OUR BEST IDEAS FOR THE C-SUITE

Welcome to the latest edition of the CEO Shortlist, a biweekly newsletter of our best ideas for the C-suite. This week, we dive into our latest thinking on the ever-changing global economy. You can reach us with reciprocal ideas and thoughts at Alex_Panas@McKinsey.com and Axel_Karlsson@McKinsey.com. Thank you, as ever.

—Alex and Axel

Topsy-turvy time. The recent wave of tariffs and other trade controls has created radical uncertainty for businesses. Here’s how decision-makers can best position their companies to thrive in the evolving landscape, by McKinsey Senior Partners Cindy Levy, Shubham Singhal, and coauthor Zoe Fox. It all starts with understanding your relative advantage compared with rivals, and the changes in demand.

Here we go again. After the global financial crisis, COVID-19, and the war in Ukraine, business leaders have (almost) seen it all. McKinsey Global Managing Partner Bob Sternfels and Senior Partners Michael Birshan and Ishaan Seth suggest that CEOs pull from that body of experience and return to first principles. In times of crisis, some leaders want to hunker down; others want to make all the right defensive moves while also leaning into volatility. These leaders are playing both offense and defense.

We hope you find these ideas inspiring and helpful. See you in a couple of weeks with more McKinsey ideas for the CEO and others in the C-suite.

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