330. The CEO mindset: Six undelegatable roles in strategy

Few things a CEO can do are more powerful than leading strategy well. The success of a strategy ultimately depends on the CEO's close involvement—and on their ability to fulfill six roles they cannot delegate without risking the value a strategy can create. Carolyn Dewar, Kurt Strovink, Andy West, and Whitney Zimmerman join us to discuss the six roles and how leading CEOs fulfill them effectively. Related insights Strategy and Value: The Four Foundations That Drive Long-Term Performance The six strategy roles a CEO must not delegate Strategy’s biggest blind spot: Erosion of competitive advantage The CEO’s singular impact on the success—or failure—of AI in organizations The Journey of Leadership: How CEOs learn to lead from the inside out CEO Excellence: The six mindsets that distinguish the beast leaders from the rest A CEO for All Seasons: Mastering the cycles of leadership Ten Timeless Tests: Have you tested your strategy lately?Support the show: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/mckinsey-strategy-&-corporate-finance/See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Why do so many beloved companies lose their way after taking on outside capital or going public? Eric Ries, author of Incorruptible and founder of the Long-Term Stock Exchange, joins senior partner Ryan Davies to discuss “financial gravity,” the force that pulls organizations toward mission drift. Drawing on stories such as Costco’s origins, they explore how governance built on purpose, coherence, and integrity can help companies earn trust and create long-term value. Related insights Learn more about Eric Reis Strategy and Value: The Four Foundations That Drive Long Term Performance How CEOs can play the long game in a shortsighted worldSupport the show: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/mckinsey-strategy-&-corporate-finance/See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Agentic AI is fundamentally changing how a transformation office (TO) can operate, freeing up the team to be not just faster but better. Chase Covington and Tomer Slaney join us to discuss how deploying agentic tools can generate sharper performance insights, maintain a single source of truth, and drive the right conversations at the right cadence—while allowing a more dedicated focus on the human elements of the change effort. Related insights The agentic transformation office: Redefining the economics of change WAVE: By McKinsey Building the foundations for agentic AI at scale Escaping the pilot trap: Building HR for the agentic era From potential to performance: Using gen AI to conduct outside-in diligence Unlocking full potential: Five practices reshaping PE value creation McKinsey Transformation McKinsey Transformation on LinkedInSupport the show: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/mckinsey-strategy-&-corporate-finance/See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Today’s disruption has created a critical ‘Strategy Moment’ for organizations navigating a fundamentally changing basis of competitive advantage. Carolyn Dewar, Marcus Jacob and Laura LaBerge join us to debunk four strategy myths and unpack how long-held assumptions are being rewritten to shape foundational strategic choices for a future-focused reality. They also discuss where AI amplifies the challenge—and creates opportunity—and how to determine if your AI investment is pointed in the right strategic direction.   Related insights Strategy and Value: The Four Foundations That Drive Long-Term Performance Strategy’s biggest blind spot: Erosion of competitive advantage Why accelerated resource allocation matters in the age of AI How to maximize competitive advantage How top economic performers lean into their competitive advantage to guide their strategy CEO Excellence A CEO for All Seasons: Mastering the Cycles of LeadershipSupport the show: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/mckinsey-strategy-&-corporate-finance/See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

As we enter the fourth quarter, we look to where M&A stands and how dealmakers can finish strong. We also explore how AI is rewriting the traditional M&A playbook: success no longer comes from scale alone, but from building intelligent platforms and capabilities that compound over time to drive growth. Benjamin Houssard, Kameron Kordestani, Alex Liu, and Tobias Lundberg walk through how to leverage AI to turn a series of transactions into a self-reinforcing growth engine. Related insights 2026 M&A trends: Navigating a rapidly rebounding market Technology M&A: AI enters its industrial phase Five steps to strengthen M&A capabilities, no matter the starting point Gen AI in M&A: From theory to practice to high performance Advanced industries: Geopolitics, economics, and technology drive M&A Culture in M&A Using M&A to launch a transformationSupport the show: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/mckinsey-strategy-&-corporate-finance/See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

As AI models become increasingly sophisticated, organizations and their leaders need to maintain awareness of the opportunities and challenges each new model can present. Specifically, the newest Frontier Lab LLMs are able to chain together and exploit vulnerabilities in even the most sophisticated organizations. Charlie Lewis and Marie-Claude Nadeau join us to discuss the threats posed by these models and how organizations can stay ahead of rapidly emerging cybersecurity challenges while also realizing their benefits. Related insights McKinsey Technology Trends Outlook 2026 Cybersecurity and trustworthy systems The speed problem: How frontier AI exposes weakness in enterprise cybersecurity Quantum is almost here: Are you and your systems ready? Deploying agentic AI with safety and security: A playbook for technology leadersSupport the show: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/mckinsey-strategy-&-corporate-finance/See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Episode description Executives have more data, more frameworks, and more advice than ever, and yet their confidence in their strategies keeps falling. Andy West, Tim Koller, and Whitney Zimmerman, authors of our forthcoming book Strategy and Value: The Four Foundations That Drive Long-Term Performance, join us to discuss how winning companies leverage the four foundations that drive long-term performance and value creation Related insights Strategy and Value: The Four Foundations That Drive Long-Term Performance Strategy’s biggest blind spot: Erosion of competitive advantage How to maximize competitive advantage (podcast) Ten Timeless Tests: Have you tested your strategy lately?  How top economic performers lean into their competitive advantage to guide their strategy Valuation: Measuring and managing the value of companies  Support the show: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/mckinsey-strategy-&-corporate-finance/See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

McKinsey research finds that companies executing transformations with rigor are much more likely to meet overall organizational transformation goals. Chris Hagedorn, Preeya Mody, and Michel Morenville join us to discuss what rigor really means in the context of transformation and how to embed it throughout the process, from setting the aspiration to mobilizing to delivering impact. Related insights Rigor: What it takes to turn ambition into impact The power of rigor in transformation (podcast episode) Wave by McKinsey McKinsey Insights on Transformation How to gain and sustain a competitive edge through transformation Going all in: Why employee ‘will’ can make or break transformations Seven principles for achieving transformational growth Beyond transformation: What we now know about driving bottom-line performance The powerful role financial incentives can play in a transformation McKinsey Transformation on LinkedInSupport the show: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/mckinsey-strategy-&-corporate-finance/See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Real estate is moving from stabilization to selective acceleration, with value creation becoming more targeted, operational, and execution-led. As capital concentrates in select sectors and strategies, leaders need sharper asset selection, disciplined capital structures, and stronger AI-enabled capabilities. Ben Dimson, Tripp Norton, and Aditya Sanghvi discuss how General Partners, Limited Partners, and real estate operators can turn market complexity into an advantage, drawing on research from their recent article.Related insights Real estate builds on new terrain Real estate’s selective recovery How agentic AI can reshape real estate’s operating model 2026 Global Private Markets Report: Private equity−clearer view, tougher terrainSupport the show: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/mckinsey-strategy-&-corporate-finance/See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Private equity is navigating one of its most challenging value creation environments in years, and winning firms are using M&A integration as a competitive weapon. Brian Dinneen and Matthew Maloney join us to discuss three high-impact integration strategies that leading sponsors are using to overcome these headwinds, based on their recent article. Related insights How private equity is using M&A integrations to overcome headwinds Unlocking full potential: Five practices reshaping PE value creation 2026 Global Private Markets Report: Private equity−clearer view, tougher terrain Beating the odds: How private equity firms can improve exit prospects Transforming value creation in private equity portfolio companies (podcast)Private Capital at McKinseySupport the show: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/mckinsey-strategy-&-corporate-finance/See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information