The McKinsey Podcast

Follow the money: How FDI is redrawing the global economy

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 05:00:00 +0000

Foreign direct investment (FDI) used to sit in the background—important, but distant from day-to-day strategy. That’s no longer true. Today, massive capital commitments into areas like AI, semiconductors, and clean energy are signaling which industries will scale, where supply chains will land, and which regions will dominate. In this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, McKinsey Senior Partners Nick Leung and Olivia White explain to Editorial Director Roberta Fusaro why FDI has become a critical early indicator of competitive advantage—and what leaders should be watching now.

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Can the US sustain its competitive edge?

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 17:12:54 +0000

The US has had a phenomenal run of success: at 250 years old, it’s home to the world’s most competitive economy, accounting for more than a quarter of global GDP and more than half of the world’s top 100 companies. But America also confronts a raft of new challenges—mounting national debt, eroding infrastructure, slipping test scores, persistent income disparity, and more—that could threaten its historical momentum.

“I don’t bet against the US,” says McKinsey’s North America Chair Eric Kutcher. “If you believe in entrepreneurial spirit as core to who we are, then you have to believe this success will continue. But it’s not a foregone conclusion. There’s a lot that must happen to enable it.”

In this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, Kutcher and Senior Partner Olivia White speak with Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly about new McKinsey Global Institute research on what drives the US’s competitive edge—and what leaders need to do to maintain that edge in the AI era.

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AI is everywhere. The agentic organization isn’t—yet

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 05:00:00 +0000

Yes, AI is astonishing: fast, powerful, and learning every day. But even as leaders strike up new pilots across their organizations, most still struggle to translate experimentation into enterprise value—and now, agentic AI is raising the stakes. In this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, McKinsey Senior Partner Alexis Krivkovich speaks with Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly about what it will take to build an “agentic organization”—from reimagining workflows to reshaping leadership roles, skills, and culture for a future where humans increasingly operate above the loop.

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Leadership lessons from private equity CEOs

Thu, 19 Mar 2026 05:00:00 +0000

Companies backed by private equity (PE) tend to transform faster and more often than public or family-owned firms do, leading to consistently outperforming their peers. Marla Capozzi and Sacha Ghai, McKinsey leaders, researched nearly 300 CEOs across PE and private-capital companies to define their tactics and share their best practices with others. They and their coauthors published the findings in a recent Harvard Business Review article, and in this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, they speak with Editorial Director Roberta Fusaro about lessons from PE that any company can implement.

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Trust in the age of agents

Thu, 05 Mar 2026 06:00:00 +0000

Many leaders can get agentic pilots rolling—but realizing ROI can mean activating thousands of AI agents enterprise-wide. Is your organization ready? “Agency isn’t a feature—it’s a transfer of decision rights,” says McKinsey Partner Rich Isenberg. “The question shifts from ‘Is the model accurate?’ to ‘Who’s accountable when the system acts?’” On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, Isenberg joins Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly to explore how leaders can scale AI safely, mitigate risk for autonomous systems, and build the trust required to make innovation stick.

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What does it take to achieve and sustain growth?

Thu, 19 Feb 2026 06:00:00 +0000

McKinsey research has found that while many leaders believe they’ve adopted and implemented productive mindsets for growth, those attitudes and ambitions don’t always translate into the behaviors and actions necessary to achieve their growth objectives. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, Editorial Director Roberta Fusaro speaks with McKinsey Senior Partners Greg Kelly and Jill Zucker about how leading organizations translate growth intent into sustained performance. In part, it involves making clear bets, allocating resources deliberately, and staying committed through uncertainty.

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A new way of thinking about metabolic health

Thu, 05 Feb 2026 06:00:00 +0000

On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, Lars Hartenstein, senior fellow at the McKinsey Health Institute, and Roberta Fusaro, an editorial director at McKinsey, discuss the findings from McKinsey’s recent research on obesity and metabolic health—specifically, the potential interventions for sparking a metabolic health revolution, the economic impact of improving outcomes, and the technologies that are emerging as the connective tissue between prevention and treatment.

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Special episode: 2026 Davos highlights

Thu, 29 Jan 2026 00:48:55 +0000

This is a special episode of The McKinsey Podcast covering last week’s meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos. McKinsey Senior Partners Becca Coggins and Shelley Stewart III speak with Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly about what was top of mind for CEOs—from geopolitics to leading through the AI moment to the faster-than-expected arrival of humanoid robots at scale.

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How the best CEOs are meeting the AI moment

Thu, 22 Jan 2026 06:00:03 +0000

AI has yet to deliver the ROI many leaders expected. What are they getting wrong? “This is probably the biggest, most complex transformation we’ve seen—but it’s 80 percent business transformation and 20 percent tech,” according to McKinsey’s North America Chair Eric Kutcher. “That’s different from how most people have thought about it.” On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, Eric speaks with Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly about how CEOs can deliver on AI’s revolutionary potential—and meet this “legacy moment” successfully.

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Special episode: McKinsey at CES 2026

Fri, 09 Jan 2026 05:45:28 +0000

McKinsey’s Bill Wiseman, Bob Sternfels, Martin Kellner, and Steffen Fuchs were on the ground at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. In this special episode of The McKinsey Podcast, they tell us about the tools and themes that most resonated with them—breakthrough AI applications, advances in mobility, and more.

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The future of work is agentic

Fri, 02 Jan 2026 06:00:00 +0000

Think about your org chart. Now imagine it features both your current colleagues—humans, if you’re like most of us—and AI agents. That’s not science fiction; it’s happening. And it’s happening relatively quickly, according to McKinsey Senior Partner Jorge Amar. In this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, originally broadcast on McKinsey Talks Talent, Jorge joins McKinsey talent leaders Brooke Weddle and Bryan Hancock and Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly to talk about what these AI agents are, how they’re being used, and how leaders can prepare now for the workforce of the not-too-distant future.

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Don’t get stuck in a rut—update how you operate

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 06:00:00 +0000

People are asked to update the operating systems on their phones all the time. What if leaders applied that same kind of polishing and bug fixing to themselves? McKinsey research shows that executives who periodically review and revise their priorities, roles, time, and energy tend to be more productive, work more consciously, and drive change more effectively. In this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, Senior Partner Arne Gast joins McKinsey Editorial Director Roberta Fusaro to discuss how leaders can tune up their own personal operating models.

Articles mentioned:

America at 250

In a moment of tariffs, can the world find balance and trust to thrive?

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What's next for global banking?

Wed, 31 Dec 2025 06:00:00 +0000

Banking has had a couple of very good years—the best, in fact, since the global financial crisis of 2007–09. Yet to some, the industry’s outlook seems less buoyant than recent profitability might suggest. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, McKinsey Senior Partners Klaus Dallerup and Pradip Patiath speak with McKinsey Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly about McKinsey’s latest global banking annual review, breaking down the sources of skepticism, the risks and opportunities of a changing landscape, and lessons leaders can take from banks that have consistently outperformed over the past decade.

Articles mentioned:

M&A Annual Report: Is the wave finally arriving?

Investing in housing: Unlocking economic mobility for Black families and all Americans

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Quantum computing: Game on

Tue, 30 Dec 2025 06:00:00 +0000

Quantum computing has long been technology’s white whale. But in recent months, new developments suggest practical applications for this elusive technology could finally be within reach. “Quantum has been five to ten years away from fruition for many, many decades,” says McKinsey Partner Michael Bogobowicz. “Now it feels three to five years away.” In this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, Bogobowicz joins McKinsey Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly to discuss how quantum differs from conventional computing, what its potential use cases are likely to be, and how to prepare for the highs and lows of a world that could move exponentially faster than it does today.

In our second segment we ask, what’s the most important factor in having a successful transformation? McKinsey Senior Partner Michael Bucy says it’s the CEO.

Articles mentioned:

Navigating tariffs with a geopolitical nerve center

The Global Trade Explorer

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The fashion industry faces a world in flux

Mon, 29 Dec 2025 06:00:00 +0000

One thing is clear for the fashion industry in 2025. Due to climate change, global trade uncertainties, and consumers focused on value, growth is expected to be slow. However, despite the negative environment, McKinsey Senior Partner, Gemma D’Auria says there are opportunities to mine. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, she speaks with Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly about our latest state of fashion research and how brands can navigate the challenges.

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The industries reshaping our global economy

Fri, 26 Dec 2025 06:00:00 +0000

“A bank and a steel company can walk into a bar and not have much to do with each other. But once one of the arena companies walks in, we’re all involved.” That’s McKinsey Global Institute director Chris Bradley. On the latest episode of The McKinsey Podcast, Chris spoke with global editorial director Lucia Rahilly about a new report delving into the next arenas of competition—namely, a set of dynamic, high-growth industries that are fundamentally redefining the global economy and changing the game for businesses across the board.

Article mentioned:
The McKinsey Quarterly

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Data centers: The race to power AI

Thu, 25 Dec 2025 06:00:00 +0000

Leaders worldwide are moving fast to deploy AI at scale. But scaling AI means more data centers—and data centers consume vast quantities of energy. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, McKinsey’s Jesse Noffsinger and Pankaj Sachdeva speak with Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly about what needs to happen to build new, bigger data centers quickly, as well as to sate their growing hunger for power.

Articles mentioned:

A generational shift: The future of foreign aid

Risk rebalancing: Five important geopolitical-risk questions for CIOs

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Gen AI is here—but where are its users?

Wed, 24 Dec 2025 06:00:00 +0000

Gen AI is evolving fast—but employee adoption is slow for most companies. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, we feature an episode of our technology podcast, At the Edge. Tech visionaries Navin Chaddha, managing partner at Mayfield Fund; Kiran Prasad, McKinsey senior adviser and CEO and cofounder of Big Basin Labs; and Naba Banerjee, McKinsey senior adviser and former director of trust and operations at Airbnb, join guest host and McKinsey Senior Partner Brian Gregg. They unpack the technical, cultural, and organizational challenges companies face—and what leaders can do to realize gen AI’s full potential while managing its risks.

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Which tech trends are rising to the top of the business agenda?

Tue, 23 Dec 2025 06:00:00 +0000

Global competition has intensified, and the demand for energy and computing power is growing exponentially as companies embed AI, robotics, and other technologies into their everyday business processes. McKinsey’s annual outlook on technology trends points to 13 “frontier” trends that can help companies get a handle on these and other challenges. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast McKinsey Senior Partners Lareina Yee, Roger Roberts, and Sven Smit share the latest data and their insights on digital innovation, implementation, infrastructure, and trust with Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly.

Articles Mentioned:

How CEOs are responding to geopolitical uncertainty

A CEO for All Seasons: Mastering the Cycles of Leadership

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Building leaders from the ground up

Mon, 22 Dec 2025 06:00:00 +0000

CEOs are confronting double the number of critical issues today compared with ten years ago. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, McKinsey Senior Partners Daniel Pacthod and Kurt Strovink, along with McKinsey Senior Advisor Wyman Howard, join McKinsey Editorial Director Roberta Fusaro to discuss the characteristics today’s business leaders need to handle greater and more frequent waves of disruption and how organizations can create the infrastructure and conditions to build team-oriented leaders.

In our second segment, we examine three types of resiliencies that CEOs can develop within their companies with McKinsey Senior Partner Ida Kristensen. (Starts at about 18:05)

Article mentioned:

Superagency in the workplace: Empowering people to unlock AI’s full potential.

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Rewinding 2025: A year of The McKinsey Podcast insights—in under 10 minutes

Fri, 19 Dec 2025 20:48:29 +0000

This year on The McKinsey Podcast, we’ve dived into an array of topics on leadership, organizational change, and technological innovation, talking to McKinsey’s most seasoned experts about how to lead during times of geopolitical upheaval and economic uncertainty, as well as how to harness and then radiate the advances made possible by AI. We didn’t just go for the broad strokes. We heard from McKinsey partners about the questions they’re getting every day from their clients across industries. How can leaders move forward competitively in a business climate so full of flux and opportunity? Our guests this year had plenty of ideas.

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How agentic AI could transform travel

Thu, 04 Dec 2025 18:00:00 +0000

Yes, dreaming up your next getaway can be exhilarating. But booking it? Often less so. For many customers, the thrill of travel risks getting lost in logistics, says McKinsey Senior Partner Jules Seeley. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, he joins Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly to discuss new research on the rise of AI in the travel industry, including the advent of AI agents that could design end-to-end itineraries, rebook disrupted flights, and tailor recommendations to each traveler’s tastes—changing the calculus for customers and travel employees alike.

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Productivity first: AI and the COO agenda

Thu, 20 Nov 2025 06:00:00 +0000

From gen AI pilots to automated supply chains, technology is reshaping how operations leaders create efficiencies, build resilience, and encourage teamwork. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, McKinsey Senior Partner Daniel Swan speaks with Editorial Director Roberta Fusaro about how COOs can embed technology, particularly AI, into their company’s culture. It requires balancing the urgency of today with the transformation of tomorrow.

Articles/pieces mentioned:

The hard stuff 2025: Taking stock of progress on the physical challenges of the energy transition

The state of AI in 2025: Agents, innovation, and transformation

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A more accurate way to measure consumer engagement

Thu, 06 Nov 2025 17:25:00 +0000

Not all consumer attention is created equal—that’s a critical lesson from McKinsey’s recent report on content creation and monetization. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, McKinsey Senior Partner Kabir Ahuja speaks with Editorial Director Roberta Fusaro about something called the “attention equation” and how media players can use it to get a better return on their investments. It’s about quality of focus, Ahuja reminds us, not just quantity of eyeballs.

Articles Mentioned:

The FDI shake-up: How foreign direct investment today may shape industry and trade tomorrow

How Strategy Champions win

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Remanufacturing: Turning old parts into new opportunities

Thu, 23 Oct 2025 20:47:35 +0000

What if a product’s journey didn’t end after its first use? Remanufacturing—restoring preowned parts to perform like new—is transforming automotives, electronics, and other industries. In this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, Senior Partner Inga Maurer and Editorial Director Roberta Fusaro explore how this practice reduces waste while creating more value for companies.

Articles Mentioned:

One year of agentic AI: Six lessons from the people doing the work

The infrastructure moment

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What sets the world’s best leaders apart

Thu, 09 Oct 2025 20:30:00 +0000

Most leaders set out to be the best—but few make that Mount Everest–like ascent successfully. What do the world’s most iconic CEOs do differently? McKinsey Senior Partners Carolyn Dewar, Kurt Strovink, Scott Keller, and Vik Malhotra break it down in their new book A CEO for All Seasons: Mastering the Cycles of Leadership (Scribner/Simon & Schuster, October 2025), based on research and interviews with executives ranking among the top 200 CEOs across the globe. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, the four coauthors join Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly to discuss some of the more surprising lessons they learned—and what they’ve changed about their own leadership as a result.

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The promise and potential of rural America

Fri, 26 Sep 2025 21:04:10 +0000

There is no single definition of “rural America.” It comprises agricultural hubs, manufacturing centers, and fast-growing regions—each a regional archetypes with its own distinct challenges and opportunities. In this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, Senior Partner Nora Gardner joins Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly to discuss these archetypes and new research that can help leaders better understand rural communities.

In our second segment, McKinsey Partner Sarah Tucker-Ray speaks with Editorial Director Roberta Fusaro about how rural K–12 education can equip students with the skills needed for advanced manufacturing—and why partnerships with industry matter for the future of rural America.

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The changing role of the CMO—and what it means for growth

Thu, 28 Aug 2025 05:00:00 +0000

Chief marketing officers are vital to strategic decision-making, but increasingly, they’re being left out of the discussions that matter most—to the detriment of both customers and growth. “Kelsey and I are on a singular mission to bring CMOs back,” McKinsey Senior Partner Shelley Stewart III said recently, referring to Senior Partner Kelsey Robinson. In this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, Shelley and Kelsey join Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly to discuss new research on worsening disconnects in the C-suite, as well as how strengthening alignment between CMOs, CEOs, and CFOs can make a meaningful and sustainable difference in organizational performance. This conversation originally aired as a McKinsey Live webinar following the 2025 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

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A conversation about valuation

Thu, 31 Jul 2025 05:00:00 +0000

Don’t lose sight of the long term. It’s a core message from the eighth edition of Valuation: Measuring and Managing the Value of Companies, McKinsey’s seminal guide for corporate-finance professionals. It also describes the unique investment approach of the legendary investor Warren Buffett, who will step down as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway at the end of 2025. In this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, we hear an excerpt from our Author Talks series featuring Valuation coauthor and McKinsey Partner Tim Koller and Editorial Director Roberta Fusaro. They talk about what’s changed in the business world since the first edition of Valuation was published, some 35 years ago. He also touches on Buffett’s approach to investing, including why it worked and whether it can be replicated.

Articles/pieces mentioned:

Tariffs and trade: Preparing for the unpredictable

Confronting the affordable-housing crisis

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What the latest trends in sporting goods mean for brands

Thu, 17 Jul 2025 14:39:35 +0000

Pickleball, padel—yes, they’re hot. Nevertheless, a third of the world’s adults are inactive—and among youth, inactivity is even more pronounced, according to McKinsey Partner Alexander Thiel. In this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, Alexander joins Global Editorial Director and Deputy Publisher Lucia Rahilly to discuss this year’s whipsawing consumer trends, as well as what sporting goods leaders can do to harness them to combat slowing growth.

Articles/pieces mentioned:

Can Bloomingdale’s bring the magic back to department stores?

McKinsey's 2025 annual book recommendations

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Tariffs and trade: Preparing for the unpredictable

Thu, 03 Jul 2025 05:00:00 +0000

As geopolitical tensions persist, global trade dynamics are becoming increasingly complex—and many leaders find themselves on tenterhooks. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, Cindy Levy and Shubham Singhal, two global coleaders of McKinsey’s geopolitics work, join Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly to discuss how to move forward amid rapidly reconfiguring trade relationships—regardless of the way current tariff talks play out.

This conversation has been adapted from our McKinsey Live series.

Articles mentioned:

The ‘attention equation’: Winning the right battles for consumer attention

State of the Consumer 2025: When disruption becomes permanent

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Confronting the affordable-housing crisis

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 05:00:00 +0000

The US housing crunch is bad—and it’s getting worse. Wider access to safe, affordable homes is vital to enabling economic mobility for all Americans—and to harnessing what McKinsey Partner JP Julien, a leader of the McKinsey Institute for Economic Mobility, calls a “massive” untapped economic opportunity. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, JP joins Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly to discuss what’s causing the crisis in affordable housing, who’s most affected, and what both public- and private-sector leaders can do to effect fast but lasting change.

Articles mentioned:

The State of Aviation 2025

Global Private Markets Report 2025: Braced for shifting weather

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Time to revisit your M&A strategy

Thu, 22 May 2025 21:28:20 +0000

M&A activity is down, as is private equity investment, and companies are facing a range of new geopolitical tensions. Still, there is a path to growth through M&A for those companies that maintain an active acquisition strategy, understand their capabilities, and avoid certain assets, says McKinsey Senior Partner Jake Henry. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, he and McKinsey Senior Partner Mieke Van Oostende join McKinsey Editorial Director Roberta Fusaro to discuss findings from McKinsey’s 2025 M&A report. They also discuss the importance of culture in M&A integrations.

In our second segment, McKinsey Senior Partner Dana Maor shares how CEOs can and should stay connected to their teams with Managing Editor of Podcasts, Laurel Moglen. (Starts at 15:58)

Articles mentioned:

The cost of compute: A $7 trillion race to scale data centers

In a moment of tariffs, can the world find balance and trust to thrive?

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When the career ladder breaks for women—and how to succeed anyway

Thu, 27 Mar 2025 16:01:13 +0000

Career advancement is tough for everyone—but for women, it can feel particularly elusive. There’s a reason for that, according to the new book The Broken Rung: for every 100 men promoted early in their careers, only 81 women experience that same opportunity. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, the book’s authors, McKinsey Senior Partners Kweilin Ellingrud, Lareina Yee, and María del Mar Martínez, join McKinsey Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly to discuss the challenges that can limit professional women’s progress—as well as the approaches some have used to find their footing and continue to climb the career ladder successfully.

*****

What's new on McKinsey.com?

Beyond the start-up phase: Recipes for growth at mobility companies

European automotive industry: What it takes to regain competitive

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McKinsey’s highlights from Mobile World Congress

Wed, 05 Mar 2025 21:25:19 +0000

Companies are getting practical about how to create value from gen AI – while 5G, satellites, and innovations in phone design also take center stage.

This is a special, bonus episode of The McKinsey Podcast. McKinsey Partner Ferry Grijpink joined McKinsey Editorial Director Roberta Fusaro to share some immediate takeaways from the annual Mobile World Congress event in Barcelona.

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Special episode: Debriefing Davos 2025

Wed, 29 Jan 2025 02:39:17 +0000

The World Economic Forum was buzzing as leaders confront a world in flux. In this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, McKinsey senior partners Daniel Pacthod, Rodney Zemmel, and Tracy Francis talk with McKinsey global editorial director, Lucia Rahilly, about what happened in Davos last week (originally recorded for our webinar series, McKinsey Live). Key themes on the mountaintop were: AI transformation, resilience and geopolitics, EU competitiveness, the energy transition, and women’s health.

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Navigating the new geopolitical uncertainty

Thu, 16 Jan 2025 08:05:00 +0000

Yes, the changing geopolitical reality presents new risks—but like all disruptions, it may also create new opportunities. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, Cindy Levy and Shubham Singhal, global coleaders of McKinsey’s geopolitics work, speak with global editorial director Lucia Rahilly about how leaders can orient themselves within this evolving geopolitical landscape and, in particular, begin to move beyond mitigating risk to finding and mobilizing on new opportunities.

Articles mentioned:

The value now consumer: making sense of consumer sentiment and spending

Tariffs on the move? A guide for CEOs for 2025 and beyond

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Replaying a full year of The McKinsey Podcast—in just ten minutes

Thu, 19 Dec 2024 08:05:00 +0000

Technology, talent, decarbonization—we explored these and many other topics this year on The McKinsey Podcast. A range of McKinsey partners joined us on the mic and offered their perspectives on the pivots that global business leaders have made to compete more effectively. On this episode, we revisit a few those discussions and offer quick takes from McKinsey partners on what has mattered most to CEOs and other C-suite leaders over the past 12 months.

Also, McKinsey senior partners Kweilin Ellingrud, Sven Smit, and Yuval Atsmon talk about their choices for McKinsey’s 2024 book recommendations.

Articles mentioned:

AI for IT modernization: faster, cheaper, better

A proactive approach to navigating geopolitics is essential to thrive

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What will it take for working women to rise?

Thu, 21 Nov 2024 08:01:00 +0000

Ten years of research on women in the workplace, conducted by McKinsey in partnership with LeanIn.Org, reveals what’s better, what’s worse, and what all of us can do now to help more women advance—more quickly—at work. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, McKinsey senior partners Alexis Krivkovich and Lareina Yee speak with global editorial director Lucia Rahilly about where women’s experiences have improved, stalled, and even worsened over the past ten years, as well as about how to finally hasten the pace of change.

Articles mentioned:

The McKinsey Quarterly

Global Banking Annual Review

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Special episode: Climate adaptation is one key theme at COP 29

Thu, 14 Nov 2024 23:09:48 +0000

This is a special, bonus episode of The McKinsey Podcast. McKinsey partner Alexis Trittipo joins us from the UN climate change conference (aka COP 29) in Baku to share what she’s hearing about climate adaptation.

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CEO Tufan Erginbilgiç on reinventing Rolls-Royce

Fri, 08 Nov 2024 08:01:00 +0000

Since Tufan Erginbilgiç took the helm of the iconic brand, its share price has surged. Profits have more than doubled. How he did it is a case study in the art of corporate transformation. In conversation with McKinsey senior partner Michael Birshan.

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How the top UK companies have set themselves up for success

Thu, 24 Oct 2024 07:01:00 +0000

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.

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Rewiring for the era of gen AI

Thu, 10 Oct 2024 17:14:58 +0000

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.

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A net zero reality check

Thu, 26 Sep 2024 16:08:58 +0000

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

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Leading from the inside-out: Why CEOs must make time for self-reflection

Thu, 12 Sep 2024 07:01:00 +0000

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.

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A look at the technology trends that matter most

Thu, 05 Sep 2024 07:01:00 +0000

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.

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Will generative AI hurt middle managers—or help them?

Thu, 22 Aug 2024 07:01:00 +0000

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.

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The key to accelerating AI development? Pragmatism plus imagination

Thu, 08 Aug 2024 07:01:00 +0000

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.

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Think you know what consumers want? Think again.

Thu, 25 Jul 2024 07:01:00 +0000

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.

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Gen AI and beyond: Where else to focus now

Fri, 12 Jul 2024 07:03:00 +0000

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.

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The ups and downs of global productivity

Thu, 27 Jun 2024 07:01:00 +0000

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.

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A new itinerary for the tourism industry

Thu, 13 Jun 2024 15:34:35 +0000

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.

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The case for space

Thu, 30 May 2024 07:01:00 +0000

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.

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What’s new in consumer wellness trends?

Thu, 16 May 2024 07:01:00 +0000

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.

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Gen AI talent: Your next flight risk

Thu, 02 May 2024 07:01:00 +0000

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.

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Everything you wanted to know about carbon removals but were afraid to ask

Thu, 18 Apr 2024 07:01:00 +0000

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.

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CEO priorities: Where to focus as the year unfolds

Thu, 04 Apr 2024 07:01:00 +0000

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.

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Are women's prime working years in peril?

Thu, 21 Mar 2024 07:01:00 +0000

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.

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Analyzing the CEO–CMO relationship and its effect on growth

Thu, 07 Mar 2024 08:01:00 +0000

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.

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McKinsey’s key takeaways from Mobile World Congress

Wed, 28 Feb 2024 23:48:10 +0000

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.

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How to be a better chief of staff

Thu, 22 Feb 2024 08:01:00 +0000

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.

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Location, location, location: The impact of place on racial equity

Thu, 08 Feb 2024 08:01:00 +0000

There is a dramatic difference in health, economic, and social outcomes for Black US residents compared with their White neighbors. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, JP Julien, a McKinsey partner and leader in the McKinsey Institute for Black Economic Mobility, joins editorial director Roberta Fusaro to discuss McKinsey’s recently published report on the state of Black residents, which outlines the realities for Black residents in four geographic categories—the urban core, the suburbs and exurbs, the mixed middle, and low growth and rural areas—and what can be done now to ameliorate the racial disparity found in these locations."

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McKinsey's takeaways from the World Economic Forum

Sat, 27 Jan 2024 01:13:02 +0000

Geopolitics, the women's health gap, economic inclusion, and technology are a few of the themes highlighted at last week's World Economic Forum in Davos. Hear McKinsey senior partners Tracy Francis and Sven Smit share their analysis of the most significant takeaways from Davos in this special, bonus episode with global editorial director Lucia Rahilly.

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Busting myths about women in the workplace

Thu, 25 Jan 2024 05:01:00 +0000

For years, women have been fighting for faster career advancement and more equitable representation at work. On this week’s episode of The McKinsey Podcast, McKinsey senior partners Alexis Krivkovich and Lareina Yee talk with global editorial director Lucia Rahilly about the 2023 Women in the Workplace report—and specifically, our newest research on where progress is happening, where it’s not, and what leaders need to do differently to accelerate the pace of change.

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The changing landscape for banks

Thu, 11 Jan 2024 08:01:00 +0000

Though the banking industry has had its best period since 2007, banks still need to acknowledge recent structural and macroeconomic shifts and look for ways to evolve with markets. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, McKinsey senior partner Alex Edlich and partner Reinhard Höll join editorial director Roberta Fusaro to discuss the findings of McKinsey’s Global Banking Annual Review. They outline the new challenges banks are facing and suggest how leaders can address those challenges.

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What business can learn from "geeks"

Thu, 28 Dec 2023 08:01:00 +0000

What is a geek? What geek norms are associated with success? Andrew McAfee will answer these questions and more. He’s a principal research scientist at the MIT Sloan School of Management and author of the new book, The Geek Way: The Radical Mindset that Drives Extraordinary Results. This is a guest episode from McKinsey’s Forward Thinking podcast, with co-host and McKinsey partner Michael Chui.

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Holiday shopping: Consumer savvy and retailer responses

Thu, 14 Dec 2023 08:01:00 +0000

Across the United States, consumers are continuing to spend, but they’re not opening their wallets too wide. Joining us are McKinsey partners Colleen Baum and Tamara Charm who say retailers that offer personalized promotions, same-day delivery, and “buy now, pay later” plans are more likely to capture cautious consumers’ holiday spending. Learn more about US consumers’ holiday shopping behaviors and expectations on this guest episode of the McKinsey on Consumer and Retail podcast, hosted by Monica Toriello.

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Getting ahead in the cloud

Thu, 30 Nov 2023 08:01:00 +0000

We’ve all heard lots about cloud technology, but, according to new McKinsey research, only 20 to 30 percent of industries are using it regularly and at scale. On today’s episode of The McKinsey Podcast, McKinsey senior partners Mark Gu and James Kaplan share findings from the report, “In search of cloud value: Can generative AI transform cloud ROI?” They talk about why cloud technology is essential in business, what’s holding companies back from getting the most value from their cloud programs, and the steps they can take to improve their cloud capabilities. But first—did you realize that six words are fundamental to your company’s success? Scott Keller, McKinsey senior partner and author of CEO Excellence, tells us more.

Theme music was composed, produced, and performed by Joy Ngiaw.

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Who is productive, and who isn’t? Here’s how to tell.

Thu, 16 Nov 2023 21:05:12 +0000

If productivity is down in your organization, it may be a sign that at least some employees are unmotivated and unhappy—and that other employees are feeding on that dissatisfaction, further eroding productivity and creating attrition. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, McKinsey senior partner Aaron De Smet and partner Angelika Reich talk about McKinsey’s latest research on employee productivity and their perspectives on a few types of workers, ranging from those who bring fellow employees down to those who raise them up.

Theme music produced, composed, and performed by Joy Ngiaw.

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What AI means for travel–now and in the future

Thu, 02 Nov 2023 07:01:00 +0000

“Revenge travel.” It’s what a lot of people are doing these days–hitting the runways in big numbers to make up for time lost during the pandemic. McKinsey recently partnered with Skift, a leading travel industry news site, to write a report about travel in the age of AI. McKinsey partners Alex Cosmas and Vik Krishnan join global editorial director Lucia Rahilly to discuss a new report on travel in the age of AI: what the technology’s promise and pitfalls are and what it may mean for the travel industry overall.

Theme music produced, composed, and performed by Joy Ngiaw.

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The future of real estate in a hybrid world

Thu, 19 Oct 2023 07:00:00 +0000

Hybrid work has roiled the real estate market—and it’s here to stay, according to new research from the McKinsey Global Institute. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, McKinsey senior partners Aditya Sanghvi and Jonathan Woetzel chat with global editorial director Lucia Rahilly about how the persistence of the pivot to working from home has transformed the places we work, live, shop, and socialize—and about the unique opportunity hybrid presents to rethink real estate for our changing future.

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Funnel vision: Marketing with an investor mindset

Wed, 04 Oct 2023 20:28:46 +0000

When times get tough, marketing budgets are among the first ones cut. But such cutbacks can be shortsighted. On this edition of The McKinsey Podcast, McKinsey senior partner Kelsey Robinson chats with cohost and editorial director Roberta Fusaro about why chief marketing officers should instead be empowered to adopt an investor mindset—that is, focus on eliminating inefficient spending and reinvesting it in high-growth marketing activities. By taking a full-funnel approach to their marketing strategies, companies are more likely to weather any economic storm that may come their way.

Also, McKinsey senior partner Alok Kshirsagar talks about making a tough call on a high-profile project, from our Rookie Moment series.

The McKinsey Podcast is hosted by Roberta Fusaro and Lucia Rahilly.

Theme music produced, composed, and performed by Joy Ngiaw.

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Generative AI: How will it affect future jobs and workflows?

Thu, 21 Sep 2023 16:09:40 +0000

As companies struggle to understand the implications and applications of generative AI, one thing seems clear: AI and its future iterations are not going anywhere. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, senior partner Kweilin Ellingrud and partner Saurabh Sanghvi share findings from McKinsey’s latest report on gen AI with editorial director Roberta Fusaro and explain why companies must pivot to embrace the technology itself and the deep and lasting changes it may create. Individual and organizational adaptability will be critical.

Also on this episode, the advent of gen AI has many people thinking about the future of their jobs. Joanne Lipman, author of Next! The Power of Reinvention in Life and Work (Mariner Books, March 2023), shares a four-step process for figuring out where you might go next and how you’ll get there, in our Author Talks series.

The McKinsey Podcast is cohosted by Roberta Fusaro and Lucia Rahilly.

Theme music produced, composed, and performed by Joy Ngiaw.

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Getting to the bottom of the teen mental health crisis

Thu, 07 Sep 2023 10:00:00 +0000

The stakes are high when it comes to tackling the unprecedented mental health issues facing today’s teens. In this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, global editorial director Lucia Rahilly speaks with McKinsey partner and coleader of the McKinsey Health Institute Erica Coe and the founding president and medical director of the Child Mind Institute, Harold Koplewicz, about what the struggle means for society at large.

Then, Maggie Smith, author of You Could Make This Place Beautiful (Atria/One Signal Publishers, April 2023), shares how grief can be transformative, in an interview excerpt from our Author Talks series.

The McKinsey Podcast is cohosted by Roberta Fusaro and Lucia Rahilly.

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Don't wait–create with generative AI

Thu, 24 Aug 2023 08:00:00 +0000

Good things will come to those companies that don’t wait. McKinsey AI experts Michael Chui and Alex Singla discuss McKinsey’s new report about the generative AI opportunity with global editorial director Lucia Rahilly. Hear how companies should immediately seize the gen AI opportunity to gain competitive advantage.

But first, McKinsey senior partner Kelsey Robinson points out a consumer spending dichotomy in her first of a series of a quick US consumer behavior check-ins.

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The path to greater productivity and prosperity in Africa

Thu, 10 Aug 2023 14:42:02 +0000

By 2050, about 25 percent of the world’s population will be from the African continent. What can be done now to support Africa’s educational infrastructure, bountiful resources, and technological innovation? On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, McKinsey partner Mayowa Kuyoro and senior partner Acha Leke share details from their latest research on Africa and outline the strengths and assets the continent has that can help it vastly improve its productivity and reinvigorate its economy. They join host and editorial director Roberta Fusaro.

But first, McKinsey global director of geopolitical risk, Ziad Haider, is here to give us a quick update on the current state of world geopolitics.

Theme music produced, composed, and performed by Joy Ngiaw.

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Are middle managers your next ace in the hole?

Fri, 28 Jul 2023 20:32:56 +0000

Business lore is freighted with misadventures in middle management. Yet middle managers are critical to organizational health and performance, and they are only becoming more so as work continues to transform, according to the new book Power to the Middle: Why Managers Hold the Keys to the Future of Work (Harvard Business Review Press, July 2023). On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, authors Emily Field, Bryan Hancock, and Bill Schaninger talk to global editorial director Lucia Rahilly about the costs of middle management gone awry—and about a new model for getting it right.

Theme music produced, composed, and performed by Joy Ngiaw.

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What really works when it comes to digital and AI transformations?

Thu, 13 Jul 2023 10:00:00 +0000

By now, most leaders understand the importance—or, increasingly, the inevitability—of digital and AI transformation. But fewer executives are clear about how to knit systems, people, and processes together in the most productive way. McKinsey senior partners Eric Lamarre, Kate Smaje, and Rodney Zemmel have written Rewired: The McKinsey Guide to Outcompeting in the Age of Digital and AI (Wiley, June 2023) with that disconnect in mind. The authors discuss Rewired which offers clear, customizable paths that organizations can take to succeed with their digital transformations—and stay nimble in the face of constant change.

The authors discuss the book on this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, which is hosted by McKinsey editorial director Roberta Fusaro

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Sustainability sells in the US consumer market

Thu, 29 Jun 2023 08:00:00 +0000

When you’re grocery shopping and see a product that claims it’s “good for the planet” or “society” - are you more inclined to buy it?

If yes was your answer, you’re not alone. This is according to a joint study by McKinsey and Nielson IQ about US consumer behavior and spending.

Today we’re sharing an episode from the McKinsey on Consumer and Retail podcast that talks all about it.

Regular programming for The McKinsey Podcast is back in two weeks.

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A peek at the future health and wealth of our global economy

Thu, 15 Jun 2023 09:00:00 +0000

Banking instability. High interest rates. Pervasive geopolitical upset. These and other headwinds are pressing powerfully against leaders’ and organizations’ attempts to be more productive and create more economic value. In this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, senior partner Sven Smit puts these trends in context. He shares findings from the McKinsey Global Institute’s latest Future of Wealth research with podcast host and editorial director Roberta Fusaro. He offers four potential scenarios for inflation, interest rates, and growth to 2030 and considers their implications for the future health and wealth of the global economy.

After, we get a better understanding of the working class from Farah Stockman, author of American Made, in an excerpt from our Author Talks series.

Theme music produced, composed, and performed by Joy Ngiaw.

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Getting a read on the state of organizations

Thu, 01 Jun 2023 10:00:00 +0000

On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, McKinsey senior partners Dana Maor and Patrick Simon speak with McKinsey editorial director Roberta Fusaro about three of the ten most asked-about shifts featured in the recently released State of Organizations report: increasing speed and strengthening resilience, the hybrid workplace, and building capabilities in a rapidly changing workplace.

After, it can be scary to share a dissenting opinion. But McKinsey senior partner Katy George shares a time she took that risk and reaped the rewards—from our My Rookie Moment series

Theme music is composed, produced, and performed by Joy Ngiaw.

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How to revive US productivity

Thu, 18 May 2023 22:10:10 +0000

Once an engine of US power and prosperity, US labor productivity has grown at a sluggish 1.4 percent since 2005. Imminent challenges such as workforce shortages, debt, inflation, and the cost of energy could be ameliorated with higher productivity. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, Olivia White, a McKinsey senior partner and a director of the McKinsey Global Institute, and McKinsey partner Charles Atkins join McKinsey editorial director and host Roberta Fusaro to share tangible ways to boost US productivity.

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Why restoring natural capital is good for business

Fri, 21 Apr 2023 17:39:55 +0000

From regular water shortages in California to a nitrogen crisis in the Netherlands, the deterioration of natural capital has had tangible consequences—and given rise to a reckoning within business and government. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, McKinsey partner Josh Katz and associate partner Caroline De Vit talk with global editorial director Lucia Rahilly about a recently published special report on natural capital: what it is, why it matters, and how Fortune 500 companies are moving now to create opportunities and mitigate rising risks.

After, K–12 teachers in the United States are leaving their jobs in unprecedented numbers. McKinsey partner Jake Bryant shares what teachers need to stay.

Theme music was composed, produced, and performed by Joy Ngiaw.

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Six CEO priorities for 2023

Wed, 05 Apr 2023 18:07:15 +0000

Over the past few years, CEOs have found themselves repeatedly recalibrating in the wake of shock after shock. As 2023 shapes up to be another year of uncertainty, stable ground may continue to seem elusive. In this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, Homayoun Hatami, senior partner and managing partner for global client capabilities, and chief client officer Liz Hilton Segel talk about what matters most—as well as how leaders can begin leaning forward to find new opportunities amid ongoing turbulence and change.

After, hear from former CEO of IBM, Ginni Rometty, on what she learned to prioritize as a leader in an excerpt from our Author Talks series.

Theme music is composed, produced, and performed by Joy Ngiaw.

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A guide to investing in Black economic mobility

Thu, 23 Mar 2023 08:00:00 +0000

Forty percent of Black American households don’t have high-speed, fixed broadband, according to recent McKinsey research. That digital divide is just one of eight investment opportunities that have the highest potential to move the needle on Black economic mobility. On today’s episode of The McKinsey Podcast, McKinsey senior partner Shelley Stewart III speaks with editorial director Roberta Fusaro about how impact investors can help close the digital divide, create more financial inclusion, and achieve equity in healthcare for Black Americans.

After, Asaf Somekh, the CEO and cofounder of Iguazio, a company recently acquired by McKinsey, talks about artificial intelligence and offers some solutions for addressing pilot fatigue.

The McKinsey Podcast is cohosted by Roberta Fusaro and Lucia Rahilly.

Theme music produced, composed, and performed by Joy Ngiaw.

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The CEO agenda: Prioritizing geopolitical risk

Thu, 09 Mar 2023 09:00:00 +0000

Geopolitical risk, an issue once deferred, is now demanding immediate attention. Hear how leaders must challenge the fundamentals of how operations have traditionally been run to adapt to a multipolar world.

In this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, senior partner Andrew Grant and global director of geopolitical risk Ziad Haider speak with to global editorial director Lucia Rahilly about
McKinsey’s latest research on geopolitical risk, including what questions leaders need to ask to find their way in this fragmented world, how to balance risk versus returns, and how to navigate corporate responsibility.

After, McKinsey partner Jennifer Stanley, who thought of herself as a social scientist rather than a businessperson, and shares how a shift in self-perception was all it took to feel capable in this excerpt from our My Rookie Moment series.

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Women in the workplace are breaking up to break through

Thu, 23 Feb 2023 09:00:00 +0000

"Women leaders are voting with their feet," says McKinsey senior partner Alexis Krivkovich on this week’s episode of The McKinsey Podcast. She and senior partner Lareina Yee speak with global editorial director Lucia Rahilly to dig into the latest Women in the Workplace research. They break down the reasons behind “the great breakup” and what organizations must do to materially value diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)—and what’s at stake if they don’t.

After, everyone's talking about generative AI. If you’re unclear about what it is, we’ll fill you in with an excerpt from our McKinsey Explainer series.

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How our interconnected world is changing

Thu, 09 Feb 2023 08:00:00 +0000

Globalization isn’t going away, but it is changing, according to recent research from the
McKinsey Global Institute (MGI). In this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, MGI director Olivia White speaks with global editorial director Lucia Rahilly about the flows of goods, knowledge, and labor that drive global integration—and what reshaping these flows might mean for our interconnected future.

After, global brewer AB InBev has thrived in the throes of what its CFO Fernando Tennenbaum describes as the recent “twists and turns.” Find out how in this excerpt from our McKinsey Live series, recorded in December 2022.

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Net zero: Next moves for CEOs

Fri, 27 Jan 2023 19:07:25 +0000

Net zero doesn’t have to mean zero sum. In this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, McKinsey partner Anna Moore and senior partner Humayun Tai talk to global editorial director Lucia Rahilly about the “devilish duality” leaders have faced since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine—and about how to follow through on longer-term decarbonization commitments while managing short-term energy disruptions successfully.

After, hear how investors can use their capital and influence to help reverse the impact of climate change, from Columbia professor Bruce Usher. He spoke with us about his book, Investing in the Era of Climate Change (Columbia University Press, October 2022), as part of our Author Talks series.

The McKinsey Podcast is cohosted by Roberta Fusaro and Lucia Rahilly.

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New year, new tech, no problem

Fri, 13 Jan 2023 18:34:58 +0000

McKinsey analyzed 14 new trends in its latest report on business technology. Here are the three that leaders need to know about most.

In this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, partners Michael Chui and Roger Roberts speak with McKinsey editorial director Roberta Fusaro about McKinsey’s latest report on technology trends, with a particular focus on the benefits and challenges of applied AI, cloud and edge computing, and bioengineering.

After, we’ll hear from McKinsey partner Brian Rolfes, who came to McKinsey firmly “in the
closet.” But a chance meeting with a client showed him the value of being authentic—with himself and others.

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Why on earth should business care about space?

Thu, 29 Dec 2022 08:00:00 +0000

The volume of information available from space is unprecedented. McKinsey experts Ryan Brukardt and Jesse Klempner join host and McKinsey partner, Mina Alaghband to share the incredible ways in which the space-for-earth economy has evolved and how it needs to scale. This is a guest episode from McKinsey's technology podcast, At the Edge.

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The future of US manufacturing is hiding in plain sight

Fri, 16 Dec 2022 20:39:26 +0000

Boring is beautiful when it drives economic prosperity. Cue industrial technology companies, whose under-the-radar successes are powering a resurgence in US manufacturing. Their proven promise is the basis of the new book The Titanium Economy, cowritten by McKinsey’s managing partner for North America, Asutosh Padhi. Asutosh joins partner Kim Borden and global editorial director Lucia Rahilly to discuss this overlooked bright spot in the US economy—and what’s necessary to power the next stage of manufacturing growth.

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Electric vehicles are here, and large-scale adoption is. . . near?

Tue, 29 Nov 2022 14:33:08 +0000

While the internal-combustion engine dominates car design, its existence contributes to global warming and detracts from electric-vehicle (EV) development. Things like carbon emissions, the complexity of design, and battery development are slowing down the widespread adoption of electric vehicles. But they don’t have to. Russell Hensley, co-leader of the McKinsey Center for Future Mobility in the Americas, joins McKinsey editorial director Roberta Fusaro to discuss what can be done to encourage manufacturers to produce and consumers to embrace electric cars.

After, hear Alan Murray, CEO of Fortune Media, talk about his search for the soul of American business in an excerpt from our Author Talks series featuring his book, Tomorrow’s Capitalist (Hachette Book Group, May 2022).

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When things get rocky, practice deliberate calm

Thu, 10 Nov 2022 11:00:00 +0000

In unusually difficult situations, a counterintuitive response to stress is what many leaders should aim for, say Jacqueline Brassey, McKinsey senior knowledge expert and McKinsey senior partner Aaron De Smet as they talk about their new book, Deliberate Calm: How to Learn and Lead in a Volatile World with host and executive editor Roberta Fusaro.

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Build back better relationships at work

Thu, 20 Oct 2022 12:19:43 +0000

Social capital, a technical term for connectivity in the workplace, is important for helping employees execute, learn, innovate, and advance in organizations. Right now, because of the pandemic and the related upheaval in office and staffing norms, it’s in short supply. But there are ways to rebuild it say McKinsey partners John Parsons and Brooke Weddle on this episode of The McKinsey Podcast. Hear their conversation with editorial director Roberta Fusaro about McKinsey’s recent report on the state of social capital and why executives need to manage workplace interactions more intentionally—always, but especially now.

After, get to know married couple and McKinsey associate partners Angela and Sebastian Sinisterra-Woods. They talk about their work highlights and how whiteboards aren’t just for conference rooms.

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Beyond burnout: What helps–and what doesn’t

Thu, 06 Oct 2022 15:30:00 +0000

Yoga. Therapy. Meditation. Yes, wellness perks are helpful, but they’re not a panacea for workplace stress. In this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, Erica Coe, a McKinsey partner and coleader of the McKinsey Health Institute (MHI), speaks with McKinsey Global Publishing’s Lucia Rahilly about why burnout has hit record levels over the past two years—and what leaders can do to create a path toward lasting change.

After, senior partner Tiffany Burns describes one of her rookie moments: talking a client down from sending an email in a state of frustration.

Rookie Moments: https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/my-rookie-moment

How to lead with Deliberate Calm, a new book, soon-to-publish from McKinsey: https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/mckinsey-on-books/deliberate-calm

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Slow down attrition: Focus on what workers want

Thu, 22 Sep 2022 12:00:00 +0000

Is there any way to stop the Great Attrition? McKinsey expert associate partner, Bonnie Dowling, says yes. In this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, she speaks with executive editor Roberta Fusaro about McKinsey’s latest research on the Great Attrition. This time, the team includes data from multiple countries and outlines five types of worker personalities that, if catered to appropriately, could help fill all those open positions.

After, we’ll hear from Catherine Price, author of Power of Fun: How to Feel Alive Again, part of our Author Talks series, who says fun is not a treat, but a tool.

Latest research on the Great Attrition/Great Attraction: https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/people-and-organizational-performance/our-insights/the-great-attrition-is-making-hiring-harder-are-you-searching-the-right-talent-pools

Author Talks: https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/mckinsey-on-books/author-talks

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The two-wheeled commute: Micromobility and your future

Thu, 08 Sep 2022 12:00:00 +0000

Scooters. Bikes. E-mopeds. If you’re an urban dweller, you’ve probably seen a variety of these vehicles whizzing by—and you’re likely to see more in the future. In this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, McKinsey partner Kersten Heineke speaks with global editorial director Lucia Rahilly about micromobility: who’s using it, why it’s becoming more popular, and how cities can adapt to a future of tiny transportation.

Following their conversation, we hear from NYU associate professor of psychology Tessa West about toxic coworkers. In her book, Jerks at Work: Toxic Coworkers and What to Do About Them (Portfolio, January 2022), featured in a recent edition of our Author Talks series, West describes how to handle jerks at work–and how not to become one yourself.

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What makes an organization 'healthy'?

Thu, 25 Aug 2022 12:00:00 +0000

Lucia and Roberta are taking a summer break, so please enjoy this popular and previous episode about organizational health. Research shows that companies can improve short-and long-term performance by focusing on a small number of carefully selected management practices.

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Creating good packaging for packaged goods

Thu, 11 Aug 2022 12:00:00 +0000

Read more >
Listen to the podcast (duration: 21:59) > Lucia and Roberta are taking a summer break, so today we feature an episode of the McKinsey on Consumer and Retail podcast. Many consumer products will soon be in packages that are stronger, sustainable, and 'smart.' Hear Amcor CEO Ron Delia and McKinsey partner David Feber speak with executive editor Monica Toriello about the e-commerce boom, widespread concern about sustainability, and the digitization trend spurring innovation in packaging.

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