Middle management was already a tough gig. Then generative AI (gen AI) entered the fray. A year after the publication of their book Power to the Middle: Why Managers Hold the Keys to the Future of Work (Harvard Business Review Press, July 2023), McKinsey partners Bryan Hancock and Emily Field join global editorial director Lucia Rahilly to revisit whether and why middle managers matter, what leaders could do differently to make more of the managers on their team, and how gen AI could change middle managers’ jobs—for the better. 

Middle management was already a tough gig. Then generative AI (gen AI) entered the fray. A year after the publication of their book <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/mckinsey-on-books/power-to-the-middle">Power to the Middle: Why Managers Hold the Keys to the Future of Work</a> (Harvard Business Review Press, July 2023), McKinsey partners <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/our-people/bryan-hancock">Bryan Hancock</a> and <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/our-people/emily-field">Emily Field</a> join global editorial director Lucia Rahilly to revisit whether and why middle managers matter, what leaders could do differently to make more of the managers on their team, and how gen AI could change middle managers’ jobs—for the better.

McKinsey talent experts Bryan Hancock, Bill Schaninger, and others on how to make the most of talent as a competitive advantage, navigate today’s fast-changing talent landscape, and prepare now for the future of work.

McKinsey Talks Talent

Managing in the era of gen AI

Plumbers, carpenters, builders, and engineers are in short supply. What will it take to meet the demand for these skills in the United States and globally? In this episode of McKinsey Talks Talent, Brooke Weddle and Bryan Hancock join host Lucia Rahilly to discuss how to attract—and keep—people in these roles and drive productivity. The following is an edited transcript of their conversation.

Plumbers, carpenters, builders, and engineers are in short supply. What will it take to meet the demand for these skills in the United States and globally? In this episode of McKinsey Talks Talent, Brooke Weddle and Bryan Hancock join host Lucia Rahilly to discuss how to attract—and keep—people in these roles and drive productivity. The following is an edited transcript of their conversation.

Workers wanted: How to fill the skilled-trade shortage

Narcissism. Overconfidence. Low EQ. Why do we persist in selecting for leadership traits that hamper organizational progress—and leave the right potential leaders in the wrong roles?  In this episode of McKinsey Talks Talent, Dr. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, author of Why Do So Many Incompetent Men Become Leaders?: (And How to Fix It) (Harvard Business Review Press, March 2019), joins McKinsey talent leaders Bryan Hancock and Brooke Weddle, as well as global editorial director Lucia Rahilly, to discuss why the traits that propel us to the top seem to diverge so widely from those that make us great leaders—as well as how to choose stronger, more successful, and more diverse candidates for leadership roles.

Narcissism. Overconfidence. Low EQ. Why do we persist in selecting for leadership traits that hamper organizational progress—and leave the right potential leaders in the wrong roles?  In this episode of <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/people-and-organizational-performance/mckinsey-talks-talent-podcast">McKinsey Talks Talent</a>, Dr. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, author of <a href="https://store.hbr.org/product/why-do-so-many-incompetent-men-become-leaders-and-how-to-fix-it/10215">Why Do So Many Incompetent Men Become Leaders?: (And How to Fix It)</a> (Harvard Business Review Press, March 2019), joins McKinsey talent leaders Bryan Hancock and Brooke Weddle, as well as global editorial director Lucia Rahilly, to discuss why the traits that propel us to the top seem to diverge so widely from those that make us great leaders—as well as how to choose stronger, more successful, and more diverse candidates for leadership roles.

Why so many bad bosses still rise to the top

Yes, organizational health still drives long-term performance—but the way leaders measure and diagnose health should change, new research shows.  McKinsey partners Bryan Hancock and Brooke Weddle join global editorial director Lucia Rahilly to discuss McKinsey’s recently updated Organizational Health Index: how it works, what has changed, and why it’s still among the best predictors of whether your company will thrive over the long term.

Yes, organizational health still drives long-term performance—but the way leaders measure and diagnose health should change, new research shows.  McKinsey partners Bryan Hancock and Brooke Weddle join global editorial director Lucia Rahilly to discuss McKinsey’s recently updated <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/people-and-organizational-performance/our-insights/organizational-health-is-still-the-key-to-long-term-performance.">Organizational Health Index</a>: how it works, what has changed, and why it’s still among the best predictors of whether your company will thrive over the long term.

Managing in the era of gen AI

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