In the upcoming book, CEO Excellence: The Six Mindsets That Distinguish the Best CEOs from the Rest, three McKinsey senior partners offer leadership lessons from 67 CEOs of some of the world’s most successful companies. In this episode, the first of two, we will discuss some of the insights from their book, including some great stories from their interviews.  We also discuss how exceptional chief executives rally their teams around the vision and how they engage the board of directors. Carolyn Dewar and Scott Keller, who co-lead McKinsey’s global CEO Excellence practice, are joined by Vik Malhotra, former chair of our firm’s Americas region. 

In the upcoming book, <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/mckinsey-on-books/ceo-excellence">CEO Excellence: The Six Mindsets That Distinguish the Best CEOs from the Rest,</a> three McKinsey senior partners offer leadership lessons from 67 CEOs of some of the world&rsquo;s most successful companies. In this episode, the first of two, we will discuss some of the insights from their book, including some great stories from their interviews. &nbsp;We also discuss how exceptional chief executives rally their teams around the vision and how they engage the board of directors. Carolyn Dewar and Scott Keller, who co-lead McKinsey&rsquo;s global CEO Excellence practice, are joined by Vik Malhotra, former chair of our firm&rsquo;s Americas region.
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We talk with McKinsey partners and corporate executives on the challenges they face creating lasting strategies in a fast-changing world. We also examine the different ways these executives approach these challenges and the new and innovative ways they think of creating a vision for their enterprises.

What does it take to survive in a world of constant change? More than ever, enterprises need to create strategies that can meet current needs but also adapt to future demand. A regular series of interviews with McKinsey partners and corporate executives.

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We all know the world is moving faster. We also know that as upheaval becomes the norm, vast business opportunities will be within the grasp of the extraordinary few.  But it takes bold people and courageous approaches to seize those opportunities and create value.

In each episode of our weekly podcast, we sit down with the world’s highest-performing CEOs, CFOs, innovators, and McKinsey experts and discuss how they build the courage, clarity, conviction, and cohesion that allows their businesses to win by moving faster than the world around them. 

We all know the world is moving faster. We also know that as upheaval becomes the norm, vast business opportunities will be within the grasp of the extraordinary few.  But it takes bold people and courageous approaches to seize those opportunities and create value.
In each episode of our weekly podcast, we sit down with the world’s highest-performing CEOs, CFOs, innovators, and McKinsey experts and discuss how they build the courage, clarity, conviction, and cohesion that allows their businesses to win by moving faster than the world around them.

The authors of the new book CEO Excellence, who interviewed dozens of the top-performing chief executives, share their most memorable encounters and stories

110. Leadership lessons from the world’s best CEOs. Ep 1

Despite persistent uncertainty in global markets, 2024 was the year that private equity began to emerge from a multi-year fog, with a rebound in dealmaking and distributions. Our Global Private Markets Report for 2025 revealed an industry that is more resilient, more innovative, and perhaps stronger than before. To discuss the nuances of that report we are joined by two of the report’s authors, Alex Edlich and Christopher Croke.

Alex is a senior partner in our New York office where he helps private equity and financial services clients achieve superior performance, by driving innovation with new technology. He is a senior leader in our Financial Services, Private Capital, and Digital Practices. Christopher Croke is a partner in our London office, where he is a leader in our Private Capital Practice. He advises private equity firms on their investments and strategy and helps the companies they own with their strategy and value creation.

Related insights

Global Private Markets Report 2025: Private equity emerging from the fog

Insights on Private Capital

Deal Volume Podcast

CEO alpha: A new approach to generating private equity outperformance

 

Despite persistent uncertainty in global markets, 2024 was the year that private equity began to emerge from a multi-year fog, with a rebound in dealmaking and distributions. Our <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/private-capital/our-insights/global-private-markets-report">Global Private Markets Report for 2025</a> revealed an industry that is more resilient, more innovative, and perhaps stronger than before. To discuss the nuances of that report we are joined by two of the report&rsquo;s authors, <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/our-people/alexander-edlich">Alex Edlich</a> and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-croke-17656823/?originalSubdomain=uk">Christopher Croke</a>.
Alex is a senior partner in our New York office where he helps private equity and financial services clients achieve superior performance, by driving innovation with new technology. He is a senior leader in our Financial Services, Private Capital, and Digital Practices. Christopher Croke is a partner in our London office, where he is a leader in our Private Capital Practice. He advises private equity firms on their investments and strategy and helps the companies they own with their strategy and value creation.
Related insights
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/private-capital/our-insights/global-private-markets-report">Global Private Markets Report 2025: Private equity emerging from the fog</a>
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/private-capital/our-insights">Insights on Private Capital</a>
<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/deal-volume/id1687547933">Deal Volume Podcast</a>
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/private-capital/our-insights/ceo-alpha-a-new-approach-to-generating-private-equity-outperformance">CEO alpha: A new approach to generating private equity outperformance</a>
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241. The path forward for private equity 

A key challenge to developing corporate strategy is moving quickly enough with the right insights to gain and maintain a competitive edge. Generative AI can help with this, as our guests this week describe.In this episode, we talk with three strategy experts about their research into using gen AI to help develop corporate strategy and the successes and challenges they encountered.

Bruce Delteil is the managing partner of our Vietnam office and leads our Strategy Practice in Asia. He serves clients on all aspects of strategy development, including scenario planning, visioning, war games, and the impact of gen AI. Antoine Montard is our Strategy Practice director of client capabilities based in Lisbon. He leads our Strategy, Research, and Insight Center and helps develop novel approaches for strategy, builds capabilities of teams and clients, and serves as a strategy expert on client projects. Andrea Tricoli is an associate partner in our Strategy and Corporate Finance Practice based in London. He leads our initiative to apply generative AI to our Strategy Method. He serves organizations on how to use analytics and AI to drive better decision-making, especially across the finance and strategy functions.

Related Insights

How AI is transforming strategy development

Gen AI: Opportunities in M&A

Four critical strategies for sustainable gen AI adoption

Strategy Beyond the Hockey Stick

Why strategists should embrace imperfection

The art of 21st-century leadership: From succession planning to building a leadership factory

Achieving growth: Putting leadership mindsets and behaviors into action

Six strategies for growth outperformance

McKinsey Strategy & Corporate Finance on LinkedIn

A key challenge to developing corporate strategy is moving quickly enough with the right insights to gain and maintain a competitive edge. Generative AI can help with this, as our guests this week describe.In this episode, we talk with three strategy experts about their research into using gen AI to help develop corporate strategy and the successes and challenges they encountered.
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/our-people/bruce-delteil">Bruce Delteil</a> is the managing partner of our Vietnam office and leads our Strategy Practice in Asia. He serves clients on all aspects of strategy development, including scenario planning, visioning, war games, and the impact of gen AI.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/antoine-montard/">Antoine Montard</a> is our Strategy Practice director of client capabilities based in Lisbon. He leads our Strategy, Research, and Insight Center and helps develop novel approaches for strategy, builds capabilities of teams and clients, and serves as a strategy expert on client projects. <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreatricoli/?originalSubdomain=uk">Andrea Tricoli</a> is an associate partner in our Strategy and Corporate Finance Practice based in London. He leads our initiative to apply generative AI to our Strategy Method. He serves organizations on how to use analytics and AI to drive better decision-making, especially across the finance and strategy functions.
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Related Insights
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/strategy-and-corporate-finance/our-insights/how-ai-is-transforming-strategy-development">How AI is transforming strategy development</a>
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/m-and-a/our-insights/gen-ai-opportunities-in-m-and-a">Gen AI: Opportunities in M&amp;A</a>
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/people-and-organizational-performance/our-insights/the-organization-blog/four-critical-strategies-for-sustainable-gen-ai-adoption">Four critical strategies for sustainable gen AI adoption</a>
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/strategy-and-corporate-finance/our-insights/strategy-beyond-the-hockey-stick">Strategy Beyond the Hockey Stick</a>
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/strategy-and-corporate-finance/our-insights/why-strategists-should-embrace-imperfection">Why strategists should embrace imperfection</a>
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/strategy-and-corporate-finance/our-insights/the-art-of-21st-century-leadership-from-succession-planning-to-building-a-leadership-factory">The art of 21st-century leadership: From succession planning to building a leadership factory</a>
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/growth-marketing-and-sales/our-insights/achieving-growth-putting-leadership-mindsets-and-behaviors-into-action">Achieving growth: Putting leadership mindsets and behaviors into action</a>
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/strategy-and-corporate-finance/our-insights/six-strategies-for-growth-outperformance">Six strategies for growth outperformance</a>
<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/mckinsey-strategy-corporate-finance/posts/?feedView=all">McKinsey Strategy &amp; Corporate Finance on LinkedIn</a>

240. Improving strategy with AI 

Innovation and transformation become critical imperatives for many organizations, especially as they grow larger and mature. The complex merger and series of spin-offs that Dow Inc. underwent with E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company between 2017 and 2018 is among the more dramatic of such reinventions. The move to create a materials science company (Dow), an agricultural business (Corteva), and an industrial company (Dupont), remains a much-studied growth strategy case. 

In this episode, Dow Inc. Chair and CEO Jim Fitterling talks with McKinsey Senior Partner and Global Energy and Materials Practice leader John Warner about why the “merge-spin” made sense then and now, and about leading a global company with compassion in a rapidly changing world. 

Related insights

How Dow reinvented itself

Getting fit for growth: The leadership mindsets and behaviors that matter

The Committed Innovator: A conversation with Neal Gutterson of Corteva

The making of a megadeal: Howard Ungerleider on the merger of Dow and DuPont

Top M&A trends in 2024: Blueprint for success in the next wave of deals

How one approach to M&A is more likely to create value than all others

Innovation and transformation become critical imperatives for many organizations, especially as they grow larger and mature. The complex merger and series of spin-offs that Dow Inc. underwent with E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company between 2017 and 2018 is among the more dramatic of such reinventions. The move to create a materials science company (Dow), an agricultural business (Corteva), and an industrial company (Dupont), remains a much-studied growth strategy case. In this episode, Dow Inc. <a href="https://corporate.dow.com/en-us/about-dow/leadership/jim-fitterling.html">Chair and CEO Jim Fitterling</a> talks with McKinsey Senior Partner and Global Energy and Materials Practice leader <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/our-people/john-warner">John Warner</a> about why the &ldquo;merge-spin&rdquo; made sense then and now, and about leading a global company with compassion in a rapidly changing world.&nbsp;
<hr>
Related insights
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/leadership/how-dow-reinvented-itself">How Dow reinvented itself</a>
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/growth-marketing-and-sales/our-insights/getting-fit-for-growth-the-leadership-mindsets-and-behaviors-that-matter">Getting fit for growth: The leadership mindsets and behaviors that matter</a>
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/strategy-and-corporate-finance/our-insights/the-committed-innovator-a-conversation-with-neal-gutterson-of-corteva">The Committed Innovator: A conversation with Neal Gutterson of Corteva</a>
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/strategy-and-corporate-finance/our-insights/the-making-of-a-megadeal-howard-ungerleider-on-the-merger-of-dow-and-dupont">The making of a megadeal: Howard Ungerleider on the merger of Dow and DuPont</a>
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/m-and-a/our-insights/top-m-and-a-trends-in-2024-blueprint-for-success-in-the-next-wave-of-deals">Top M&amp;A trends in 2024: Blueprint for success in the next wave of deals</a>
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/strategy-and-corporate-finance/our-insights/how-one-approach-to-m-and-a-is-more-likely-to-create-value-than-all-others">How one approach to M&amp;A is more likely to create value than all others</a>

110. Leadership lessons from the world’s best CEOs. Ep 1

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