’s behind curbed productivity numbers, and what can be done to ramp up productivity rates again. In our second segment, McKinsey senior partner Tania Holt explores the challenge that Europe faces in filling many open skilled labor jobs. The answer, says Holt, is hiring ethnic-minority employees. See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

McKinsey spoke with more than 5,000 travelers across geographies and generations as part of a recently published survey that reveals clear differences in behaviors, motivations, and expectations among a diverse set of tourists. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, McKinsey’s Margaux Constantin and Jasperina de Vries speak with editorial director Roberta Fusaro about data that can help travel and tourism companies tailor their offerings and realize more bookings, higher satisfaction, and, ultimately, repeat visitors. In our second segment, from our CEO Insights series, McKinsey senior partner Kurt Strovink shares an approach to help CEOs connect with stakeholders—a relationship that’s prized but too often elusive. See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

The universe isn’t the only thing expanding. Governments have invested in space technology for decades, and now business is accelerating its growth. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, McKinsey senior partner Ryan Brukardt speaks with global editorial director Lucia Rahilly about the global space economy, where innovation in space-based technology is generating a range of public- and private-sector opportunities that could reach $1.8 trillion by 2035[1]—as well as the imperative to shape space responsibly. In our second segment, author Moshik Temkin talks about his book Warriors, Rebels, and Saints: The Art of Leadership from Machiavelli to Malcolm X (PublicAffairs/Hachette Book Group, November 2023) and what history can tell us about the types of leaders we need today. This comes from our Author Talks series. See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Pass the probiotics and the clinically effective products over the “clean and natural” ones: McKinsey’s latest research on the future of wellness provides a snapshot of how consumers worldwide, across all geographies and generations, are approaching their health and wellness and the types of interventions they are prioritizing. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, McKinsey partner Anna Pione joins editorial director Roberta Fusaro, to discuss what’s trending, why, and where innovation is needed. In our second segment, sometimes well-intentioned counsel misses the mark. McKinsey senior partner Gayatri Shenai shares how she failed to recognize a colleague’s cry for help. See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Active users of generative AI are high value and in demand—and in many cases, poised to quit. New research reveals how to attract them, keep them engaged, and motivate them to stay put. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, McKinsey talent leaders Aaron De Smet and Brooke Weddle talk to global editorial director Lucia Rahilly about what these workers want most, as well as practical steps leaders can take to keep them happy and engaged. In our second segment, McKinsey partner Julia McClatchy discusses why CEOs must be their company’s chief storyteller. This is the start of a new series we’re calling CEO Insights, featuring short, sharp tips about the evolving role of CEOs. See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Decarbonization has emerged as a critical tool in the fight against climate change, but it also shows promise as a means of economic acceleration across the globe. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, McKinsey senior partner Mark Patel joins editorial director Roberta Fusaro to discuss McKinsey’s recent report about the business of carbon dioxide removal and how it could play a vital role in responding to hard-to-abate emissions in various sectors. In our second segment, Black Americans are especially vulnerable to the effects of climate change. McKinsey partner Munya Muvezwa shares concrete steps leaders can take to help prevent the deterioration of the lives and livelihoods of Black Americans and the US economy at large. See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Over the past several years, CEOs have faced mounting uncertainty–and 2024 is proving no exception. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, Homayoun Hatami, McKinsey's managing partner for client capabilities, and Liz Hilton Segel, McKinsey's chief client officer, speak with global editorial director Lucia Rahilly about what matters most, amid serial crisis and disruption, and where leaders should focus their energies to enable their organizations to thrive. See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Women’s healthcare has been neglected for decades. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, McKinsey senior partners Kweilin Ellingrud and Lucy Pérez join editorial director Roberta Fusaro to discuss McKinsey’s recent report about issues in women’s healthcare and what can be done to address them and potentially boost the global economy by $1 trillion a year. In our second segment--what do you do when you realize you’re losing your audience during a presentation? McKinsey senior partner Sherina Ebrahim explains why sometimes you have to go off script. See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

CEOs acknowledge the expertise and importance of chief marketing officers and their role in helping the company grow, yet there’s still a strategic disconnect in the C-suite. CEOs and chief marketing officers (CMOs) must work together closely for any marketing plan to flourish. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, McKinsey partner Robert Tas joins editorial director Roberta Fusaro to discuss how to nurture the CEO–CMO relationship. Our second segment features an excerpt from our Author Talks series, with author Karin M. Reed. She wrote Suddenly Virtual: Making Remote Meetings Work (Wiley, March 2021) and shares tips on how to create the perfect virtual meeting. See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

This is a special, bonus episode of The McKinsey Podcast. McKinsey Partner Ferry Grijpink joins host Roberta Fusaro from the annual Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Confidante. Consultant. Convener. The chief of staff (COS) role sits at the intersection of leadership and support. It also comes with enormous responsibility, opportunity, and influence. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, McKinsey senior partner Andrew Goodman joins editorial director Roberta Fusaro to discuss the highs and lows of this consequential job—and how to do it right. After, meeting with CEOs felt daunting when McKinsey senior partner Carolyn Dewar started her consultancy career until she realized: CEOs are people, too. See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information