The Mckinsey Podcast

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

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

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. Theme music produced, composed, and performed by Joy Ngiaw.See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

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

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

Forty percent of Black American households don’t have high-speed, fixed broadband. That digital divide is just one of eight investment opportunities that, according to recent McKinsey research, 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 McKinsey company, 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.See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

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 aboutMcKinsey’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. Theme music produced, composed, and performed by Joy Ngiaw.See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

An unprecedented number of women are leaving their positions to find better opportunities. Will organizations recognize the magnitude of their loss and gain? ‘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, the mind-blowing possibilities of generative AI have people talking. If you’re unclear about what they are, we’ll fill you in with an excerpt from our McKinsey Explainer series about generative AI.See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Globalization isn’t going away, but it is changing, according to recent research from theMcKinsey 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. Theme music composed, produced, and performed by Joy Ngiaw.See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

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. Theme music composed, performed, and produced by Joy Ngiaw.See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

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 thecloset.” But a chance meeting with a client showed him the value of being authentic—with himself and others. Theme music composed, performed, and produced by Joy Ngiaw.See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

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

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. Theme music composed, performed, and produced by Joy Ngiaw. See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy informationSee www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

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). The McKinsey Podcast is cohosted by Roberta Fusaro and Lucia Rahilly. Theme music composed, performed, and produced by Joy Ngiaw.See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

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. Theme music composed, performed, and produced by Joy NgiawSee www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

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.  Theme music composed, performed and produced by Joy Ngiaw.See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

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 Theme music written, produced and performed by Joy Ngiaw.See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information