A CEO for All Seasons

THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER "A CRASH COURSE IN HOW TO BE AN EFFECTIVE CEO." --Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Think Again and Hidden Potential and host of the podcast Re:Thinking From leading global management consulting firm McKinsey & Company and the minds behind the New York Times bestseller CEO Excellence comes a compact, insight-packed guide to navigating the distinct phases of leadership that every CEO must pass through on their way to mastery. In the high-stakes world of corporate leadership, becoming a Fortune 500 CEO is an Everest-like ascent - with only the savviest managing to avoid falling off the mountain. In A CEO for All Seasons you'll find an essential climbing route that will take you through every stage. Featured in this tip-dense guide is wisdom from some of the world's most iconic leaders, including Dell Technologies' Michael Dell, Merck's Ken Frazier, Nasdaq's Adena Friedman, Morgan Stanley's James Gorman, Blackstone's Steve Schwarzman, ASML's Peter Wennink, and Chevron's Mike Wirth. Unique in applying a number of sophisticated metrics to isolate the world's top 200 CEOs, reduce them to a representative sample, and then reap their wisdom, the McKinsey team, in A CEO for All Seasons, spotlights the specific stage-based hurdles that CEOs face. From preparing for the role to starting strong to sustaining momentum to ensuring a lasting legacy, the book leaves no segment of the journey unmapped. Along the way, it offers proven strategies for maintaining forward progress and, crucially, alerts readers to common blind spots that can sabotage success, as revealed by a detailed survey of thousands of executives. Whether you're an aspiring leader or a new-to-the-job CEO - or even a board member wanting to better steward your company's performance - this is the compact, hands-on guide you've needed. Its compendium of pressure-tested tips is a must-have game changer for leaders at all levels.

Carolyn founded and coleads McKinsey's CEO and board excellence work, coaching many Fortune 100 CEOs to maximize their effectiveness in the role, including business aspiration-setting and roadmap, culture shifts to unlock performance, top-team effectiveness, managing external stakeholders, board engagement, and resetting their own personal operating model. She also works extensively with clients to drive organizational effectiveness at pivotal moments-such as merger, strategic shift, and crisis-and lead large-scale performance improvement programs integrating strategic, operational, and cultural initiatives. Carolyn is a Canadian and British citizen, and currently lives in San Francisco with her two children and husband. She is a board trustee of Bay Area Discovery Museum and has a Master's degree in economics and international relations from University of St Andrews, Scotland.