A chief of staff can be instrumental to a CEO's success while also advancing their own career. While the role’s variability and intensity make it challenging, they also make it exciting.

We're joined by Blair Epstein, Poppy Johnson, and Connor Rochford to discuss the eight pieces of advice they have distilled from hundreds of interviews with those who have mastered the role.

Read the McKinsey.com article, Seeing around corners: How to excel as a chief of staff, by Eleanor Bensley, Andrew Goodman, Poppy Johnson, and Connor Rochford

Join our LinkedIn community of more than 90,000 members and follow us on X at @McKStrategy. 

A chief of staff can be instrumental to a CEO's success while also advancing their own career. While the role’s variability and intensity make it challenging, they also make it exciting.
We're joined by <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/our-people/blair-epstein">Blair Epstein</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jpoppyjohnson/">Poppy Johnson</a>, and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/connor-rochford-748a3751/?originalSubdomain=uk">Connor Rochford </a>to discuss the eight pieces of advice they have distilled from hundreds of interviews with those who have mastered the role.
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Read the McKinsey.com article, <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/strategy-and-corporate-finance/our-insights/seeing-around-corners-how-to-excel-as-a-chief-of-staff">Seeing around corners: How to excel as a chief of staff</a>, by <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/eleanor-bensley-05620737/?originalSubdomain=au">Eleanor Bensley</a>, <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/our-people/andrew-goodman">Andrew Goodman</a>, Poppy Johnson, and Connor Rochford
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Join our <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/mckinsey-strategy-&amp;-corporate-finance/?viewAsMember=true">LinkedIn community</a> of more than 90,000 members and follow us on X at <a href="https://twitter.com/McKStrategy">@McKStrategy</a>.

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.

Inside the Strategy Room

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.

193. Eight keys to excelling as a chief of staff

This week, we’re joined by Scott Herren, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Cisco Systems, and Eric Kutcher, Senior Partner and Chair of McKinsey & Company, North America. They discuss the rationale for Cisco's recent acquisition, the role of CFOs in driving change within a company, the impact of AI on finance, and the current geopolitical and economic climate. 

Related insights:

The Seasons of the CFO

Palo Alto Networks CFO on AI, cybersecurity, and the finance leader’s mandate

Data, analytics, and decisions: An interview with Teradata’s CFO

This week, we’re joined by <a href="https://newsroom.cisco.com/c/r/newsroom/en/us/executives/r-scott-herren.html#:~:text=R.,billion%20and%20approximately%2090%2C000%20employees.">Scott Herren</a>, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Cisco Systems, and <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/our-people/eric-kutcher">Eric Kutcher</a>, Senior Partner and Chair of McKinsey &amp; Company, North America. They discuss the rationale for Cisco's recent acquisition, the role of CFOs in driving change within a company, the impact of AI on finance, and the current geopolitical and economic climate. Related insights:
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/strategy-and-corporate-finance/our-insights/the-four-seasons-of-the-cfo">The Seasons of the CFO</a>
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/strategy-and-corporate-finance/our-insights/palo-alto-networks-cfo-on-ai-cybersecurity-and-the-finance-leaders-mandate">Palo Alto Networks CFO on AI, cybersecurity, and the finance leader’s mandate</a>
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/strategy-and-corporate-finance/our-insights/data-analytics-and-decisions-an-interview-with-teradatas-cfo">Data, analytics, and decisions: An interview with Teradata’s CFO</a>

218. Cisco Systems CFO on M&A, geopolitics, and the emerging AI opportunity

This week, we return to the CFO journey and discuss how CFOs can drive outperformance in the middle years of their tenure. We’re joined by Ankur Agrawal, a partner in our New York office, a leader in our Strategy and Corporate Finance and Healthcare practices, and the leader of our CFO and finance service line in the Americas. Christian Grube is a partner in our Munich office, leader in our Strategy and Corporate Finance practice, and the leader of our CFO and finance service line in Europe. Arun Nayar’s career in finance spans more than 40 years. He was the former Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Tyco International, the former CFO of global operations at PepsiCo, and he currently sits on the boards of GFL Environmental, Amcor, and Rite Aid.

Related insights:

Faster, smarter, bolder: How midtenure CFOs shift into a higher gear

The seasons of the CFO

This week, we return to the CFO journey and discuss how CFOs can drive outperformance in the middle years of their tenure. We’re joined by <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/our-people/ankur-agrawal">Ankur Agrawal</a>, a partner in our New York office, a leader in our <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/strategy-and-corporate-finance/how-we-help-clients">Strategy and Corporate Finance</a> and <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/healthcare/how-we-help-clients">Healthcare</a> practices, and the leader of our CFO and finance service line in the Americas. <a href="Christian%20Grube">Christian Grube</a> is a partner in our Munich office, leader in our <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/strategy-and-corporate-finance/how-we-help-clients">Strategy and Corporate Finance</a> practice, and the leader of our CFO and finance service line in Europe. <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/arun-nayar-04892b5/">Arun Nayar</a>’s career in finance spans more than 40 years. He was the former Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Tyco International, the former CFO of global operations at PepsiCo, and he currently sits on the boards of GFL Environmental, Amcor, and Rite Aid.
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Related insights:
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/strategy-and-corporate-finance/our-insights/faster-smarter-bolder-how-midtenure-cfos-shift-into-a-higher-gear">Faster, smarter, bolder: How midtenure CFOs shift into a higher gear</a>
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/strategy-and-corporate-finance/our-insights/the-four-seasons-of-the-cfo">The seasons of the CFO</a>

217. How CFOs raise their game in midtenure

This week, we discuss how companies can create value in today’s complex business environment and communicate that value effectively to investors by demonstrating strategic clarity and consistency amid uncertainty. 

Our guests are Justin Sanders, a partner in New York and a leader in our Corporate Finance Practice, and Cassandre Danoux, a partner in London who leads our Joint Ventures and Alliances Practice. 



Related insights

What your most important investors need to know

Maximizing the impact of your investor relations

Valuation: Measuring and Managing the Value of Companies, 7th edition

This week, we discuss how companies can create value in today’s complex business environment and communicate that value effectively to investors by demonstrating strategic clarity and consistency amid uncertainty. Our guests are <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinmsanders/">Justin Sanders</a>, a partner in New York and a leader in our Corporate Finance Practice, and Cassandre Danoux, a partner in London who leads our <a></a><a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/m-and-a/how-we-help-clients/joint-ventures-and-alliances">Joint Ventures and Alliances Practice</a>. 
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Related insights
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/strategy-and-corporate-finance/our-insights/what-your-most-important-investors-need-to-know">What your most important investors need to know</a>
<a href="https://omny.fm/shows/inside-the-strategy-room/175-maximizing-the-impact-of-your-investor-relatio">Maximizing the impact of your investor relations</a>
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/strategy-and-corporate-finance/our-insights/valuation-measuring-and-managing-the-value-of-companies">Valuation: Measuring and Managing the Value of Companies, 7th edition</a>

193. Eight keys to excelling as a chief of staff

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