Change is never easy, especially at the top. To succeed, executives in new roles must get up to speed quickly and make an impact in five key areas simultaneously:
Supporting executives to step successfully into C-suite roles
Business
Do you have a clear read on current business performance and alignment on future priorities?
Culture
Which shifts in culture will have the greatest impact and how will you influence them?
Team
Do you have the right leadership team and are you continually improving performance?
Myself
Have you done the work to get up to speed and build on your strengths?
External stakeholders and Board
Are you ready to step up and strengthen your relationships with the board and key stakeholders?
We support transitioning executives with the following:
Data-driven insights
on the most effective moves to make and when should you make them
Finely calibrated perspectives
on your company’s performance and important trends both inside and outside your industry
Leadership development
personal career coaching focused on setting priorities, engaging with the board, and establishing a function
Chief Executive Officers
CEO transitions: Fortune favors the bold
New CEOs must move quickly to calibrate the bar for success in their industry and prioritize the bold strategic moves that will put them out in front.
Video
What makes a CEO “exceptional”?
We assessed the early moves of CEOs with outstanding track records; some valuable lessons for leadership transitions emerged.
McKinsey CEO App
Benchmark your company’s health, monitor market conditions, and access the McKinsey ecosystem
Chief Financial Officers
CFO transitions: Push the boundaries
New CFOs succeed by pushing the boundaries and actively shaping their mandate. We support finance leaders to drive growth, digitization, business development, risk management, and programmatic M&A capabilities.
Article
Starting up as a new CFO
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Congratulations, you’ve made it—now hit the ground running. Here are seven key mindsets and practices that effective CFOs adopt from day one.
Video
How CFOs become CEOs
Limited operational experience is not necessarily a barrier to the top job. Here’s what CFOs must do to jump to the next level.
McKinsey Value Intelligence
Provides fast, sophisticated financial insights through automated benchmarking reports
Chief Strategy Officers
CSO transitions: Ruthlessly prioritize
To set a bold new direction, strategists must grapple with the issues, integrate a range of perspectives, and challenge their preconceived notions about their company. We support CSOs to develop and execute strategies that beat the market with privileged insights based on quantitative research and nearly 100 years of experience.
The strategy leader’s evolving mandate
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Strategy leaders have taken on additional responsibilities over the past decade in response to increasing volatility and shifting mandates.
Our experts
Kurt Strovink
Senior PartnerNew York
Leads our CEO services globally and serves on our Shareholders Council, McKinsey’s board of directors; advises life- and wealth-management,...
Michael Birshan
Senior Partner and Managing Partner, UK, Ireland, and IsraelLondon
Leads McKinsey in the UK, Ireland, and Israel; partners with bold and determined leaders striving to make a difference
Carolyn Dewar
Senior PartnerBay Area
Delivers large-scale performance-improvement programs that foster culture change and counsels senior executives making leadership...
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