As CEO challenges go, facing a global threat that is existential not just for your company but for your industry is among the worst possible. American Airlines’ former Chairman and CEO, Doug Parker, has been through this twice while leading an airline, following the 9/11 attacks in New York and the COVID-19 pandemic. In this episode, he speaks with McKinsey Senior Partner Celia Huber about how these experiences helped him become a better leader. 

Doug Parker has served as CEO of three airlines: America West, US Airways, and American Airlines. He currently serves on the board of Qantas. Celia Huber is a McKinsey senior partner in our Bay Area office, where she leads our board services work in North America.

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Resilience pulse check: Harnessing collaboration to navigate a volatile world

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McKinsey Insights on M&A

McKinsey Strategy & Corporate Finance on LinkedIn

As CEO challenges go, facing a global threat that is existential not just for your company but for your industry is among the worst possible. American Airlines&rsquo; former Chairman and CEO, Doug Parker, has been through this twice while leading an airline, following the 9/11 attacks in New York and the COVID-19 pandemic. In this episode, he speaks with McKinsey Senior Partner Celia Huber about how these experiences helped him become a better leader.&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/wdougparker/">Doug Parker</a> has served as CEO of three airlines: America West, US Airways, and American Airlines. He currently serves on the board of Qantas. <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/our-people/celia-huber">Celia Huber</a> is a McKinsey senior partner in our Bay Area office, where she leads our board services work in North America.
Related insights
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/strategy-and-corporate-finance/our-insights/better-together-three-ways-to-boost-board-ceo-collaboration">Better together: Three ways to boost board&ndash;CEO collaboration</a>
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/travel/our-insights/the-state-of-aviation">The State of Aviation 2025 </a>
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/risk-and-resilience/our-insights/geopolitical-resilience-the-new-board-imperative">Geopolitical resilience: The new board imperative</a>
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/risk-and-resilience/our-insights/resilience-pulse-check-harnessing-collaboration-to-navigate-a-volatile-world">Resilience pulse check: Harnessing collaboration to navigate a volatile world</a>
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/strategy-and-corporate-finance/our-insights">McKinsey Insights on Strategy &amp; Corporate Finance</a>
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/m-and-a/our-insights">McKinsey Insights on M&amp;A</a>
<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/mckinsey-strategy-corporate-finance/posts/?feedView=all">McKinsey Strategy &amp; Corporate Finance on LinkedIn</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

The world is moving faster, and 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 interview the world’s highest-performing CEOs, CFOs, innovators, and McKinsey experts and discuss how they build the courage, clarity, conviction, and cohesion that allow their businesses to win by moving faster than the world around them. 

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

256. Doug Parker, former Chairman and CEO of American Airlines, shares leadership lessons

Chris Nassetta has served as President and CEO of Hilton since 2007, leading the organization through some extraordinary challenges. Chris’s focus on a sustainable growth model and a brand-led, network-driven strategy has enabled Hilton to cultivate 25 brands and serve more than 250 million travelers annually. In today’s episode, Chris discusses this journey with Eric Kutcher, our North America Chair and Senior Partner, and shares what he’s learned about leadership along the way. Looking ahead, he explains why AI is the greatest gift for Hilton to deliver what customers want, whenever and wherever they want it.

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Chris Nassetta has served as President and CEO of Hilton since 2007, leading the organization through some extraordinary challenges. Chris&rsquo;s focus on a sustainable growth model and a brand-led, network-driven strategy has enabled Hilton to cultivate 25 brands and serve more than 250 million travelers annually. In today&rsquo;s episode, Chris discusses this journey with Eric Kutcher, our North America Chair and Senior Partner, and shares what he&rsquo;s learned about leadership along the way. Looking ahead, he explains why AI is the greatest gift for Hilton to deliver what customers want, whenever and wherever they want it.
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<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/mckinsey-on-books/ceo-for-all-seasons">CEO For All Seasons: Mastering the Cycles of Leadership</a>
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<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/the-strategic-ceo-7236955032997216256/">The Strategic CEO newsletter</a>

280. Hilton President and CEO Chris Nassetta on culture, strategy, and reinvention

What do winning teams in elite sports teach us about driving transformation in business? This week, Kevin Carmody, a senior partner and global coleader of our CFO and finance excellence practice, speaks with former McKinsey partner Jason Wright, who helped lead a transformation as-president of the Washington Commanders (and is also a former NFL running back), and is now Managing Partner & Head of Investments at Ariel Project Level, a private equity fund focused on investing in women's sports.

Jason shares how clear, measurable goals and micro-markers can accelerate culture change; why some symbolic moves matter as much as big P&L levers; and how leaders can balance staying “on the wave tops” with timely “porpoise dives” into the details. He reflects on accountability, the balance between honesty and radical transparency, and what ultimately signaled that a troubled culture at the Washington Commanders was turning the corner. The conversation also explores Jason’s lessons from public crises, and his current role investing at scale in women’s sports.

We recorded Jason and Kevin’s conversation at a gathering of transformation leaders.

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Worst to first: What it takes to build or remake a world-class team

McKinsey Transformation on LinkedIn

McKinsey Transformation insights

What do winning teams in elite sports teach us about driving transformation in business? This week, <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/our-people/kevin-carmody">Kevin Carmody</a>, a senior partner and global coleader of our CFO and finance excellence practice, speaks with former McKinsey partner <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasongwright">Jason Wright</a>, who helped lead a transformation as-president of the Washington Commanders (and is also a former NFL running back), and is now Managing Partner &amp; Head of Investments at <a href="https://www.arielinvestments.com/article/introducing-project-level/">Ariel Project Level</a>, a private equity fund focused on investing in women's sports.
Jason shares how clear, measurable goals and micro-markers can accelerate culture change; why some symbolic moves matter as much as big P&amp;L levers; and how leaders can balance staying &ldquo;on the wave tops&rdquo; with timely &ldquo;porpoise dives&rdquo; into the details. He reflects on accountability, the balance between honesty and radical transparency, and what ultimately signaled that a troubled culture at the Washington Commanders was turning the corner. The conversation also explores Jason&rsquo;s lessons from public crises, and his current role investing at scale in women&rsquo;s sports.
We recorded Jason and Kevin&rsquo;s conversation at a gathering of transformation leaders.
Related insights:
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/transformation/our-insights/worst-to-first-what-it-takes-to-build-or-remake-a-world-class-team">Worst to first: What it takes to build or remake a world-class team</a>
<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/mckinsey-transformation/">McKinsey Transformation on LinkedIn</a>
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/transformation/our-insights">McKinsey Transformation insights</a>

279. From the NFL to the C-Suite: Jason Wright on what it takes to transform organizations and build world-class teams 

Nick Jeffery, President and CEO of Frontier Communications since 2021, has over three decades of strategic and operational leadership in the U.S. and global telecommunications industry. As a seasoned transformation leader, he has guided Frontier from bankruptcy to a successful turnaround in under five years and is now steering the company toward a multi-billion-dollar deal with Verizon. In this episode, Nick joins our North America Chair and senior partner Eric Kutcher to discuss the opportunity he saw in the struggling company, and the bold culture change - grounded in simplicity and a clarity of purpose - that has rallied a workforce around a shared transformation mission.

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Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian: Lessons from the captain’s seat 

Mastering the cycles of CEO leadership: Stepping up and sending it forward

Mastering the cycles of CEO leadership: Starting strong, and staying ahead

The Josh Harris playbook: building cultures of excellence in business and sports 

CEO Excellence: The Six Mindsets That Distinguish the Best Leaders from the Rest 

The Strategic CEO newsletter
Doug Parker, former chairman and CEO of American Airlines, shares leadership lessons
John Stankey talks about leaning into the long term at AT&T

Nick Jeffery, President and CEO of Frontier Communications since 2021, has over three decades of strategic and operational leadership in the U.S. and global telecommunications industry. As a seasoned transformation leader, he has guided Frontier from bankruptcy to a successful turnaround in under five years and is now steering the company toward a multi-billion-dollar deal with Verizon. In this episode, Nick joins our North America Chair and senior partner Eric Kutcher to discuss the opportunity he saw in the struggling company, and the bold culture change - grounded in simplicity and a clarity of purpose - that has rallied a workforce around a shared transformation mission.
Related Insights <a href="https://omny.fm/shows/inside-the-strategy-room/273-delta-air-lines-ceo-ed-bastian-lessons-from-the-captain-s-seat">Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian: Lessons from the captain&rsquo;s seat&nbsp;</a>
<a href="https://omny.fm/shows/inside-the-strategy-room/270-mastering-the-cycles-of-ceo-leadership-stepping-up-and-sending-it-forward">Mastering the cycles of CEO leadership: Stepping up and sending it forward</a>
<a href="https://omny.fm/shows/inside-the-strategy-room/271-mastering-the-cycles-of-ceo-leadership-starting-strong-and-staying-ahead">Mastering the cycles of CEO leadership: Starting strong, and staying ahead</a>
<a href="https://omny.fm/shows/inside-the-strategy-room/265-the-josh-harris-playbook-building-cultures-of-excellence-in-business-and-sports">The Josh Harris playbook: building cultures of excellence in business and sports&nbsp;</a>
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/mckinsey-on-books/ceo-excellence">CEO Excellence: The Six Mindsets That Distinguish the Best Leaders from the Rest&nbsp;</a>
<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/the-strategic-ceo-7236955032997216256/">The Strategic CEO newsletter</a> <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/strategy-and-corporate-finance/our-insights/doug-parker-former-chairman-and-ceo-of-american-airlines-shares-leadership-lessons">Doug Parker, former chairman and CEO of American Airlines, shares leadership lessons</a> <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/strategy-and-corporate-finance/our-insights/john-stankey-talks-about-leaning-into-the-long-term-at-at-and-t">John Stankey talks about leaning into the long term at AT&amp;T</a>

256. Doug Parker, former Chairman and CEO of American Airlines, shares leadership lessons

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