1: Imagine walking through a forest.  

“The diversity of trees you’ll see can be quite dazzling,” write McKinsey consultants Carolyn Dewar, Scott Keller, and Vikram Malhotra in CEO Excellence: The Six Mindsets That Distinguish the Best Leaders from the Rest.  

“Douglas fir, white pine, Aspen, red maple, and oak soar toward the sky, each individually competing with the others for sunlight and space.”

Is this true? Actually … continue reading

1: Selecting the right people and putting them in the right roles is just the beginning of the CEO’s role in managing talent.

The best CEOs, write McKinsey consultants Carolyn Dewar, Scott Keller, and Vikram Malhotra in their book CEO Excellence, make a considerable investment of time and energy “into coaching, retaining talent, managing performance, and planning for succession for the most valuable roles.”

These leaders become … continue reading

1: “Most CEOs have a ‘top talent’ list that can be counted in the single digits,” Carolyn Dewar, Scott Keller, and Vikram Malhotra write in CEO Excellence: The Six Mindsets That Distinguish the Best Leaders from the Rest.

“CEOs can entrust them to do things that others can’t,” they write. “These stars sit on just about every standing committee and act as sponsors for most task forces … continue reading

1: “Who are your top twenty most talented leaders?” 

That was the question McKinsey consultants Carolyn Dewar, Scott Keller, and Vikram Malhotra asked the CEO of an average-performing healthcare company. 

The CEO shared his list.

Next, they asked: “What are the twenty most important roles in the company?” 

Once again, he shared his list, but “with a speed that suggested he hadn’t given that answer nearly as much … continue reading

“Design is intelligence made visible.” —Alina Wheeler

1: Columbia Business School professor Rita Gunther McGrath wanted to know the key difference between high- and low-growth large organizations.  

Her research suggests two factors.  Which seem to be in opposition to one another.

“On the one hand, they [high-growth large companies] are built for innovation, are good at experimentation, and can move on a dime,” she writes. 

The second factor?

“On the … continue reading

1: McKinsey consultants asked a CEO how much time he spent managing other people’s egos. 

Probably 20 to 30 percent of the time, he answered.

Then, they asked him what percent of time people spent managing his ego.

Silence.  

“Beyond the anecdote,” Carolyn Dewar, Scott Keller, and Vikram Malhotra write in CEO Excellence, “the research is clear: When CEOs are asked if they act as a … continue reading

1: To change workplace culture, the best CEOs survey team members to understand how engaged they are and how well they know the organization’s vision and strategy.

The first metric to measure? Will associates fill out the survey?

At Eaton Corporation, the power management technology company, former CEO Sandy Cutler and his team achieved a spectacular 96 percent participation rate on their voluntary survey across 175 countries and in 37 … continue reading