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The McKinsey Podcast

McKinsey & Companywww.mckinsey.com
The McKinsey Podcast, our new flagship podcast series, takes you inside our global firm, and features conversations with experts on issues that matter most in business and management. McKinsey & Company is a management-consulting firm that helps businesses, governments, and not-for-profit organizations realize their most important goals. Topics covered in this series include strategy, technology, leadership, marketing, operations, organization, and the role of business in society.

Episodes

What’s new in consumer wellness trends?

Pass the probiotics and the clinically effective products over the “clean and natural” ones: McKinsey’s latest research on the future of wellness provides a snapshot of how consumers worldwide, across all geographies and generations, are approaching their health and wellness and the types of interventions they are prioritizing. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast , McKinsey partner Anna Pione joins editorial director Roberta Fusaro, to discuss what’s trending, why, and where innovation is ne...

May 16, 202426 min

Gen AI talent: Your next flight risk

Active users of generative AI are high value and in demand—and in many cases, poised to quit. New research reveals how to attract them, keep them engaged, and motivate them to stay put. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast , McKinsey talent leaders Aaron De Smet and Brooke Weddle talk to global editorial director Lucia Rahilly about what these workers want most, as well as practical steps leaders can take to keep them happy and engaged. In our second segment, McKinsey partner Julia McClatchy ...

May 02, 202429 min

Everything you wanted to know about carbon removals but were afraid to ask

Decarbonization has emerged as a critical tool in the fight against climate change, but it also shows promise as a means of economic acceleration across the globe. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast , McKinsey senior partner Mark Patel joins editorial director Roberta Fusaro to discuss McKinsey’s recent report about the business of carbon dioxide removal and how it could play a vital role in responding to hard-to-abate emissions in various sectors. In our second segment, Black Americans are...

Apr 18, 202434 min

CEO priorities: Where to focus as the year unfolds

Over the past several years, CEOs have faced mounting uncertainty–and 2024 is proving no exception. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, Homayoun Hatami, McKinsey's managing partner for client capabilities, and Liz Hilton Segel, McKinsey's chief client officer, speak with global editorial director Lucia Rahilly about what matters most , amid serial crisis and disruption, and where leaders should focus their energies to enable their organizations to thrive. See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy...

Apr 04, 202425 min

Are women's prime working years in peril?

Women’s healthcare has been neglected for decades. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, McKinsey senior partners Kweilin Ellingrud and Lucy Pérez join editorial director Roberta Fusaro to discuss McKinsey’s recent report about issues in women’s healthcare and what can be done to address them and potentially boost the global economy by $1 trillion a year. In our second segment--what do you do when you realize you’re losing your audience during a presentation? McKinsey senior partner Sherina E...

Mar 21, 202421 min

Analyzing the CEO–CMO relationship and its effect on growth

CEOs acknowledge the expertise and importance of chief marketing officers and their role in helping the company grow, yet there’s still a strategic disconnect in the C-suite. CEOs and chief marketing officers (CMOs) must work together closely for any marketing plan to flourish. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast , McKinsey partner Robert Tas joins editorial director Roberta Fusaro to discuss how to nurture the CEO–CMO relationship. Our second segment features an excerpt from our Author Talk...

Mar 07, 202419 min

McKinsey’s key takeaways from Mobile World Congress

This is a special, bonus episode of The McKinsey Podcast . McKinsey Partner Ferry Grijpink joins host Roberta Fusaro from the annual Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Feb 28, 20246 min

How to be a better chief of staff

Confidante. Consultant. Convener. The chief of staff (COS) role sits at the intersection of leadership and support. It also comes with enormous responsibility, opportunity, and influence. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast , McKinsey senior partner Andrew Goodman joins editorial director Roberta Fusaro to discuss the highs and lows of this consequential job—and how to do it right. After, meeting with CEOs felt daunting when McKinsey senior partner Carolyn Dewar started her consultancy caree...

Feb 22, 202419 min

Location, location, location: The impact of place on racial equity

There is a dramatic difference in health, economic, and social outcomes for Black US residents compared with their White neighbors. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, JP Julien, a McKinsey partner and leader in the McKinsey Institute for Black Economic Mobility, joins editorial director Roberta Fusaro to discuss McKinsey’s recently published report on the state of Black residents , which outlines the realities for Black residents in four geographic categories—the urban core, the suburbs an...

Feb 08, 202419 min

McKinsey's takeaways from the World Economic Forum

Geopolitics, the women's health gap, economic inclusion, and technology are a few of the themes highlighted at last week's World Economic Forum in Davos. Hear McKinsey senior partners Tracy Francis and Sven Smit share their analysis of the most significant takeaways from Davos in this special, bonus episode with global editorial director Lucia Rahilly. See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Jan 27, 202424 min

Busting myths about women in the workplace

For years, women have been fighting for faster career advancement and more equitable representation at work. On this week’s episode of The McKinsey Podcast, McKinsey senior partners Alexis Krivkovich and Lareina Yee talk with global editorial director Lucia Rahilly about the 2023 Women in the Workplace report —and specifically, our newest research on where progress is happening, where it’s not, and what leaders need to do differently to accelerate the pace of change. See www.mckinsey.com/privacy...

Jan 25, 202426 min

The changing landscape for banks

Though the banking industry has had its best period since 2007, banks still need to acknowledge recent structural and macroeconomic shifts and look for ways to evolve with markets. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast , McKinsey senior partner Alex Edlich and partner Reinhard Höll join editorial director Roberta Fusaro to discuss the findings of McKinsey’s Global Banking Annual Review . They outline the new challenges banks are facing and suggest how leaders can address those challenges. See ...

Jan 11, 202423 min

What business can learn from "geeks"

What is a geek? What geek norms are associated with success? Andrew McAfee will answer these questions and more. He’s a principal research scientist at the MIT Sloan School of Management and author of the new book, The Geek Way: The Radical Mindset that Drives Extraordinary Results . This is a guest episode from McKinsey’s Forward Thinking podcast, with co-host and McKinsey partner Michael Chui. See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information...

Dec 28, 20231 hr

Holiday shopping: Consumer savvy and retailer responses

Across the United States, consumers are continuing to spend, but they’re not opening their wallets too wide. Joining us are McKinsey partners Colleen Baum and Tamara Charm who say retailers that offer personalized promotions, same-day delivery, and “buy now, pay later” plans are more likely to capture cautious consumers’ holiday spending. Learn more about US consumers’ holiday shopping behaviors and expectations on this guest episode of the McKinsey on Consumer and Retail podcast, hosted by Moni...

Dec 14, 202323 min

Getting ahead in the cloud

We’ve all heard lots about cloud technology, but, according to new McKinsey research , only 20 to 30 percent of industries are using it regularly and at scale. On today’s episode of The McKinsey Podcast, McKinsey senior partners Mark Gu and James Kaplan share findings from the report, “In search of cloud value: Can generative AI transform cloud ROI?” They talk about why cloud technology is essential in business, what’s holding companies back from getting the most value from their cloud programs,...

Nov 30, 202324 min

Who is productive, and who isn’t? Here’s how to tell.

If productivity is down in your organization, it may be a sign that at least some employees are unmotivated and unhappy—and that other employees are feeding on that dissatisfaction, further eroding productivity and creating attrition. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast , McKinsey senior partner Aaron De Smet and partner Angelika Reich talk about McKinsey’s latest research on employee productivity and their perspectives on a few types of workers, ranging from those who bring fellow employees...

Nov 16, 202326 min

What AI means for travel–now and in the future

“Revenge travel.” It’s what a lot of people are doing these days–hitting the runways in big numbers to make up for time lost during the pandemic. McKinsey recently partnered with Skift, a leading travel industry news site, to write a report about travel in the age of AI. McKinsey partners Alex Cosmas and Vik Krishnan join global editorial director Lucia Rahilly to discuss a new report on travel in the age of AI : what the technology’s promise and pitfalls are and what it may mean for the travel ...

Nov 02, 202325 min

The future of real estate in a hybrid world

Hybrid work has roiled the real estate market—and it’s here to stay, according to new research from the McKinsey Global Institute . On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast , McKinsey senior partners Aditya Sanghvi and Jonathan Woetzel chat with global editorial director Lucia Rahilly about how the persistence of the pivot to working from home has transformed the places we work, live, shop, and socialize—and about the unique opportunity hybrid presents to rethink real estate for our changing futu...

Oct 19, 202331 min

Funnel vision: Marketing with an investor mindset

When times get tough, marketing budgets are among the first ones cut. But such cutbacks can be shortsighted. On this edition of The McKinsey Podcast, McKinsey senior partner Kelsey Robinson chats with cohost and editorial director Roberta Fusaro about why chief marketing officers should instead be empowered to adopt an investor mindset—that is, focus on eliminating inefficient spending and reinvesting it in high-growth marketing activities. By taking a full-funnel approach to their marketing str...

Oct 04, 202320 min

Generative AI: How will it affect future jobs and workflows?

As companies struggle to understand the implications and applications of generative AI, one thing seems clear: AI and its future iterations are not going anywhere. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast , senior partner Kweilin Ellingrud and partner Saurabh Sanghvi share findings from McKinsey’s latest report on gen AI with editorial director Roberta Fusaro and explain why companies must pivot to embrace the technology itself and the deep and lasting changes it may create. Individual and organi...

Sep 21, 202326 min

Getting to the bottom of the teen mental health crisis

The stakes are high when it comes to tackling the unprecedented mental health issues facing today’s teens. In this episode of The McKinsey Podcast , global editorial director Lucia Rahilly speaks with McKinsey partner and coleader of the McKinsey Health Institute Erica Coe and the founding president and medical director of the Child Mind Institute, Harold Koplewicz, about what the struggle means for society at large. Then, Maggie Smith, author of You Could Make This Place Beautiful (Atria/One Si...

Sep 07, 202331 min

Don't wait–create with generative AI

Good things will come to those companies that don’t wait. McKinsey AI experts Michael Chui and Alex Singla discuss McKinsey’s new report about the generative AI opportunity with global editorial director Lucia Rahilly. Hear how companies should immediately seize the gen AI opportunity to gain competitive advantage. But first, McKinsey senior partner Kelsey Robinson points out a consumer spending dichotomy in her first of a series of a quick US consumer behavior check-ins. See www.mckinsey.com/pr...

Aug 24, 202333 min

The path to greater productivity and prosperity in Africa

By 2050, about 25 percent of the world’s population will be from the African continent. What can be done now to support Africa’s educational infrastructure, bountiful resources, and technological innovation? On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast , McKinsey partner Mayowa Kuyoro and senior partner Acha Leke share details from their latest research on Africa and outline the strengths and assets the continent has that can help it vastly improve its productivity and reinvigorate its economy. They ...

Aug 10, 202329 min

Are middle managers your next ace in the hole?

Business lore is freighted with misadventures in middle management. Yet middle managers are critical to organizational health and performance, and they are only becoming more so as work continues to transform, according to the new book Power to the Middle: Why Managers Hold the Keys to the Future of Work (Harvard Business Review Press, July 2023). On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, authors Emily Field, Bryan Hancock, and Bill Schaninger talk to global editorial director Lucia Rahilly about...

Jul 28, 202316 min

What really works when it comes to digital and AI transformations?

By now, most leaders understand the importance—or, increasingly, the inevitability—of digital and AI transformation. But fewer executives are clear about how to knit systems, people, and processes together in the most productive way. McKinsey senior partners Eric Lamarre, Kate Smaje, and Rodney Zemmel have written Rewired: The McKinsey Guide to Outcompeting in the Age of Digital and AI (Wiley, June 2023) with that disconnect in mind . The authors discuss Rewired which offers clear, customizable ...

Jul 13, 202318 min

Sustainability sells in the US consumer market

When you’re grocery shopping and see a product that claims it’s “good for the planet” or “society” - are you more inclined to buy it? If yes was your answer, you’re not alone. This is according to a joint study by McKinsey and Nielson IQ about US consumer behavior and spending. Today we’re sharing an episode from the McKinsey on Consumer and Retail podcast that talks all about it. Regular programming for The McKinsey Podcast is back in two weeks. See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy i...

Jun 29, 202326 min

A peek at the future health and wealth of our global economy

Banking instability. High interest rates. Pervasive geopolitical upset. These and other headwinds are pressing powerfully against leaders’ and organizations’ attempts to be more productive and create more economic value. In this episode of The McKinsey Podcast , senior partner Sven Smit puts these trends in context. He shares findings from the McKinsey Global Institute’s latest Future of Wealth research with podcast host and editorial director Roberta Fusaro. He offers four potential scenarios f...

Jun 15, 202325 min

Getting a read on the state of organizations

On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast , McKinsey senior partners Dana Maor and Patrick Simon speak with McKinsey editorial director Roberta Fusaro about three of the ten most asked-about shifts featured in the recently released State of Organizations report: increasing speed and strengthening resilience, the hybrid workplace, and building capabilities in a rapidly changing workplace. After, it can be scary to share a dissenting opinion. But McKinsey senior partner Katy George shares a time she...

Jun 01, 202321 min

How to revive US productivity

Once an engine of US power and prosperity, US labor productivity has grown at a sluggish 1.4 percent since 2005. Imminent challenges such as workforce shortages, debt, inflation, and the cost of energy could be ameliorated with higher productivity. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, Olivia White , a McKinsey senior partner and a director of the McKinsey Global Institute, and McKinsey partner Charles Atkins join McKinsey editorial director and host Roberta Fusaro to share tangible ways to b...

May 18, 202324 min

Why restoring natural capital is good for business

From regular water shortages in California to a nitrogen crisis in the Netherlands, the deterioration of natural capital has had tangible consequences—and given rise to a reckoning within business and government. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast , McKinsey partner Josh Katz and associate partner Caroline De Vit talk with global editorial director Lucia Rahilly about a recently published special report on natural capital: what it is, why it matters, and how Fortune 500 companies are moving...

Apr 21, 202316 min
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