302. What Every CEO Can Learn From Private Equity
In this episode, McKinsey partners Sasha Guy and Marla Kaposi unpack why private‑equity‑backed CEOs face a brutal turnover rate—60% are replaced within two years—and reveal six practices that top‑performing CEOs use to drive outsized value. They highlight the shift from financial engineering to operational excellence, emphasizing talent, strategy, governance, and culture as levers for rapid productivity gains of 8‑12% annually. The guests introduce the concept of “CEO Alpha,” a framework linking a CEO’s raw ambition, personal leadership, and operating essentials to superior portfolio outcomes. Their insights draw on a Harvard Business Review article and interviews with over 200 PE CEOs, offering a roadmap for any leader seeking resilient, growth‑focused performance.
300. The CEO’s Agenda for Thriving in the Agentic Age
In this 300th episode of Inside the Strategy Room, McKinsey partners Tangi, Sandra, Laurie, and Antoine discuss how CEOs must navigate the "agentic age" of generative AI, which they view as a true general‑purpose technology reshaping industries and company performance....
299. The New CEO’s Guide to Stakeholder Impact
In this episode, McKinsey partners Carolyn Dewar, Blair Epstein, and Eric Sherman explain why stakeholder engagement is a critical, yet under‑mastered, responsibility for new CEOs—impacting roughly 30% of corporate earnings. They outline three key tensions CEOs must balance: the share‑vs‑stage...
298. The CEO as a Resilience Leader
In this episode, McKinsey partners Ida Christensen and Linda Liu explain why resilience has become a top priority for CEOs and how it must be tied directly to strategic business goals. They define resilience as both the ability to withstand...
296. The Power of Rigor in Transformation
In this episode, McKinsey partners Dominic Scarrett and Priya Moody define rigor as disciplined execution that turns bold transformation ideas into measurable, lasting results, emphasizing speed, resilience, and consistency. They share research showing that rigor‑driven transformations achieve 80% of targets...
290. Tim Koller Reflects on Three Decades of Valuation at McKinsey
Tim Koller, co‑author of the seminal textbook *Valuation*, joins Andy West and Dago Diedrich to trace the book’s 30‑year journey from a simple three‑ring binder to a global standard for measuring corporate worth. He highlights enduring valuation principles—cash‑flow focus, risk‑adjusted...
286. The Cigna Group’s Brian Evanko on Improving Affordability and Prevention in Healthcare
In this episode, Cigna Group President and COO Brian Evanko discusses the twin challenges of healthcare affordability and prevention, emphasizing the disproportionate spend on chronic care in the U.S. He outlines how Cigna’s two growth platforms—Cigna Healthcare and Evernorth—are leveraging...