Leading when change feels threatening

Leaders love to talk about resistance to change, but, as McKinsey research shows, resistance isn’t the full story. Fear of loss is a huge part of transformation, too, when roles, routines, and relationships are meaningfully redefined. On this episode of McKinsey Talks Talent, McKinsey Partner Johanne Lavoie shares her latest research on on how leaders can support their teams through times of strain with Senior Partner Brooke Weddle, Partner Bryan Hancock, and Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly. They discuss why leaders who understand fear, rather than punish it, end up with more resilient teams that make sharper decisions and exhibit stronger performance under pressure.See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Agents: Everybody’s got them. But who’s managing them? And what happens to the human talent working alongside them—and being asked to show up differently as a result? “The rise of AI doesn’t mean we all suddenly devolve our responsibilities for quality control and critical thinking,” says Kate Smaje, McKinsey’s global leader of technology and AI and coauthor of the recent book Rewired. “That’s not the world we live in. There’s a premium on those capabilities now.” In this episode of McKinsey Talks Talent, Smaje joins Senior Partner Brooke Weddle and Partner Bryan Hancock, along with Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly, to discuss what leading through the AI moment means for the relationship between people and technology, including ways of working; costs, benefits, and risks; and the need for open dialogue about the question, “Why AI?”See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

"Is my generation doomed?" That’s what one Stanford graduating senior asked Professor Erik Brynjolfsson, economist and director of the Stanford Digital Economy Lab. The professor had seen the data, so he didn’t dismiss the question. But as productivity gains begin to emerge, Brynjolfsson argues that the biggest opportunity lies not in replacing workers but in redesigning work. In this episode of McKinsey Talks Talent, Brynjolfsson joins McKinsey leaders Brooke Weddle and Bryan Hancock, as well as Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly, to discuss what’s changing, who’s most susceptible to displacement, and what leaders need to know to create value while managing new risks.See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

That elusive Eureka moment: Every leader strives for it—but it can’t be forced. And as Harvard Business School Professor Linda Hill argues in her new book Genius at Scale: How Great Leaders Drive Innovation (Harvard Business Publishing, March 2026), innovation is less about a flash of insight than about creating the conditions for breakthrough ideas to take hold and scale. In this episode of McKinsey Talks Talent, Hill speaks with McKinsey leaders and talent experts Brooke Weddle and Bryan Hancock, along with Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly, about the roles and capabilities that successful innovators share—and about how to create a culture that encourages everyone to undertake the hard, risky work of innovation to drive organizational performance.See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Being yourself at work has become a corporate mantra—and it certainly started in a well-meaning way. But it can also have significant downsides, according to Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, author of Don’t Be Yourself: Why Authenticity Is Overrated (and What to Do Instead). In this episode of McKinsey Talks Talent, Chamorro-Premuzic joins McKinsey leaders and talent experts Brooke Weddle and Bryan Hancock, as well as Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly, to explore what authenticity really means in the workplace, when it helps and hurts, and what may matter more for employees looking to accelerate their leadership trajectory in the age of AI. See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Manufacturing is back at the center of the US economic agenda. Yet the sector faces a persistent talent shortage—and to bridge it, leaders will need to rethink how they attract, train, and retain a new generation of manufacturing employees. “Manufacturers need to be driving the conversation, not waiting for the workforce ecosystem to arrive at their door,” says Carolyn Lee, President and Executive Director of the Manufacturing Institute (MI). On this episode of McKinsey Talks Talent, Lee joins McKinsey leaders Brooke Weddle, Bryan Hancock, and Tyler Freeman, along with Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly, to talk about what needs to change, as automation advances and employees’ expectations evolve, to enable US manufacturing to thrive in the age of AI.See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Many high performers think they’re doing everything right—yet still feel somehow wrong about their day-to-day. And the advent of AI means work-related decision-making is more complex than ever. As job uncertainty ups the ante, more employees might be tempted to settle for the “B+ life,” in the words of Suzy Welch, author of Becoming You: The Proven Method for Crafting Your Authentic Life and Career (HarperCollins, May 2025). In this episode of McKinsey Talks Talent, Welch talks to McKinsey leaders and talent experts Brooke Weddle and Bryan Hancock, as well as Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly, about where so many successful people go awry—and more important, about how to discover work that you value, that’s economically viable, and that you’re genuinely wired to do.See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

In the US, many companies still struggle to fill essential roles. What if part of the solution involves talent that has traditionally been overlooked? Take Johanna Carbajal, who spent her adolescence shuttling between juvenile hall, foster care, and the streets before landing in prison at 18. After her release, Johanna made her way to Homeboy Industries, the Los Angeles–based organization founded by Father Greg Boyle to help formerly incarcerated and gang-involved individuals heal, find stability, and build meaningful careers. For Johanna, finding Homeboy was a watershed moment. On this special holiday episode of McKinsey Talks Talent,  you’ll hear her—as well as Father Greg, in conversation with McKinsey talent experts Brooke Weddle and Bryan Hancock, and Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly—talking about what leaders can learn from the Homeboy philosophy, including the impact of thinking differently about hiring, developing skills, and creating a culture where employees feel not just safe but seen.See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

AI is ushering in a new era of work, and smart employers are staying ahead of the curve by rethinking how to cultivate the skills their organizations need to thrive. The best leaders realize they won’t be able to do it alone, according to Beth Cobert, president of affiliates and strategic partnerships at Strada Education Foundation. On this episode of McKinsey Talks Talent, Cobert joins McKinsey talent experts Brooke Weddle and Bryan Hancock, along with Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly, to discuss the kinds of cross-sector collaborations that help businesses and workers develop skills for the future—and connect education more directly to high-quality jobs.See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

On this episode of McKinsey Talks Talent, McKinsey talent experts Brooke Weddle and Bryan Hancock join Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly for a conversation with Jason Wright, managing partner and head of investments at Project Level and former president of the NFL’s Washington Commanders. Together, they explore how women’s sports is scaling rapidly—and what it takes to build an industry with lasting economic and social impact.See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information