The Mckinsey Podcast

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.See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

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."See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Geopolitics, women's health inequities, 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.See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Myths abound when it comes to women in the workplace. McKinsey senior partners Alexis Krivkovich and Lareina Yee debunk four of them in a conversation with global editorial director Lucia Rahilly as they discuss McKinsey's latest Women in the Workplace report.See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

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 addressthose challenges.See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

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.See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

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. See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

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 themost 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.See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

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.See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

“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 the research which drew from interviews with a range of travel executives.   Theme music produced, composed, and performed by Joy Ngiaw. See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy informationSee www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

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.See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

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. See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy informationSee www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

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. See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-po

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.See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Good things will come to those companies that don’t wait. McKinsey AI experts Michael Chui and Alex Singla discuss McKinsey’s new reportabout 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.See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

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. See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy informationSee www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

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. See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy informationSee www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

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 FusaroSee www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

The McKinsey Podcast is taking a break this week. Please enjoy this episode from the McKinsey on Consumer and Retail podcast: "Consumers are spending on sustainable consumer goods: Highlights from new research." Thanks for listening and we'll see you in two weeks. See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

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. See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy informationSee www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information